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The true inspiration for this Pineapple Jalapeno Chicken Burger is the way too spicy chili sauce I had made. I have a couple of go to methods for making sauces to top off my dishes. One is sautéing tomatoes and onions and blending with chipotles in adobo sauce. This sauce is always a winner. The second sauce I make can begin with the same base but gets its spice from rehydrating different chilies including ARBOL, ANCHO or GUAJILLO. Each chili has a different SPICE LEVEL but what I love is the smokiness in the ancho and gualjillo chilies.
Pineapple Jalapeno Chicken Burger
In this case, I used the latter method, and WOAH, that was some spicy sauce. I decided to add bananas to mellow out the sauce. It helped some but now I had a sauce that needed to paired with a particular kind of protein and other ingredients would have to work well with the spice and the banana flavor. So a burger would work well. I then came up with the pineapple jalapeno salsa idea believing it would bring it all together. The sweet and spicy salsa mirrored the sauce and worked just right.
The other learning that I carry through most of my recipes is to season or flavor at each level. I can hear all the Foodie hosts on the Food Network saying be sure to spice each layer. It is such good advice. I always take that idea to the next level with burgers. I want to add more than just salt and pepper. In these chicken burgers, I added mild harissa paste, soy sauce and salt and pepper. These flavorings added both moisture and some oomph to the burger. When serving the burger I simple used lettuce and avocados. The avocados had a nice cooling effect for the sandwich.
The cast of characters for the burger.
Chicken Burger Ingredients
The chicken burgers formed.
Chicken Burgers Formed
The Pineapple Jalapeno Chicken Burger plated.
Pineapple Jalapeno Chicken Burger Plated
Pineapple Jalapeno Chicken Burger
Ingredients
- 2 LBS Ground Chicken
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Mild Harissa Paste
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Whole Jalapeno diced
- 8 Ounces Pineapple Rough chop
- 4 Whole Buns
Instructions
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In a bowl, combine the salt, pepper, harissa and soy sauce. Mix well. Work into the ground chicken and combine well.
In a separate bowl, take the diced jalapeno (seeds removed during dicing) and the pineapple and mix well. Set aside.
Heat your outdoor grill on medium heat. Cook the chicken burgers about 7 minutes per side. Bring inside and let rest for a couple of minutes.
Assemble the sandwich by placing a piece of lettuce on the bottom bun. Next, top it with the burger. If you are using a BBQ sauce, apply now. Top with the pineapple jalapeno salsa and avocados if you like.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
I put the lettuce on the bottom bun so the burger does not make the bun soggy.
I would never have thought to add banana tochili. What’s it like? These burgers sound delightful.
Jeff, it was a really good combo – but the banana BBQ sauce needed the pineapple pairing. Give it a try.
Sweet and spicy is always the way to go!
It sure is Rebecca.
This burger looks so delicious and juicy! Yum!!
Thx Sam.
I love the spice from the jalapeno in this.
Just the right amount of spice.
I love the avocado on this.
thx Theresa.
Love the sound of this burger! All the different chiles would add so much depth of flavor -plus add pineapple!! YUM! Perfect summer burger!
Lots of flavor and spice Jenni.