Pesto Chicken Burgers - Everyday Food with Sarah Carey

You know what I always say? If you want to make your burger better, make it waftable. The secret to the amazing flavors in this recipe is the super simple pesto sauce -- I mix it right in with the ground meat! This dish is seriously tasty and seriously simple.
Sarah's Tip of the Day:
Start by making your pesto in the food processor. While it's running you'll add the garlic, then basil leaves, baby spinach, walnuts, olive oil and some water (if it gets sticky, you can scrape down the sides of the bowl). Next, you'll scoop some pesto into the ground chicken meat and form the mixture into patties for the grill. Cook your burgers covered and grill a few tomato slices at the same time -- they'll add great flavor to your meal! After a few minutes, place a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each patty, then let them cook through and serve on pesto-slathered focaccia. Your mouth-watering dinner is ready in minutes!
Subscribe for more easy and delicious recipes:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup baby spinach (1 ounce)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup walnuts
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grilling
Coarse salt and pepper
1 pound ground white-meat chicken
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 pieces focaccia, halved
Directions:
In a food processor, puree basil, spinach, garlic, walnuts, oil, and 1 tablespoon water. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Combine 1 tablespoon pesto, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and chicken and form into 4 patties. Clean and lightly oil hot grill. Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill patties, covered, 4 minutes. Flip patties and top with cheese. Add tomatoes to grill and cook, flipping once, until tomatoes are lightly charred and burgers are opaque throughout, 4 minutes.
Assemble sandwiches in focaccia with pesto, burgers, and tomatoes.
Cook's Note:
Go Green
This homemade spinach-and-basil pesto is also great on pizza, tossed with pasta, or in scrambled eggs.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Get the Full Recipe:
Nutritional Info: per serv (makes 4): 530 cal; 27 g fat; 39 g protein; 37 g carb; 3 g fiber
More Chicken Recipes:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Want more? Sign up to get my video recipe email, served daily.
Get recipe emails:
Like Everyday Food:
Follow Everyday Food:
Everyday Food Pinterest:
Sarah Carey is the editor of Everyday Food magazine and her job is to come up with the best ways to make fast, delicious food at home. But she's also a mom to two hungry kids, so the question "What's for dinner?" is never far from her mind -- or theirs, it seems! Her days can get crazy busy (whose don't?), so these videos are all about her favorite fast, fresh meals -- and the tricks she uses to make it all SO much easier.
Pesto Chicken Burgers - Everyday Food with Sarah Carey