Inspiration: When I’m reading through blogs or cookbooks, it’s usually my style to bookmark a recipe that I love, then proceed to leave it there in my “to-make” queue for about one to two years before I finally get around to having just the right time/craving/ingredients necessary/etc. to make it. For better or for worse, my meal plan is usually a pretty complicated thing (…..I really don’t feel like making a burger in the winter….I already have another burger on the menu this week….I can’t buy havarti when I already have about 30 other cheeses in the fridge to use….). Anyway, I happened to be making my grocery list when I ran across this recipe, and it immediately went onto the list. Don’t you just love when something is so inspiring?

What We Loved: I love cheeseburgers. Always have. And while in my opinion nothing can quite beat a plain old beef burger grilled on a charcoal grill and topped with plenty of cheese (I always wanted to live off of those as a kid), I also love experimenting with some more unique ingredients when cooking burgers. And I really think that I’d list this as one of the best burgers that I’ve ever made (up there with prosciutto-wrapped lamb burgers, which I also adore). The rich and earthy mushroom flavor that dominates these burgers is just so unique and fantastic, and the chicken itself stays super moist beneath that mushroom crust. And to top things off, the gooey, somewhat lemony havarti and the peppery arugula (with just a touch of crunch) are the perfect complements.

Tips: Forming ground chicken thigh into burgers is not a pretty thing. It’s really not anything like using ground beef – it’s much stickier/messier and is a general pain. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, though – as long as you end up with a somewhat spherical looking patty, it’ll work out just fine.

Mushroom-Crusted Chicken Burgers
Source: Adapted from Elly Says Opa to serve two, originally from Pink Parsley

1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
Kosher salt and black pepper
About 3/4 lb ground chicken thigh
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 slice onion, finely diced
Handful fresh parsley, minced
Butter
Havarti cheese, freshly grated
Arugula

1. Grind the porcini mushrooms to a powder in a food processor. Reserve about 2 teaspoons of the mushroom powder in a bowl. Place the rest on a plate, mixing with salt and pepper.

2. In the bowl with the reserved mushroom powder, add the ground chicken, Worcestershire, Dijon, onion, parsley, and a good bit of salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.

3. Form the chicken mixture into two burgers. Dip the burgers into the mushroom powder on the plate, coating each burger completely.

4. Heat a pat of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook the burgers until they are cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Add the havarti cheese to each burger about a minute before you are done cooking.

5. Serve topped with fresh arugula.