Chicken Salad Burgers -- Chicken Salad Transformed into Beautiful Golden Patties

It was a beautiful bright and sunny spring day here today. When I got home from work this evening I wanted to make something fairly simple for dinner. I had some leftover cooked chicken breast in the fridge (from a rotisserie chicken). I decided to make chicken salad (which I love), so I began chopping the chicken up along with some celery, onions and red bell pepper. I took out some mayonnaise and proceeded to make basic chicken salad. As I mixed it together I wondered if there was a way to make a cross between chicken salad and a burger. I continued on and mixed about 3 cups of chopped chicken with my diced celery, onions and red bell pepper. I mixed it with a little mayonnaise and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I decided to experiment a little to see if I could transform my chicken salad into burgers. I added a lightly beaten egg to the mixture as well as about 1/4 cup of blanched almond flour to serve as a binder to make it easier to form into patties that would hold together. At this point I was really hoping and praying it would turn out half way decent considering I had just put a raw egg into my chicken salad...LOL. To make them a little zippy I started to add some cayenne pepper to the mixture but stopped and added about 1 tablespoon of my spicy garlic and red pepper infused olive oil instead (either would work fine). To my surprise, I was able to make beautiful patties with this mixture. I heated a mixture of olive oil and coconut oil in my skillet and browned the patties until golden brown on both sides. They turned out beautiful and delicious. I served them topped with some fresh lemon zest and diced raw red bell pepper to add a little extra crunch and natural sweetness. I really love the fresh hint of citrus flavor that the lemon zest added. It balanced the spiciness of the Chicken Salad Burgers beautifully. I initially steamed some broccoli to have alongside these burgers but instead opted for a second burger in place of the broccoli...they were too good to stop at one which is very unusual for me! I am already looking forward to having a leftover burger cold for lunch tomorrow! I snapped a few photos and included my easy peasy recipe for the burgers below. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Burgers

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup blanched almond flour
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
Olive or coconut oil, for cooking

Directions:

In a large bowl, add chicken, mayonnaise, celery, onion, and bell pepper; mix until thoroughly combined. Add egg and mix well; stir in almond flour. Divide mixture into 5 or 6 equal portions and shape into patties.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot. Carefully place patties into skillet and cook until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes; flip and cook an additional 6 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer burgers to a platter or plate. Serve topped with diced red bell pepper and lemon zest, if desired.