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These cranberry pesto chicken burgers are flavorful and have the perfect balance of sweet and savory. You’ll love how easy they are to make, and they pair perfectly with all your summer BBQ favorite side dishes.
This post is sponsored by US Cranberries. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
It’s burger time! You know I LOVE a good burger and you also know I LOVE me some ground chicken. While I will always have a soft spot for beef burgers, time and time again I choose to make chicken burgers. I think it’s because it can handle A LOT of flavors and I’m big on flavor when it comes to my burgers. A few years ago I took ground chicken and transformed it into a Thai chicken burger and this year I’m taking ground chicken and throwing in dried cranberries and pesto to create a crazy delicious burger with hints of sweetness and TONS of savory goodness.
Plus, who doesn’t love Brie cheese all melted on top of their burgers? So. Freaking. Good.
I feel like cranberries sort of get the shaft when it comes to summer cooking. I mean, no one forgets about them in the fall and winter but they are a little ignored in the summer. Well, I’m here to change that! While we all know that dried cranberries are awesome when thrown in leafy or potato salads, they also work CRAZY WELL in these cranberry pesto chicken burgers. I rehydrated mine in a little warm water to make sure they were soft and plump and worked perfectly in the burger.
Then I threw in a few tablespoons of pesto because who doesn’t love basil? Seriously, basil is one of the best flavors of summer. Finally, I topped it off with creamy Brie cheese, pesto mayonnaise and a handful (or two!) of micro greens.
PLUS, did you know that 80% of the U.S. population enjoys cranberries and 44% voted them one of the most versatile fruits. Which I have to say I agree with considering I have used them in everything from smoothies to BBQ sauce to burgers. Plus cranberries are America’s Original Superfruit and who doesn’t love enjoying a superfruit? Especially when it’s in burger form!
More chicken burger recipes
Cranberry Pesto Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
For burgers:
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ⅔ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 slices Brie cheese
For basil mayonnaise:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons pesto
For assembly:
- 4 toasted brioche buns
- 4 handfulls Micro greens
Instructions
For burgers:
- Add dried cranberries to a small bowl and just cover with boiling water. Let sit for 5 minutes while they reconstitute. Once plump, drain and chop.
- In a large bowl, add ground chicken, panko bread crumbs, pesto, grated garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, and chopped cranberries.
- Using your hands, mix until thoroughly combined and shape into 4 equal-sized patties.
- For cooking in a skillet: Place a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the burgers and cook on both sides until the patties are golden in color and the meat is fully cooked, about 5 minutes per side or 165 degrees F internally.
- For cooking on the grill: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Add your patties to the grill and cook until fully cooked and the patties are firm, about 10 minutes or 165 degrees F internally.
- Turn off the heat, top with Brie cheese, cover, and let the warmth of the pan or grill melt the cheese.
For mayo:
- Mix the mayonnaise and pesto together until fully combined and smooth.
For assembly:
- To serve, lay out the buns, slather with basil mayonnaise, add the burger and top with a handful of micro greens.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love the sweet-savory additions to these chicken burgers! This sounds like something I would absolutely ADORE.
Love the balance of flavors – sounds like a fab burger!
I love cranberries and couldn’t agree more about them not getting their true recognition during the summer. This burger is making me drool!
Those sound a-mazing! I want to chow into one right now!
I really love all the flavors going on in this burger! It’s time to get the grill fired up for this! Nice change from the ground beef burger!
This burger looks amazing! And yes, you are right- Poor cranberries seem to get tossed to the side during the summer. But I love how you used them in this burger. 🙂
These burgers look awesome. I love to get my hands on a couple. Liking the combo too.
I love a good burger and am diggin’ the flavors in these ones! Pesto always makes everything better.
This looks great! I am thinking dinner soon!
These look so freaking good. Incredibly juicy which is no small feat with poultry burgers. I love the balance of sweet and savory you have going on here! I adore cranberries, it’s so sad that they’re so ignored much of the year but thanks for letting their flavor shine!