Cajun Chicken Burgers

The one thing I really miss about eating beef, apart from a rare steak of course, is a good burger. I can still eat a MacDonald’s quarter pounder with cheese (perhaps an indication of the quality of the meat), but its not really the same. However, I’ve finally found a way to quell my beef burger cravings, in the form of the humble chicken burger. I livened up the meat with a mixture of paprika, cumin and ground coriander, and although it doesn’t have same satisfyingly deep flavour of a proper beef burger, it still tastes very good. Particularly if you throw some good chunks of avocado and a rasher of bacon into the mix. Squished between two lightly toasted pieces of ciabatta, and with the addition of your favourite relish and maybe some cheese, and you’ve got your self a simple, inexpensive and healthier supper. And it’s massively tasty too.

Serves 2

2 Ciabatta rolls

2 skinless chicken breasts

1 ripe avocado

2 rashers of bacon

Thin slices of cheese (I had some cheese knocking about in the fridge)

Spinach leaves

Relish of choice

1 dessert spoon ground coriander

1 dessert spoon ground cumin

1 dessert spoon paprika

1tbsp of olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Put the coriander, cumin and paprika into a bowl, and add about half a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix it all together before adding the chicken breasts. Make sure they are well coated. Set the grill to high.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a wide frying pan, and add the chicken breasts, frying for around five minutes on each side, until cooked. Then put the chicken to one side of the pan and fry the bacon until it is cooked.
3. Meanwhile, slice the rolls in half and halve, stone, peel and slice the avocado. Lightly toast the rolls, cut side up, and then add the slices of cheese to the top side of the rolls and toast them a little longer, until the cheese has melted.
4.  Assemble the burgers however you like. I put the spinach leaves on the bottom, then the bacon, then sliced the chicken and alternated each slice with a slice of avocado. I served it all with lightly dressed spinach leaves.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £5

Kitchen Requirements: BOWL, WIDE FRYING PAN.