I believe that good food and good nutrition should be easy and that few simple smart substitutions and additions can make everyday foods into nutritional powerhouses.  More of the good stuff means less room for the bad stuff surely?
Two of these chicken and quinoa burgers is enough for a very satisfying meal, but only uses one cooked chicken thigh (about 60g) per person. Using less meat means you can afford to buy better quality, which is good news for you and the chicken, and you still save money. Â It really is a win win situation!
I’ve also added two superfoods from Rainforest Foods to this dish, to show how easy it is to add these nutritionally dense supplements to everyday food.  Chia seeds are high in omega-3 essential fatty acids, fibre and calcium, I use them almost daily in smoothies on on cereal. Cacao nibs are cocoa beans cracked into small pieces and have a rich, deep, complex chocolate flavour as well as being rich in high antioxidants.
I infused the cacao nibs in balsamic vinegar to make a richly flavoured vinegar, which makes a delicious salad dressing, that tastes of rich chocolate without being chocolatey, think how well a square or two of chocolate enhances a chilli or Mexican mole sauce and you get the idea.
To make the cacao balsamic vinegar simply fill an empty bottle or jar half full of cacao nibs and top up with an inexpensive, but not the cheapest, balsamic vinegar, shake and leave to infuse for at least a week. The longer you can leave it the richer the flavour gets, as soon as I get half way down a bottle I start another one. Â Use in place of ordinary balsamic vinegar in your usual salad dressing recipe.
If you loved this, then you may also like my spicy bean burgers and serve with my Aubergine chips!
Recipe: Mediterranean chicken, quinoa & chia burgers
Ingredients
- 4 cooked chicken thighs or leftover roast chicken – skinned and boned (about 240g)
- 100 g quinoa -cooked as per packet instructions and well drained (250g cooked weight)
- 1 large egg – beaten
- 2 tbs chia seed
- 1 tbs fresh basil – chopped
- 1 tbs sun dried tomatoes – chopped
- 1 tbs plain flour
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tbs light olive oil
Instructions
- Put the chicken into a food processor or chopper and whizz until shredded. Place in a bowl and add all the other ingredients apart from the flour and mix well. Add enough flour so the mixture will stick together and season to taste.
- Divide the mixture into 8, and shape into round patties, each about 2cm thick, place on a plate cover with cling film and pop into the fridge for a few hours to firm up.
- Fry over a medium in the olive oil for about five minutes each side until golden brown and hot all the way through.
- Serve with salad, or in a burger bun.
Recipe commissioned by Rainforest Foods. Â
Sarah Maison Cupcake
They sound great, I don’t think I’ve ever made chicken burgers myself so I need to put that right.
Helen
Very easy to make Sarah. I do prefer to make them from cooked chicken however to you know they are properly cooked through.
Katie Bryson
What a delicious looking meal Helen, i’d love to give these burgers a try. Chicken thigh meat is FAR tastier than breast, so much juicer too. You’ve done a wonderful job with this recipe :-)
Helen
Thanks Katie, I far prefer thighs, so much cheaper too.
Amanda Millie
these look amazing, I love quinoa. I will definitely be attempting to make these soon. X
Helen
I am a paid up member of the quinoa fan club too. I love that this recipe stretches a chicken thigh out to two burgers.
Codie
Ohmygosh this looks incredible! I use Chia seeds in smoothies a lot and Ive been wanting to try Quinoa but I hadn’t found a recipe that really grabbed me. This looks like it would be great – I’m going to have to try it out! Thanks! x
Helen
I think that the chia seeds really help the burgers to stick together too. Let me know how it goes.
Urvashi
I don’t eat chicken but I can see this combo working well with salmon too. Beautiful images.Thanks so much for sharing
Helen
Thanks you Urvashi. I think that fish could work very well – maybe smoked mackerel too?
Camilla @FabFood4All
Gorgeous chicken burgers Helen, I’ve not heard of Rainforest Foods before so shall look them up!
Helen
Thanks Camilla, we really did rather enjoy them. I liked the challenge of getting superfoods into something rather more everyday.
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I will definitely look out for the Rainforest brand. I use loads of chia myself and have enjoyed adding them to lots of dishes. Chicken burgers are great and using less meat but of better quality is the way forward.
Helen
Rainforest have got some lovely products. I am really enjoying using them.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
The flavours in these sound lovely, and I love how they allow you to cut down on your meat usage!
Helen
Meat reducers all the way here Becca. A simple step.
Lucy @ Bakingqueen74
These burgers sound great, I bet using chicken thighs really reduces the cost too. I like the thought of using cooked chicken like you said, then no worries about them being pink in the middle.
Helen
Thank you Lucy, I feel far happier using cooked chicken in burgers.
Heather Haigh
superfood burgers – oh yes I want to make these
Helen
Let me know how they go Heather. We loved them.
Janet Bennett
wow, shall definitely try this recipe, so tasty and delicious