Chicken Halloumi Burgers

Name: Chicken Halloumi Burgers
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 tbsp hot sauce (sriracha or Frank's); 1 tbsp lemon juice; 4 brioche burger buns; 250 g halloumi cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick; 0.25 head green cabbage, finely shredded; 2 tbsp mayonnaise; 4 tbsp sour cream; 4 butter lettuce leaves; 2 roasted red peppers, sliced

From the kitchen of Carly

Quick chicken burger with a slab of golden halloumi for the salty squeak. Hot-sauce-glazed chicken, lemon-mayo cabbage slaw, and sweet peppers. Built in 15 minutes if you have a hot pan and a sense of urgency. Pound the chicken thin. Even thickness equals even cooking; thick uneven breasts dry out in the pan.

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 20 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

4 servings

2 largeboneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbspvegetable oil
4 tbsphot sauce (sriracha or Frank's)
1 tbsplemon juice
4brioche burger buns
250 ghalloumi cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
0.25 headgreen cabbage, finely shredded
2 tbspmayonnaise
4 tbspsour cream
4butter lettuce leaves
2roasted red peppers, sliced

Instructions

Place each chicken breast between two sheets of parchment paper and pound with a rolling pin until 1/2 inch thick. Cut each breast into two even pieces.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add the vegetable oil.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the hot pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until cooked through (165°F internal).
Lower the heat. Drizzle the hot sauce and 1/2 the lemon juice over the chicken in the pan. Cook 1 to 2 minutes more, turning to glaze, until the sauce reduces and the chicken is sticky. Move to a plate.
Wipe out the pan. Toast the cut sides of the buns in the dry skillet for 30 seconds until golden. Move to plates.
In the same pan, cook the halloumi slices for 2 minutes per side, until deeply golden. Halloumi browns fast and doesn't melt; just crisp it.
While the halloumi cooks, toss the cabbage in a bowl with the mayo and the remaining 1/2 tbsp lemon juice. Season with a pinch of salt.
Build: bottom bun, smear of sour cream, lettuce leaf, slice of chicken, slice of halloumi, sliced red peppers, a heaping spoonful of cabbage slaw. Top bun. Serve immediately while everything is hot and crisp.

Substitutions

chicken breast to thigh fillets or a pre-made chicken patty. Thighs are more forgiving and stay juicier. Pre-made patties cut prep to zero.
halloumi to thick-cut bacon or grilled paneer. Bacon takes it American-classic; paneer is the vegetarian halloumi alternative.
hot sauce to sweet chili sauce or buffalo sauce. Sweet chili is milder and stickier; buffalo sauce takes it full-on wing-style.

Pairs well with: Crispy oven fries or sweet potato wedges, A cold lager or hard lemonade, Pickled red onion and jalapenos on the side

Adapted from TheMealDB.