Belinda Jeffery

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Chicken, Parmesan And Bacon Burgers

Your hands are one of the best tools you could ever have when you’re cooking. Of course you can mix all the ingredients for these burgers with a spoon but it’s much faster, easier and you end up with a more evenly mixed result, if you use your hands. If you really don’t like the thought of squishing everything together, just slip on some of food prep gloves – they’re great for jobs like this.

  • Serves 4.

 

  • 4 long rashers bacon
  • olive oil, for cooking
  • Burgers
  • 400g chicken mince
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (green onions)
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons shredded basil leaves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley
  • sea salt, to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup good-quality mayonnaise
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Red Cabbage Coleslaw

  • 1/3 cup good-quality mayonnaise, or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 medium-size red cabbage, finely shredded
  • 1/2 red pepper (capsicum), very finely sliced
  • 1/2 red onion, very finely sliced
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To Serve

  • Red cabbage leaves (save some of the outer ones for this and halve them if they are too large)

Put all the burger ingredients into a large bowl and mix them together really well. Shape the mixture into 4 burgers, each about 2cm thick.

Remove and discard the rind from the bacon rashers, and halve the rashers. Lie one half-rasher over another to form an X. Sit a burger in the centre of the X and wrap the bacon around the burger, pressing it onto the surface to help it stick. Make 3 more burgers in the same way. When you’ve finished, sit them on a plate lined with baking paper and refrigerate them for about 30 minutes so they firm up a little.

While they’re chilling it’s a good time to make the coleslaw. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and vinegar. Add the cabbage, red pepper, onion, salt and pepper and toss everything together so they’re well coated in the dressing.

When you’re ready to cook the burgers, heat a little oil in a frying pan over fairly low heat. Add the bacon-wrapped burgers and cook them for 7- 8 minutes on each side, or until they’re golden. The best way to check if they are cooked through is to make a tiny nick in the centre of one and have a look. When they’re ready, drain them on paper towels.

To serve the burgers, sit a cabbage leaf on each plate and scoop a quarter of the coleslaw into each one. Slice each burger in half, and lean one half against the other next to the coleslaw.

 

Bacon

How you like bacon – both the cut and the way it’s cooked – is one of those really personal food things. It’s a bit like how well done you like your breakfast toast! I usually buy my bacon from the butcher so I can get it sliced to the thickness I like. Nice long rashers are ideal for these burgers, but if the only ones you can find are a little small, you can stretch them by holding down one end while pressing down and running the flat side of a chef’s knife along one side. If that all seems a bit too much bother, just chop up the bacon and mix it in with all the other burger ingredients. It will taste just as good.