Green Chili Chicken Burgers.
As much as I hate to admit it, I have a few bad habits. Not refilling the ice cube tray is the first thing that comes to mind, mainly because I NEVER DO IT. We don’t have a fancy fridge that makes it’s own ice, so we have the old school trays that need dumped and refilled. Not only is this 1.] a huge pain when we are entertaining or consuming large amounts of alcoholic beverages, it is also b.] one of the activities I find extremely annoying, even ahead of emptying the dishwasher and folding clean laundry.
Apparently this came to a head for my husband this weekend as he fiercely threw an empty, now room temperature tray on the floor and asked, “why are these always sitting on the counter?! Is it really that hard to take five seconds and fill them with water and stick them back in the fridge?!”
Why yes. Yes it is.
I don’t know! I mean, why do I set a new roll of toilet paper on top of the old empty one instead of taking the extra two seconds to install it properly? I just do. I’m an idiot sometimes. I’m a product of the extremely lazy, work ethic-less, I-get-everything-I-want-by-clicking-a-mouse-in-fourty-seconds internet generation. It’s disgusting and it’s real. Welcome to 2012!
But I must point out that one of the only reasons he frustratingly questioned me was because he.was.starving. You know… the type of husband starvation that occurs when they haven’t eaten in 16 minutes? Only to be exacerbated by cutting the lawn for a few seconds and ingesting two diet Mountain Dews before deciding they simply couldn’t take it anymore and rush inside in a flurry?
About a half hour earlier I had the foresight to realize that my worst nightmare would probably come true (him + me in the kitchen = two steps from divorce… or homicide, whichever comes first) and decided to make these green chili burgers that I’d been dreaming of for a few days. In an effort to save time, I quickly made one burger… and only one… to tide him over and to save my sanity. I made it… and since it was something new and he can be quite picky, I tasted it.
Except I couldn’t stop tasting it. I had a bite. Then another bite. And before I knew it, more than half of the sandwich was gone and he was busting through the front door like a angry bull.
And that’s when he saw the empty ice cube trays and started – for lack of a better word – whining about them. It’s not like I constantly bring up his annoying habits (lies, I totally do) such as his lack of punctuality (biggest pet peeve evah), but whatever. One bite in and he was profusely apologizing, to the point where I don’t think it matters if I ever refill one of those stupid trays again. He inhaled a second burger, finished mowing the lawn, then came in and ate a third. This… is my life. I fear the day when we have to feed more than two people on a regular basis. So does our bank account.
But who wants to listen to me talk? All you really need to know from this? We love these. Like, totally love LOVE.
Green Chili Chicken Burgers
makes 4 burgers
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 (4 ounce) cans of diced green chilis
2.5 ounces of monterey jack cheese, cut into tiny cubes + more for topping
1/2 tablespoon honey
juice of half a lime
Preheat your grill or heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine chicken, oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin, garlic, cheese cubes and 1/2 a can of green chilis. Mix until just combined, then divide into four sections and form into four patties. Place on grill or skillet and cook on each side until golden and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Once you flip the burgers, add additional cheese on top to melt.
While the burgers are cooking, toast buns if desired and combine remaining green chilis in a bowl with honey, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper (green chili sauce here adapted from bobby flay). When ready to serve, spoon green chilis on top of cheeseburgers and eat!
Note: if you use ground chicken (as opposed to ground chicken breast) you can omit the olive oil or use a bit less.
P.S. last night I ate these again, but piled with like, boatloads of guacamole on top. UGH.
145 Comments on “Green Chili Chicken Burgers.”
You’re not alone. I HATE re-filling ice cube trays and most of the time just don’t even bother with ice. That’s how lazy I am. I am, however, good about putting the new roll of toilet paper on. :-)
I never clean. Anything. Ever.
I would rather hire a cleaning service to clean the house than get off my butt and do anything in the house. I just HATE it!
I have 2.5 lbs of ground beef that may need to be made into burgers like this, like, tonight. :)
My thoughts… EXACTLY.
Oh baby! Now this is a chicken burger! I love all that melted cheese. Yum!! You have me wanting burgers now!!! I am drooling at 4:20am over a burger!!!
We had the same problem before we got the “fancy” fridge. Half the time we would forget to refill them in time for company and have to get bagged ice up the street. Oops!
Not filling the ice cube trays in our house are grounds for divorce. If I don’t have enough ice to make a frozen smoothie- watch out world, *not a happy camper*
Don’t worry though, I have several bad habits of my own too :)
I’m pretty sure my boyfriend could come up with a list a mile long of my bad habits but then I’d make these burgers for him and it would all be okay. Love the spice, I bet the pack a real flavour punch.
haha, I totally do the same thing with the toilet paper and leaving my tissues EVERYWHERE! Why can’t I just get up and throw them away? I’m not quite sure :)
HAHS ( hungry angry husband syndrome) can be pretty scary, my boyfriend gets hit with it ever so often & I rather just run away lol. Im making these burgers and keeping them on hand for when hunger strikes
HAHS, that is funny! I need to tell my hubby this. All I do is look at him and go, “Um what is up with you, have you eaten yet?”
I love this post for so many reasons. It’s funny how silly married pet peeves are. Tony HATES that I don’t close drawers or doors all the way. I don’t like to slam things so all of them stay slightly cracked. I’m also the worst at doing laundry. I will wash them, but folding is so dreaded. Tony has shoes everywhere! Oh and he normally puts his dishes in the sink. Yeah, we’re a 1950s couple trapped in 30 year old bodies. The thing is, these are such silly things in the greater scheme of things, but I think they just become the icing on the (turd) cake and make the other person crazy…
The burger looks amazing! Have a great day Jessica!
Oh my gosh you hit the nail on the head… ha! Have a great day as well!
We’ve just got our first Whole Foods Market and diced chilis was one of my first purchases since you can’t buy them anywhere else. I’ve never actually had them, though. Would you (or anyone reading this) say they’re too spicy to give to a toddler? I’ll still make the burgs but I’ll save it for when it’s just me and the Mr.
Thanks for keeping busy in the kitchen – I sure like it when someone else plans my meals!
I don’t love spicy food – on a scale of 1-10, I want food at a 3-4 (with the occasional 7-8), and I don’t find these to be very spicy at all. However, I don’t have kids or feed children on a regular basis, so I can’t say for sure!
You are brilliant. These burgers look absolutely fantastic. Oh, I cannot wait to try one!
I haven’t tried these yet, but it looks like you’ve hit the nail on the head!
I would have never thought to pair Monterey Jack, chiles, and ground chicken like this…
Have you every tried some combination that was totally disastrous? Like, inedible?
Oh yeah. I have a kitchen disasters every single week!
I don’t think anyone likes refilling the ice cube trays. Or replacing the toilet paper roll … or putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher … or …
I will. I will take a bite. No need to ask me twice…
So your hubby gets “hangry” too? I can relate!
Hehe I’m happy to hear that these burgers are solving your marital issues lol! :) I don’t have a fancy freezer either, so we have old school trays too. I don’t mind refilling them, but I do the same thing as you on the toilet paper front. And when it IS actually on the roll, I can’t stand it when it hangs down the back (wall-side) instead of the front… if it does, I have to take it off and turn it around.
Um ice trays, yeah, have them and despise them…it IS hard refilling them I think we had 2 sitting in the counter for a week and then I gave in and refilled them last night because I noticed we were almost out. Funnny thing though, I will be given a hard time for not refilling them. Sigh,…As for these burgers, I WANT these for breakfast now! It so does not help reading food blogs in the morning when your husband is STILL in bed and you have a baby strapped to ya. Someone….can someone bring me food. ANyone?
I wish I could.
I do the same thing with the ice cube trays! And my boyfriend always yells at me for never re-filling the Brita filter in the fridge, but oh well, I’d rather take forty minutes of my time to make cookies than five seconds to re-fill some water bottle. These burgers look awesome, btw! Definitely making sometime soon :)
It’s all about priorities, right?? And cookies are far more important than ice!
I loveeeee all that melted cheese and chillies on top! Gorgeous!
These sound wonderful and easy!
In our house, we call that getting “hangry”. As in, so hungry you’re angry at everyone and everything. It happens to my husband at least once every weekend because he inexplicably refuses to eat breakfast on weekends and then waits until he’s ready to gnaw his arm off before he gets something to eat. Men are strange beasts.
In other news, I can’t wait to try these burgers next time I have some ground chicken or turkey! I bet they’d be delicious with my favorite chipotle mayo.
You make ALLLLLL the good stuff!!
Ice trays are basically from the Devil. By not filling them, you’re taking a stand.
gahh I am trying these this weekend for sure!
Uggghhh I hate that too! Especially since our tiny freezer is jam packed with who-knows-what and it takes a magical balancing act to get the ice tray to stay put. This is why we don’t have ice in our household either. These burgers – ahh-mazing!! Cannot wait to make these!
This looks to die for, Jessica! Seriously, my daughter will go nuts for this, as she has been asking me to make a green chili burger forever! One question though…what do you do with the oil if you use ground chicken breast? I’m assuming you add it to the chicken mixture (for additional moisture), but just wanted to clarify.
Oh- and the ice cube tray issue? I agree! I haven’t had to fill ice cube trays for years, but that there is just something about it that bugs me! Be sure your next refrigerator makes ice! Of course, this won’t solve your not putting the toilet paper on the holder issue! ;-)
Ahhh! – yes, right in the ground chicken mixture! Fixed it – thank you for being my unofficial recipe editor, you are the best. :)
Aaww…thank. It’s my pleasure, and you are the best! :-)
Refilling the ice cube trays is one of the WORST things ever!! I’ve hated it since I was little. In fact, one of my requirements for the house I eventually move into is going to be those fancy ice makers in my freezer.
I have the same issue with ice, so I always put “bag of ice” on my grocery list. Sanity-saver! And the burgers look delicious.
This is so funny! I just made something very similar to these except I made them white bean burgers instead of chicken, and I added some of that wonderful TJs fire roasted frozen corn!!!! I can’t get enough of that stuff or, their green chiles.
Ok this sounds insanely delicious.
I hate refilling ice cube trays so much that I now buy 20 pound bags of ice every time I pass a gas station. Worth the 2 bucks!
These look so delicious! I loooove green chiles!
what brand are those whole wheat burger buns?? i feel like you always have the best ones in your pictures!
The buns I usually use are from my local grocery store’s bakery (giant eagle), but these specific ones are Brownberry wheat buns!
These look amazing…as usual. Oh, I hate the whole replace the toilet paper thing, my mom had this bright idea to place another toilet paper holder next to the toilet for the back-up toilet paper, so when we run out, all you have to do is grab the other one and put it on the other one…but of course, I am too lazy to replace it so I just put it over the empty ring. Another peeve: people picking jar/condiments, etc. out of the side door on the fridge and putting them back in the fridge in odd places. I have yet to find my honey mustard!
Oh I totally agree on that – especially since removing items from the fridge is my actual job. I can never find anything after my husband uses it.
Ice cube trays definitely hang out empty in my freezer until it’s absolutely necessary to re-fill them – I don’t like re-filling them either! Your burgers look delicious! Green chilis are such wonderful little additions to a burger and I don’t know why I never thought to add them on top of mine! :)
I haven’t had an ice cube tray fridge in years but when I did, I was the exact same way. Granted, the chore of emptying the dishwasher will still forever hold first place in the list of “household chores I absolutely loathe” but ice cube trays are a VERY close second.
On the husband front, mine has the calmest temperament ever (like to the point of annoyance) so he doesn’t get worked up, he’ll just go directly to the fridge or the pantry in those “omg need food now” moments and start eating the most bizarre combinations. From granola bars, to hummus, to cookie butter to triscuits. It’s weird and gross.
I would love to witness this in a noncreepy way.
I love this post! I too am an ice cube tray hater. I hate them so much that I actually forego having ice at home because I don’t want to refill them.
However, we have them at my family’s summer house and at least once a summer I am witness to my father throwing the same fit as your husband because ‘NO ONE [in my family] EVER refills the trays besides HIM!’ and ‘What would we all do if he weren’t around to refill the trays?!?’
Holy drippy cheeeese. I will have to use this idea the next time I make bean burgers!! Also, I do the toilet paper thing and so does Chris. Well, I do it about 50% of the time. Whyyyy??? Weird thing is, this JUST started in the last year. Yeah, what a new lazy habit I’ve formed. So dumb.
Love all of that cheese on top!
Can I have a bowl of the melted cheese please? Holy toledo these look phenom.
Ooo I am a huge crank-monster when I am hungry and denied food asap. But these would definitely fix that in a jiffy.
I think I take after Mr. Sweet; I am a neat freak but lack the ability to be punctual (I used to be on time but then I had a baby….5+ years ago…and struggle with my time management ever since…LOL)
I’m pretending that cheese is marshmallow fluff :)
We had green chili burgers last night, too! Not chicken, but pretty much the same thing. Except Meeker just ate one and I ate two.
Has anyone in the history of the world ever been able to fill up an ice cube tray and make it from the sink to the freezer without spilling water everywhere?? My sink is RIGHT NEXT to my freezer and last night I managed to whack the entire thing against the side and all the water went spilling down the side of the fridge and onto the floor. I then immediately turned off the light and went to bed…pretty sure the water is still just sitting on my floor, waiting for me to slip on it.
i NEED this in my life. seriously.
totally guilty of not filling our ice trays EVER. but I HATE when he puts a clean roll of toilet paper on top of the empty one instead of just replacing it. What is that?!? Also-I love chicken burgers, so I will obviously love these.
Funny story. I’d say that the trade-off is pretty fair- he gets yummy food and you can be lazy with the ice. Not that I’m taking sides ;)
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! I am so glad my husband and i are not the only ones having the ice tray fights!!!!! i lost last night and refiled them. :(
now, i MUST make these burgers!!!
The chicken breast sounds so perfect with these ingredients and the bun you used looks soooo good.
these look insane! i could totally go for one right now loaded with guacamole. do you think it would work with my morning coffee considering it’s only 9 am? Ah who cares I need me some chili chicken burger!
My husband’s problem is that I stock the freezer way too full..as in, I put bags of frozen stock and chicken/beef bones in every nook and cranny (including the ice box). Apparently, this blocks our ice maker from making ice. Oops. I’m working on it though because he said from now on, if anything falls out of the freezer and lands on his foot one more time he is either going to eat it or throw it out. That was motivation enough.
And of course, these look tantalizing
Please do me a favor and let me be the first to know when you decide to hire a burger tester. My resume is in the mail.