“CHIKEN” BURGERS
Since my husband still eats meat when he is not with me, I made these alternative patties to please his tastes. He thought the flavor and texture were "good" which surprised me because he does not like most veggie burgers. The potatoes and rice gave this burger a nice slightly crispy exterior and the inside was not mushy like some veggie burgers can be. He liked his with usual burger toppings but my favorite was with hot sauce and dill pickles.
The recipe is from Rosa at the blog “This Healthy Kitchen”: VEGAN CHICKEN BURGERS. I made this recipe according to her older instructions so my pictures won’t match her updated instructions.
If you want to know the problems associated with eating chicken meat, read Dr. McDougall's newsletter. Be warned, he does not beat around the bush!
“CHIKEN” BURGERS
Ingredients
1 cup gently packed COOKED brown rice
3 cups yellow or russet potato, peeled & cubed (I put into french fry press then chopped)
15 oz can chickpeas or 1.5 cups cooked or canned (I used canned, drained and rinsed)
1 cup quick cooking steel cut oats or rolled oats (I used quick oats)
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder (The original recipe I used called for 1/2 tsp)
1 teaspoon onion powder (The original recipe I used called for 1/2 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cover your cubed potatoes with salted water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Then gently mash with a potato mashed until broken down, without over mashing. You want to keep some texture. Set aside.
Add the rice, chickpeas, oats, water and all the seasoning to your food processor. Pulse until combined and broken down, without over-processing. You do not want to puree the mixture. (Since I used quick oats I did not add until towards the end of processing.)
Transfer the processed ingredients into the bowl of mashed potatoes and mix well using a spatula (or your hands).
Using wet hands, squeeze the mixture into 8 balls. Place the balls onto the baking tray and then press down into a disc shape. Keep the patties on the thinner side. (I made 10 patties.)
Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully flip and bake for another 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. (I baked for 15 minutes, flipped, then baked another 10 minutes.)
Notes:
For added depth of flavor, cook your potatoes (and rice if you don't have leftover) in broth or with some bouillon powder. Do not overly mash your potatoes. Remember, you're not making mashed potatoes, and they should be lumpy for the best textured patties. So just mash a few times to ensure there are no overly large pieces. Do not over process your rice and chickpea mixture. Again, for the best textured vegan chicken patties, you want to keep some chunkiness, and not puree the ingredients. Use wet hands to shape your patties. Keep a small bowl of water near by, or work near your sink and slightly wet your hands before shaping each ball and then again before flattening each patty. This will help you shape the patties without the mixture sticking to your hands. It will also help prevent the patties from cracking as you're shaping them. Keep your vegan chicken patties on the thinner side for best texture and crispiness. Serving little ones? Make a few smaller patties to serve as vegan chicken nuggets.
