Smoky grilled chicken burgers with quick ranch

These smoky grilled chicken burgers use a clever trick of marinating chicken thigh fillets in tomato sauce marinade to not only add a sweet, umami flavour, but also to prevent the chicken from overcooking by giving home cooks a visual, charring cue to look out for. The result? Juicy, smoky chicken burgers topped with a luscious homemade ranch sauce that are cooked on the grill faster than a return trip to your local burger joint.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

Burgers Are Better!

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• 4 skin-on chicken thigh fillets
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• salt, to season
• ¼ head iceberg lettuce, thinly shredded, soaking in iced water
• 1 red onion, halved, very thinly sliced, soaking in iced water
• 2 medium dill pickles, sliced
• 4 burger buns
• 1 tbsp butter, melted

For the quick ranch

• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp dill, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

Marinating time: 1 hour

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken fillets with the paprika, ketchup, oil, pepper and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well to combine, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
   
2. When ready to cook, heat a chargrill pan over low heat, then add the chicken, skin-side down. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 12 minutes, or until well-browned and cooked through.
   
3. While the chicken is cooking, make the quick ranch, in a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Drain the lettuce and onion and spin dry with the pickles in a salad spinner, to remove any excess moisture.
   
4. To serve, toast the burger buns and brush with a little melted butter. Spread the bottom buns generously with the ranch sauce, top with chicken, lettuce, onions and pickles and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Burgers Are Better!

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G