Sausage Chicken Burgers with Grilled Balsamic Portobellos, Radicchio and Lemon Pesto Aioli

I loooovvveeee a good burger. 

Although a traditional beef & cheddar American/Canadian burger is pretty good.... I gotta say I'm a sucker for "trendy" foodie burgers! This sausage burger recipe combines chicken and grilled portobellos for an added texture, some radicchio for some bitterness, and the lemon pesto aioli is the glue that brings everything together. Add a thick piece of provolone or caciocavallo (smoked preferred), topped on either side with fresh ciabatta bread....and your ready for the weekend....or at least feeling like it is!

What you'll need:

Sausage Chicken Burgers-  (Makes 4 large burgers or 6 Medium burgers)

• 1 1/2 cup of minced chicken

• 2 cups of sausage meat, out of the casing (an Italian spicier blend is preferred here, but any of your favourites will do)

• 1/4 cup of Italian breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp of granulated garlic

• 1 tsp of dried parsley

• 2 tsp of paprika

• 1/4 cup of ketchup

• 1 1/2 tbsp of Piri-Piri (Portuguese hot sauce), you can add more if you like heat.

• 6 tbsp of olive oil

• 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar

• 6 medium sized portobello mushrooms (the size that your patty will be)

• 6 thick slices of provolone or caciocavallo

• 6 medium square ciabatta bread loafs

• 4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

• 6 radicchio salad leaves

• Salt & Pepper

Any additional toppings you'd like:

-grilled red peppers

-iceberg lettuce

-pickled eggplant

-fresh tomatoes

~ Make it your own, that's what it is about!

Lemon Pesto Aioli-

• 1/2 cup of greek yogurt

• 3 tbsp of olive oil

• 3 tsp of basil pesto

• 2 tsp of fresh lemon juice (add more if you like a more lemony taste)

• Salt & Pepper to taste

What you'll do:

Burger-

In a large bowl, mix together the two minced meats, then salt and pepper the meat, to taste, mix well.

Add the breadcrumbs, granulated garlic, parsley and paprika, mix well.

Now add the ketchup, piri-piri, 2 tbsp of the olive oil and red wine vinegar, mix well. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 15 mins.

Now the Aioli!

In a bowl, combine all ingredients, season to taste with pepper and salt and thats it! Refrigerate until use.

Back to the burger-

Heat your grill.

Take about a handful of burger meat and create a patty shape with it.

FYI: The thicker it is the longer it will take to cook, especially since we are dealing with minced chicken.

Once you have all your patties, you can start grilling them. I would grill on a lower heat, but a longer time, to make sure that the chicken is cooked through, but to avoid burning the outside of the patties.

Once the burger is nearly cooked, add your cheese on the patty, and close the lid, to encourage the cheese to melt.

The portobellos -

Mix the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper your portobellos, and brush a bit of the oil/vinegar mixture onto them. Grill with your burgers.

If you run out of oil/vinegar mixture, just repeat the same quantity.

Once everything is grilled, you ARE READY TO MAKE YOUR BURGER!

Making your burger-

Take the remaining oil/vinegar mixture and brush a layer on the grilled burgers and another on the mushrooms.

Spread a nice layer of lemon pesto aioli on each side of the ciabatta bread. Layer the bottom with the patty, then a radicchio leaf, then the portobello mushroom, and any additional toppings you'd like, and the other lemon pesto aioli ciabatta bread, on top.

Pair it with one of my creamy salads, or eggplant fries....or grill some sweet corn on the cob (with a spread of butter and a sprinkle of smoked paprika!)

That's it! Enjoy!