Grilled Ginger-Scallion Chicken Burger Platter

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Mini Ginger-Scallion Chicken Burgers

1 large egg
1 pound ground chicken
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
6 scallions, thinly sliced, divided
2 -inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha (if you have it and you like heat!)

Grilled Salad Elements

1 pound asparagus, woody ends removed
1 pineapple, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds, core removed if desired
8 ounces halloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices (about 1/4-inch thick)
3 to 4 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper

Ginger-Scallion Dressing

3 scallions, thinly sliced (leftover from the burgers)
1 -inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, grated
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey (omit for Whole30)
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Pepita-Coconut-Sesame Crunch

1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
3 tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp sesame seeds
Pinch of kosher salt

Raw Salad Elements

3 cups little gem lettuce leaves (or spring mix)
1 large avocado, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pickled jalapeños
Optional: fresh herbs such as cilantro, mint, or basil

Substitutions:

Ground chicken —> ground turkey or see the first note above
Panko—> any kind of breadcrumb works. Grind up a couple slices of sandwich bread and use that!
Scallions—> 2 large minced shallots
Ginger—> 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger in the burgers, 1/4 teaspoon in the dressing
Garlic—> 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in the burgers, 1/8 teaspoon in the dressing
Sesame oil—> omit from the burgers, use a neutral oil like avocado or olive or grapeseed in the other use cases.
Asparagus—> fennel cut into quarters, zucchini or summer squash cut into thin planks, or whatever other tasty summer produce you need to use up!
Pineapple—> mango or papaya to stick with the tropical-y vibe, strawberries or blueberries to just keep something sweet in there. Don’t grill any of these options.
Halloumi—> feta, but don’t grill it.
Rice wine vinegar—> lime juice, or any light colored vinegar. I’d go with red wine or apple cider vinegar.
Honey—> brown sugar, or white sugar if you don’t have brown.
Pepitas—> cashews, peanuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds.
Coconut—> any kind of coconut works, there are many variations of grated vs shredded vs sweetened. Anything works. Or, just throw in 3 tablespoons of another kind of nut if you aren’t into coconut. Choose one from the list above.
Sesame seeds—> omit. Or, you can throw in some chia or flax for the nutritional value, but they won’t add much in terms of flavor.
Little gem lettuce—> spring mix, or romaine sliced into super thin ribbons.
Avocado—> omit.
Pickled jalapeños—> make pickled red onions! Or thinly slice a fresh jalapeño or serrano pepper.

Instructions

To make the Mini Ginger-Scallion Chicken Burgers:add the egg to a large bowl and whisk lightly. Add half of the scallions and all remaining burger ingredients and use your hands to combine. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Reserve the second half of the scallions for the dressing.
Now, grab a rimmed baking sheet. Place the asparagus, pineapple rounds, and halloumi slices on the baking sheet. Coat everything with olive oil, then season the asparagus and pineapple with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a little pepper on the Halloumi. Scooch everything over so that there’s room to add the burgers in a bit.
To make the Ginger-Scallion Dressing: stir all dressing ingredients together. Taste. Want it more vinegary? Salty? Add more of whatever you think is missing. I like my dressing really vinegary, but this is totally personal preference so make it work for you!
To make the Pepita-Coconut-Sesame Crunch: add sesame oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add all of the Crunch ingredients and stir to coat. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. *I like to cook this over low heat so that I can grill at the same time and not worry about burning it, but if you want to speed it up, cook over medium-high and stir continuously.
PrehePreheat your grill to medium-high (450°F).h (450°F).
To grill the burgers and grilled salad ingredients: grab the chicken mixture out of the fridge and form 10-14 mini burgers. Add them to the baking sheet with the rest of the grilled salad ingredients and lightly drizzle on both sides with oil.
Grease your grill by soaking a towel in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, grabbing it with tongs, and running it over the hot grill grates just before adding your ingredients.
Add everything to the grill in this order: pineapple, chicken burgers, asparagus, halloumi.
Grill the burgers and pineapple for 2 1/2 minutes on the first side, and 1 minute on the second side. Check a burger to make sure they’re done.
Grill the asparagus for 2 minutes, then flip (it’s hard to “flip” them - I just sort of roll them all around) and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Grill the halloumi for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. It should be crispy but not too charred.
To assemble your platter: spread the lettuce over about half of the platter. Layer the burgers, pineapple, and halloumi over top. Layer on the avocado, pickled jalapeños, and fresh herbs if using. Place the asparagus off to the side. Sprinkle Pepita-Coconut-Sesame Crunch over everything and serve the Ginger-Scallion Dressing on the side.
Dig in!!!!!

Notes

Riffs:
- Use the chicken mixture to make 4 big burgers instead of lots of mini burgers, and serve them on buns with mayo, the grilled pineapple, some avocado, pickled jalapenos, and lettuce! YUM!
- Use the chicken mixture to make meatballs (place them on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 400°F) and serve them over my peanut noodles.
- For a simple but dressed up side, try grilled asparagus, drizzled with a little rice wine vinegar, with Pepita-Coconut-Sesame Crunch over top. Yum!
To make this recipe simpler, simply brush some boneless chicken breasts or thighs with sesame oil and salt, and grill those instead of making the mini burgers. Will be delicious!
No grill? Cook the burgers on a skillet with oil over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Pan-sear the halloumi in a bit of oil in the same skillet after the burgers finish up. Leave the pineapple raw or pan-sear for 3 minutes per side too.
Roast the asparagus at 400°F for 10 minutes.
You can also just sprinkle toasted coconut over top instead of making the Crunch. Those “Dang” coconut chips would be perfect on here!
I used store bought pickled jalapeños to simplify things, but I had originally planned to use pickled red onions. They’d be great too, if you have them in your fridge or feel like making one more thing!

Author: Caroline Chambers