Try this Chicken Fajita Cheeseburgers recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1-1/3 lbs ground chicken breast (i used a 1lb ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons melted butter cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin + more for vegetables
- juice of 1/2 lime
- pepper and homemade seasoned salt (see notes for r
- 2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil like almond avocado, or vegetable, divided
- 1 small sweet onion sliced
- 2 small bell peppers any color, sliced
- 4 slices pepper jack cheese
- 4 gluten-free buns
- 2 large or 3 small ripe avocados
- 1 garlic clove pressed or minced
- juice of 1/2 lime
- Carbohydrate 7.38471249998559 g
- Cholesterol 61.0599999483829 mg
- Fat 23.1644249805271 g
- Fiber 0.906524983406067 g
- Protein 0.992182499795932 g
- Saturated Fat 14.5992342376676 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (122g)
- Sodium 173.717499861714 mg
- Sugar 6.47818751657953 g
- Trans Fat 1.69121574863683 g
- Calories 234 calories
Step-by-step
- Add ingredients for guacamole in a bowl then mash until smooth. Place a piece of saran wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole then place in the refrigerator.
- Add chicken, butter, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, pepper, homemade seasoned salt (or regular salt,) in a large bowl then mix until just combined. Shape into 4 patties.
- Place a large skillet over heat that's just a touch above medium then spray with extra virgin olive oil or nonstick spray. Add patties then saute for 4 minutes a side, or until cooked through. Add cheese slices on top of burgers then place a lid on top of the skillet and allow cheese to melt. Remove cheeseburgers to a plate.
- Meanwhile heat 1 Tablespoon oil in another large skillet over medium-high/high heat. Add half the vegetables, season with homemade seasoned salt (or regular salt,) and a pinch of cumin then saute until vegetables are crisp tender. Remove to a plate then heat remaining Tablespoon oil in skillet and saute remaining vegetables, seasoning with homemade seasoned salt and cumin.
- Place cheeseburgers onto buns, top with guacamole and fajita vegetables, then serve.
Ground chicken breast contains very little natural fat, which requires melted butter to be mixed directly into the meat before forming patties to prevent dryness during searing. Chili powder and cumin introduce fat-soluble flavor compounds that bind efficiently with the dairy lipids in pepper jack cheese when the slice melts over the hot patty under a cover. Maintaining a skillet temperature just above medium ensures the exterior develops adequate browning through the Maillard reaction without burning the surface spices before the interior reaches doneness.
Searing the chicken patties for approximately four minutes per side creates the necessary crust while keeping the lean meat juicy. Overcooking ground chicken is the most frequent error committed by home cooks, easily avoided by removing the patties from the pan immediately when they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Crowding the separate skillet used for the bell peppers and onions prevents proper moisture evaporation, so searing the vegetables in two distinct batches ensures they achieve a crisp-tender texture rather than steaming in their own juices.
Fatty acids in ripe avocados provide a rich textural contrast to the lean poultry, while lime juice supplies citric acid to brighten the heavy profile of the melted cheese. Direct contact between the guacamole surface and plastic wrap inside the storage bowl excludes oxygen to prevent enzymatic browning by polyphenol oxidase, keeping the purée vibrant green until assembly. Neutral oils with high smoke points, such as avocado or vegetable oil, transfer heat efficiently to the pepper and onion slices without scorching.
Balancing these contrasting textures requires careful temperature control across two separate cooking vessels simultaneously. Utilizing two pans prevents the vegetables from cooling down the burger skillet and stopping the crucial sear. Layering the hot ingredients immediately before eating preserves the crisp structure of the gluten-free buns against the moisture of the guacamole and vegetables.
