Tandoori Chicken Burgers

So, I know this post is supposed to be about tandoori chicken burgers, but let me just take a second to bring your attention to something special - the lovely red and green picnic blanket I used in this photo.

Do you know what it reminds me of? Spring. Summer. Fall. Picnics. Outside. In the sun. The keyword here being sun. 

Do you know how long it has been since I saw the sun? Is this what Midwestern winters are like? Isn't spring supposed to be here already??? Sigh.

Ok, now that I've got that off my chest, let's talk about these tandoori chicken burgers. The world's favorite Indian/Pakistani dish turned into a burger - talk about a dream come true. They pick up my mood like nothing else this season. And yes, they are exactly as mouthwatering as they sound. 

There is also a surprise ingredient in the recipe - beetroot! Instead of using dyes to color the burgers, the beetroot gives the burger patties a beautiful natural red color while not adding any flavor of its own. 

So give it a try and good luck in the kitchen.

Tandoori Chicken Burger
adapted from Sorted food
serves 4

Ingredients
2 green chillis or 1 red chilli
1 teaspoon each garlic and ginger paste
4 boneless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 packet tandoori chicken marinate mix
1 peeled beetroot
1 onion
a handful of plain flour
some tablespoons of oil
4 naan breads, warmed

Recipe
Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Clean any fat or sinew from the chicken thighs.

Marinate the chicken with the lemon juice, garlic and ginger paste, and tandoori marinate mix. You will just need enough of the mix to coat all the chicken. I only used around 2-3 tablespoons.

Cover it and set aside for 2-3 hours or as long as possible.

Grate the washed and peeled beetroot. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Add the diced onion, chilli, and beetroot in to a food processor until you have a course paste.

Then add the marinated chicken and blitz until you have a coarse paste.

If it seems too wet to create burger patties, add in a little flour, maybe 1-2 tablespoons.

Create 4 large burger shapes and lay them on a greased baking tray (I used more meat). Place them into the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the burger is cooked all the way through. Warm the naan breads in the oven.

Yogurt Topping

Ingredients
4 tablespoons of yogurt
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together.

Cucumber and Onion Salad

Ingredients
2 persian or greenhouse cucumbers
1 white onion
a handful of cilantro, chopped 
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, cut in fours 

Thinly slice the outer skins of the cucumbers and eat the seedy insides.

Thinly slice the onions and add it to the cucumbers

Add in the cilantro, salt and pepper, and mix well. Serve with lemons on the side. 

Place a cooked burger and a dollop of natural yoghurt into half of a naan and serve immediately with a fresh onion, cucumber and coriander salad.

Enjoy!