Burger. It’s the quintessential sandwich that millennials turn to whenever they are hungry. Burger paired with fries and soda to wash down the food… It is fast, flavorful and satisfying. It provides an instant solution to even the biggest hunger pang—especially if the burger comes complete with all the works, such as cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup or gravy.
But must burgers always be made with beef? Of course not.
When I was a kid, we had this burger that we made at home which combined beef and pork, or sometimes just plain pork. But since I have ‘deleted’ beef and pork from my diet, I only eat chicken burger, fish burger, and veggie burger.
A lot of gourmet burger restaurants now offer such alternatives, although veggie burger is a little more difficult to find. My eldest sister Swanie makes fish burger using different types of fish, and we share the recipe of veggie burger using puso ng saging (shredded banana heart) in the Pinoy Vegetarian Cookbook that we co-authored and was released by Anvil Publishing Inc. in 2010. Recently, I found a new recipe for chicken burger that is pure and simple and uses no extenders. It is called Jolly Creamy Chicken Mushroom Burger, courtesy of Jolly, a leading canned fruit and vegetable brand in the country that is exclusively distributed by Fly Ace Corporation. There is also a recipe for Mushroom Gravy that comes with it. It’s a versatile recipe that’s great with rice or bread.
I found the recipe to be so interesting that I decided to make it at home, and here is the result. If it is any indication that it is good, I had initially thought of making the patties and storing them in the freezer for later use, but when we cooked some patties right after making them so we can try them, we ended up cooking all of it and eating more than we planned to eat for dinner.
Jolly Creamy Chicken Burger with Mushroom Gravy
For the burger patties:
500 grams ground chicken
4 Tbsps. chopped onion
3 Tbsps. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsps. dried thyme
For the mushroom gravy:
2 Tbsps. butter
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 small can Jolly Mushroom (Pieces and Stem)
1 can Jolly Cream of Mushroom Soup (10.5oz)
1/2 cup Jolly Cow Freshmilk
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Directions
1. First, prepare the burger patties. In a bowl, place ground chicken.
2. Add chopped onion.
3. Season with soy sauce.
4. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and dried thyme.
5. Mix well.
6. Measure 1/4 cup of the burger mixture. Place on your palm, roll into a ball and flatten into a patty.
7. Pan-fry in hot oil until golden brown.
8. Remove and drain off excess oil on paper towel.
9. Prepare the mushroom gravy. Heat butter in a saucepan.
10. Add onion and sauté.
11. Pour in Cream of Mushroom Soup.
12. Add button mushrooms.
13. Pour in milk, and season with pepper.
14. Simmer until mixture thickens into gravy consistency.
15. Pour sauce over the chicken burger patties or serve on the side.
For more recipes and foodie updates, check out the author’s blog Flavors of Life.
