Chicken Parmesan Burgers

This is kind of a lousy photo.  The burgers are anything but lousy!  You can use chicken breast (ground), but regular chicken will be a little more flavorful.  These are great for weeknights, because you can make the patties the night before and then just grill them.  It's amazing how flavorful these are, and you have pretty much everything in your pantry.  These are a hit with the whole family.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Adapted From Elly Says Opa via Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

For the burgers:

1 lb. ground chicken

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

3 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, finely diced

Salt and pepper

For serving:

Pasta sauce (optional)

Mozzarella or provolone cheese (sliced or shredded)

Sautéed mushrooms (optional)

4 hamburger buns

Directions: 

In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients for the burgers.  Mix well until thoroughly combined.  Form the mixture into 4 patties, and make them really flat.  This is chicken, people.  No medium rare.  Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.

Cook the burgers on an outdoor grill or grill pan. Grill the burgers for 4-6 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for 4-6 more minutes on the other side until fully browned and cooked through.  Remove from the oven, top each burger with pasta sauce and cheese, if desired.  Place under the broiler for 30-60 seconds until the cheese is melted.  Top with sautéed mushrooms if desired, and serve on toasted hamburger buns.