Rosemary Chicken Burgers

These chicken burgers are amazing.  After his first bite, Nick looked over to me and said, "I am the luckiest person in the world to have food like this every night."  Yep, and the compliments kept rolling in after every bite.  I must say, these aren't the most beautiful looking chicken burgers.  I got the recipe after watching Giada De Laurentiis make them and after reading the reviews... pretty much everyone has the same problem with them falling apart if you're not careful.  Also, mine weren't so pretty because I don't have a grill pan (yet) and used a cast iron skillet instead.  They were deliciously charred and perfectly juicy inside, but if you do have a grill pan, use it.  If not, a cast iron skillet works just as well.  I think next time I'll experiment with eggs and bread crumbs to get them to hold better.  Also, I may try using half mayo, half goat cheese or greek yogurt? Just to make them a little bit more healthy... However, it's a burger... indulge!  

I served these on homemade hamburger buns, which I highly recommend!  If you absolutely do not want to make your buns, serve them on Ciabatta rolls.  This burger deserves a good bun.  Also... this burger is for rosemary lovers only.  I put in about 2/3 the amount of rosemary that the recipe called for and they were still very very strong.  We love rosemary, but it is a strong herb so add it according to your taste. Enjoy!

Rosemary Chicken Burgers
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Mayonnaise:
3/4 cup mayonnaise (get a good kind without nasty ingredients... read labels!)
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced 

Burgers:
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 homemade hamburger buns or Ciabatta rolls
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup spinach, divided

Directions:
For the Mayonnaise, In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers, preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  In a large bowl, add ground chicken, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 the mayonnaise mixture.  Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties.  Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a plate and let rest for a few minutes.  

Brush the cut side of each roll with olive oil and 1 tsp of the mayonnaise mixtures.  Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.  

To assemble the burgers, spread a dollop of the remaining mayonnaise on the tops and bottoms of the toasted buns. Place the chicken burgers on the bottom and top each with 1/4 cup of spinach and the top of the bun.