Asian Chicken Shiitake Mushroom Burgers are a delicious take alternative to your same old boring chicken burger! These aren’t boring at all! In fact, they are so tasty that you may just want to do a cartwheel!
So this weeks craving is courteous of my tennis partner. She mentioned a couple weeks ago that she was craving Asian food and only likes “chicken” burgers and not “turkey” burgers! She also mentioned that she would like shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts in the burger as well. Well, Marcy, you got your wish. Big and juicy Asian Chicken Shiitake Mushroom Burgers. This turned out really great! Hum, she was onto something here.
I know to make Asian inspired recipes are a little tedious with all of the ingredients but things that taste this good require a bit of measuring! It all turns out good in the end. Right? Anyway, after years of making chicken burgers, I have realized that one, they are really hard to form into patties and 2, they dry out really fast. I fixed this problem by adding some oil to the mix and slightly undercooking (160 degrees) the chicken burgers. This made for a super flavorful and moist burger which is a great alternative to the same ol’ burger! Be a hero and make these burgers for Father’s Day this weekend! It will be a delicious and fun alternative for the grill.
You will need to scroll through a lot of neat pics for the recipe. A little “Colorado” day trip to talk about. Speaking of Father’s Day, make these Asian Chicken Shiitake Mushroom Burgers and take your Dad on a hike too. We hiked it with my Dad and had a blast!
Enjoy!
As always, couldn’t decide which picture to use! Equally as mouthwatering!
Over the years, one of my favorite wildflower hikes and a hike to do with out of towners is Mt. Goliath which is a high peak below Mt Evens. It’s a great trail because you can take two cars and park one up top and walk down or you could take one car and hike up and back. Either way, it’s stunning. There is also a nature center to explore at the trailhead run by the Denver Botanic Gardens. They offer a nice display explaining the ecosystem and the flora and fauna at 14K feet. It’s quite amazing how plants and animals thrive at such high altitude. Check it out! The root systems on the tiny plants can run down 10 feet or so! Nature is remarkable for sure.
One thing that is different about the Mt. Goliath hike is the bristlecone forest that you walk through. Bristlecone pine trees are one of the oldest living organisms on the planet and only grow in certain places on earth. They like a dry rocky soil where most other plants won’t survive. One of the oldest bristlecone pines trees dates back 5000 years! The forest on Mt. Goliath probably isn’t that old, but I’d give it a couple thousand years for sure. Give this hike a try. It’s not strenuous if you hike down and I promise a beautiful hike. Go soon though. The wildflowers have started early this year!
After you finish your hike on Mt. Goliath, turn around and drive to the top of Mt. Evens. You access the 14, 271-foot peak of Mt. Evens by the highest paved road in North America. It is quite a drive if you are ok with heights and edges. Even if your not, close one eye and keep another open to check out the stunning views and all the wildlife that you will see! Hanging out on Mt. Evens is one of my favorite “things” to do in Denver! Make sure to check out all the pics! 🙂
So, as I finish this post up, I wanted to let you know things are going to be a little different on the blog for the next few weeks or so. We are literally packing up to check off a bucket list item. We bought an RV and we are headed to the Pacific Northwest. We have zero plans and no idea where we will end up. So here we go on a true adventure with the dogs in tow. I’m not so sure about recipes over the next weeks. Maybe, recipes on the grill with some fresh fish or something. I don’t know, but I literally packed 2 pots, a coffee maker, a toaster and a tiny grill. Time to get creative I suppose! So, follow along with our adventure. For sure pictures of what we see, what we eat and what we are up too!
Enjoy and Bon Voyage! 🙂
Oh my gosh! She is smiling! What a beautiful Rocky Mountain Goat! So friendly and sweet and what a “poser”!
Check out this fella! I’d say he is a stud for sure!
These alpine forget-me-nots are just about the cutest flower ever! I had my zoom lens working so it’s hard to judge the size. They are itsy bitsy!
Check out this little cutie sunflower. This one stands about 6 inches high. I love all the fuzz. That helps it capture all the extra water that it can!
The lichen growing at high altitude is simply amazing. The colors are extraordinary and make an awesome backdrop for all the vividly colored flowers!
This beautiful king’s crown plant is abundant. Kinda reminds me of bunches of raspberries!
We walked through the bristlecone forest on Mt Goliath. It’s a beautiful hike among the wildflowers and the 2000+year-old trees. I loved seeing the gnarly and weathered fallen trees. Pretty neat!
Asian Chicken Shiitake Mushroom Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3.5-4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions white and green parts
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons tamari sauce soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium-sized saute pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms, ginger, and garlic and saute until the mushrooms become soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl add all the ingredients. With clean hands get in and mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Make a tiny "test" burger for flavor adjustments. Heat up a small pan and place a tiny burger. Cook on both sides until it's cooked through. Taste and see if you need to adjust the seasoning.
- Cover the burger mix with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready make burgers. An hour or so is good.
- Form the chicken mix into 4-6 burger patties and place on a hot grill. Grill each side for 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.