"Buffalo Wing" Turkey Burgers

{Don't you just love that bit of sauce dripping down the burger?}

I made these "Buffalo Wing" Turkey burgers for the first time on Saturday evening. I've been wanting to try some different turkey and chicken burger recipes lately since they are a bit healthier than your typical beef burger. I've heard tales of dry, tough chicken/turkey burgers before and was a bit worried before I made these, but they were so moist and juicy!

I had planned to make these with ground chicken but couldn't find any at my local Kroger when I shopped for the ingredients to make these burgers. Instead I went with 93/7 ground turkey (I would have used ground turkey breast, but the 93/7 ground turkey was on sale). These were really amazing and I'd love to try them again with ground chicken to see how the flavor differs.

I flavored my ground turkey with onion and garlic sautéed in a bit of butter, salt and pepper. After grilling the burgers for 5-6 minutes per side, I coated them generously in a mixture of Frank's buffalo wing sauce and a tiny bit of melted butter. They were topped with mozzarella cheese and placed on a kaiser roll smeared with peppercorn ranch. I think these would be killer with a blue cheese spread but I figured my hubby wouldn't touch it and I didn't want to buy expensive blue cheese just for myself. Regardless, these were amazing! I really loved the juicy burger paired with the spicy sauce, creamy ranch and soft bun. It was just a knock-out burger, in my opinion! The burger itself doesn't have the same intensity of flavor that you're used to from a beef burger, but I think the lighter flavor is a nice change of pace and makes these burgers really great for experimenting with different flavor profiles. I also turned these into "Chicken Parmesan" Turkey Burgers and they were delicious as well.

"Buffalo Wing" Turkey Burgers
serves 2

2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons white onion, minced or grated finely
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 pound ground turkey (or chicken)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3-4 tablespoons Frank's buffalo wing sauce
2 slices of mozzarella cheese
2 kaiser rolls
ranch or blue cheese dressing

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté a couple of minutes, until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and sauté another minute. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, gently combine cooked onion and garlic, ground turkey, salt and pepper. Do not over mix. Shape into two patties.

Preheat cast iron grill pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter and combine with 3-4 tablespoons of Frank's buffalo wing sauce, set aside.

Cook the burgers in the preheated grill pan for 5-6 minutes per side, or until burgers are cooked through and the juices run clear. When the burgers are finished cooking, coat them generously in the sauce mixture and top with a slice of cheese. Smear buns with the dressing of your choice and serve!