Italian Burger (aka Chicken Pesto Burger)

I love a good burger. They're just so versatile. You can use any type of meat or even a portabello mushroom to make a tasty burger and the topping possibilities are endless. Just check out Shawnda's blog, Confections of a Foodie Bride, for tons of awesome burgers including this one, the Italian Burger.

We both loved this burger. I love grinding my own chicken in the food processor and being able to use pesto from my freezer. Melty mozzarella cheese is always a plus, as are perfectly juicy and ripe tomatoes. Instead of making a pesto mayo I opted to make a balsamic mayo since these burgers were already quite the messy mouthful. Thanks for an awesome recipe, Shawnda!

The Italian Burger
As seen on Confections of a Foodie Bride

For the burgers:
1 1/2 lbs ground chicken (I grind it myself)
4-6 tablespoons pesto (purchased or homemade)
Salt
Pepper

For serving:
4 slices of fresh mozzarella
4 Burger buns, toasted
Balsamic mayo (stir together 1/2 cup mayo and balsamic to taste)
Tomato slices
Basil leaves

Prepare your grill.

Break apart the ground chicken into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add pesto and mix well. If your pesto is very thin, consider using the low end of the range. If it's thick, you can add more. Form into 4 patties.

Cook ~4 minutes each side (to desired doneness or internal temp) and then top with slices of cheese during the last minute so it has time to melt.

Serve the burgers on buns with balsamic mayo, fresh basil leaves, and sliced tomato.