Although it’s pouring as I type this, we’ve actually had quite a few picture-perfect evenings over the past two weeks, encouraging Ben and me to dust off the ol’ grill and fire that bad boy up! And by fire that bad boy up I mean poke a piece of spaghetti I’ve lit on fire between the grates with the gas on because the clicky starter thingy stopped working. Luckily I still have both my eyebrows…for now.
So far we’ve grilled salmon, chicken, and classic cheeseburgers. Decadent, juicy, and dripping with American cheese. I tell you what, there are few foods in this world that are as satisfying as well-seasoned, medium-rare, grilled beef burgers. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Ahem, that being said Chipotle Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Avocado Crema are certainly giving them a run for their money!
As you can probably tell, I love me a classic beef burger, but burgers as a whole are just begging to be tinkered with. You’ve got your meat options: beef, bison, chicken, and turkey, of course. The mix ins: herbs and spices. And the cheese: American or cheddar is my basic burger topper of choice, but smoked gouda, mozzarella, muenster and blue cheese are all winners too.
Burgers are basically like salads – anything goes – and I think I’ve found a real winner with the smokey-cool combo that is Chipotle Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Avocado Crema.
Lean ground turkey is combined with chopped shallots, garlic, cilantro and smokey chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, then topped with a melty slice of yummy cheddar cheese. Cooling avocado crema (fancy talk for avocado mixed with sour cream!) is slathered on the bun providing a culinary retreat from the smokey heat of the burger. Translation – these are the da bomb.
Turkey burgers made with lean ground turkey can turn into dry hockey pucks if not done right, but the addition of chopped shallots and herbs in the patties, and not overworking the mixture keeps them nice and juicy. If you like to experiment with your burgers like I do, you’ll love this recipe!
Start by adding 1lb 99% fat-free ground turkey breast to a big bowl. Note: this is different from basic “ground turkey” which includes the skin, which is high in saturated fat. I’m not scared of fat by any means, but I’d rather eat healthy fats like the kind found in avocados or extra virgin olive oil, for instance.
To the bowl add 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 chopped shallot, which helps to keep the meat moist, 2 minced garlic cloves and lots of salt and pepper. LOTS!
Next add 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce which are dried, smoked jalapenos packed in a flavorful sauce. They’re spicy but not raw jalapeno spicy, and the smokey flavor is to die for. Bonus: they freeze really well. Just pop the leftovers in a freezer bag then stash in the freezer.
Look for Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce in the Mexican foods aisle next to the canned green chilies and enchilada sauce. Here’s a few other recipes to try them in!
Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad
Steak Tacos with Chipotle-Cherry Salsa
Chipotle Turkey Chili with Apples
Pulled Pork Taquitos with Chipotle-Ranch Dipping Sauce
Chop the chipotle pepperss then add ’em to the mix.
Remove your rings then combine everything with your hands and form the mixture into 4 patties. 99% fat free turkey breast can get tough if it’s overworked, so gently mix no more than you have to, mmkay?
Pop the burgers into the fridge for a few minutes while you get the Avocado Crema ready. You could totally top your burgers with a few slices of avocado, but this cooling crema takes all of 2 minutes to prepare and tastes so good with the smokey, slightly spicy burgers.
Just mash 1/2 avocado in a small bowl then mix with 1/4 cup sour cream, a little salt, and the juice of 1/2 a lime. That’s it! Stash that in the fridge for a bit.
Time to grill! Preheat your grill over medium-high heat then spray the tops of the burgers with nonstick spray and place on the hot grates. Close the lid and grill for 3-4 minutes on one side then carefully spray the tops with more nonstick spray and flip.
After a minute, add a slice of cheddar cheese to the top of each burger then close the lid and let it melt while they finish cooking. It’s always such a delight to open the grill lid and see that ooey gooey cheese!
This is optional but you can also toss your buns on the grates for a minute or two to give them a nice grilled flavor. These are Udi’s gluten-free buns by the way. I didn’t love them, but I think I have too high of expectations for gluten-free bread, plus I don’t usually eat burgers with buns. It’s just who I am. Ben was a fan though!
Give the bun a thick smear of avocado crema then top with a burger patty and all your favorite fixin’s. Open wide!
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Chipotle Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Avocado Crema
Description
Chipotle Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Avocado Crema are smokey, gluten-free burgers with a cooling avocado spread.
Ingredients
- 1lb 99% fat-free ground turkey breast
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper, lots
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 4 gluten-free or regular buns
- Toppings: red onion, tomato, lettuce
- For the Avocado Crema:
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- juice of 1/2 lime
- salt
Directions
- Add turkey to a large bowl then add shallot, garlic, chipotle peppers, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined then form into 4 patties. Preheat grill over medium-high heat then spray the tops of the burgers with nonstick spray and place on the hot grates. Grill for 3-4 minutes then spray the tops with nonstick spray and flip. Grill for one more minute then top with cheese slices, close the grill lid, and then grill until cheese is melted and burgers are cooked through.
- Mash avocado in a small bowl then add sour cream, lime juice, and salt. Mix until smooth then slather onto buns and top with burgers and toppings.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Because I can’t eat one single meal without something sweet, I baked a batch of crunchy Ore-Ida sweet potato fries to go with, which I am absolutely obsessed with. Those were also great with the smoky, slightly spicy burger and tasted particularly delicious dunked in leftover avocado crema. YUM. Hope you enjoy!
I have to admit, I never tasted or cooked a turkey burger before making these last week and they were absolutely delicious! I am shocked by how flavorful they were. Now I plan to go through your other turkey burger recipes to try. Thanks for the great recipe!
[…] Chipotle Chedder Burgers with Avocado Crema by iowa girl eats […]
[…] recipe was seriously fantastic and comes from one of my favorite food bloggers, Iowa Girl Eats: Chipotle Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Avocado Crema. You MUST try it, especially if you think ground turkey is bland. (It is bland, but that’s […]
I made these last week and making them AGAIN tonight. They were absolutely amazing! I couldn’t even tell that I was eating healthy ground turkey!!
Definitely going to try this recipe out. So many times I have tried to make turkey burgers and they just come out dull, boring, lifeless. Blech. This recipe just may redeem the turkey burger for me. We shall see. Thanks for sharing!
[…] Girl Eats has become my go-to recipe blog. Check out THESE chipotle cheddar turkey burgs! I’m about to get my chef […]
Tried these today, yum yum yum!
Where do you buy chipolte peppers? I’ve tried a couple places and I can’t find them. I’m here in town and am probably just not looking in the right place.
You can get them at any HyVee or Dahls, or Whole Foods, in the Mexian foods aisle. If you don’t see them right away I’d just ask someone who works there! :)
[…] found an awesome Chipotle Cheddar Turkey Burger with Avocado Crema recipe on Bloglovin’ last week and made sure it’d be on our menu for the weekend. Mike […]
YUM! I make a burger mixture that includes lots of spices and some sauces. So far the only way my husband will eat a turkey burger, although we use it with beef as well. Will have to try this one and see if it makes the cut.
When I saw these I knew they had to go on my menu. I made these burgers tonight in the cold and pouring rain. They were worth it! Everyone in my family loved them. The flavor was outstanding, not your typical boring turkey burger. I will definitely be making these again. I think this is my first time commenting but wanted to say thank you for a great blog. I throughly enjoy many of your recipes and reading about your precious son!
Ah I’m drooling! Just discovered the wonder of chipotle chillies in adobo sauce and are using them for everything! This burger will have to be next!!
This recipe looks amazing, as always! My fam is more into beef and pork, so I’ll try to whip this one up and see how they like the spicy turkey burgers.
That avocado crema looks scrumptious – I’m always looking for creative and yummy ways to eat avocado. I recently fell in love with them. They’re oh-so-creamy and I love how healthy they are, too.
How do you come up with all of these healthy + mouthwatering meals? Little Lincoln is so lucky to have a cool chef Mama! ;)
I used one of your recipes on my latest post. I featured the black and blue salad with honey roasted pecans. It was SO good, and I had to credit you. Come check out the post! I borrowed on of your pictures, too, but of course I gave ‘ya the credit. :)
http://cookiesnchem.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/lately/
So many of my favourite foods were inspired by YOU! Some of them include spaghetti squash, maple-soy salmon, simple stuff like almond butter, fried trout on a pilaf (15 mins!), healthy wraps, oatmeal with sliced banana, cranberries, and almonds, coconut chicken curry (hey, I could have a bowl of this right now ☺ ), and even Caesar salad! What did I eat before I started reading your blog? :O
All of those meals listed above are from your wonderful blog, and I did my own version of it. You can come see my blog and check out how I adapted your recipe. Thanks again, IGE. You are incredible – keep doing what you are doing. You rock! :D
What a great looking burger! And with all my favorite flavors. Thanks for sharing the recipe and all the gorgeous photos.
This looks super awesome. I have discovered chipotle not long ago. I love the smoky flavor of it. I am sure these turkey burgers are the bomb, especially with that avocado cream sauce :-)
This was downright the best turkey burger recipe I ever tried! I know because all the other turkey burgers I have made my boyfriend never touched them, these chipotle cheddar turkey burgers, he couldn’t get enough of them. Great flavor and great texture!
Wholy Moly! That sounds so good! I’m currently on a allergy diet clense that my doctor put me on…for the next 21 days…then after that we are introducing 1 new food group every 72 hours. So…this recipe is making me drool and I want to run to the kitchen and make it right now, but I’ll have to cyber eat it for now. Until I can get my hands on the real thing its protein shakes and veggies! Keep your yummy recipes coming, because as soon as I can eat real food again…it’s on!
That Comfort Girl
I love everything about this post! And the sweet potato fries dipped in the crema just sealed the deal. Can’t wait to try it all! You never fail to blow my socks off :)
As a “burger nerd” I have to give this gorgeous looking turkey burger a big thumbs up! Thanks for sharing your recipe….and the mouthwatering photos :)
I, like you, am not a huge fan of Udis bread products (their pizzas, muffins, etc are great though). I have been putting off trying their buns because they are $8.50 a package at our local store…so now I know I will continue to look for other brands or try to make my own! These look delicious and I will have to try it on my family.