The texture of chicken breasts makes me nauseous, but this kid-friendly chicken parm burger solves that problem. Especially when you smother it with cheese!
Why does every dinner have to involve chicken? I feel like it is my food enemy. I know, I know, it is filled with protein, cheaper than red meat, and you can use it in a million different dinners. But frankly, I would rather give it to my dog.
When Mom was teaching us how to cook, she insisted that we learn how to make chicken Parmesan sandwiches because they are one of her favorite dinners. We learned. And then I made myself a grilled cheese and all was well.
Why a Burger is More Kid-Friendly:
I just do not like a big chunk of chicken breast. I am pretty sure it has to do with the texture. My Mom says I am just being picky, but I just can’t get past it.
But when I saw this recipe that used ground chicken, I thought I might be onto something!
After gathering my ingredients, I mixed the ground chicken, Panko, cheese, seasonings, and egg. The recipe called for adding basil or parsley, but let us remember that we are trying to make something kid-friendly. Green specks of leaves within food are not kid-friendly, people.
Frying Chicken Parm Burger in Panko:
After making five patties, I dipped them into more Panko and fried them until golden brown. These were looking pretty good, for chicken.
I realized that if I were going to try to cook them completely in the frying pan, they would end up burned on the outside. Just like our recipe for our chicken Parmesan sandwiches, these would need to be baked so that they were cooked all the way through.
Baking the Burgers:
Before I placed them in the baking dish, I lined it with foil. Not only is this a kid-friendly burger, but it is also a kid-friendly cleanup!
Next, I spread the marinara sauce and baked for about 20 minutes until they were 165 degrees.
After I knew they were cooked, I added a mixture of Mozzarella and cheddar cheese to the top and broiled the burgers on high for about 3 minutes.
Did you forget the hamburger buns? Because, of course, my Mom forgot to get them from the grocery store. So we made our own again. I think she is forgetting on purpose because these taste so much better.
There were not any chicken leftovers to make dog treats with this time!
How to Make Kid-Friendly Chicken Parm Burgers
The texture of chicken breasts makes me nauseous, but this kid-friendly chicken parm burger solves that problem. Especially when you smother it with cheese!
Ingredients
For the Chicken Parm Patties
- 1 Pound Ground Chicken
- 1 Ounce Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup freshly grated or 1/3 cup store-bought grated)
- 1/2 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (or More For Frying)
- *Optional 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil or Parsley
For the Burgers
- 1 Cup Panko
- 1/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese: Grated
- 1/4 Cup Cheddar Cheese: Grated
- 1 and 1/2 Cup Maranara Sauce
- 5 Homemade or Store Bought Hamburger Buns
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix together all ingredients for the chicken patties in a large bowl. Form into 5 patties.
- Carefully press each patty into a shallow bowl of Panko bread crumbs.
- After heating olive oil in a large frying pan, brown both sides of the chicken patties, about 3 minutes for each side.
- Place patties into a foil lined baking dish and spread marinara sauce over the top.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Sprinkle Mozzarella and cheddar on top of burgers and place under the broiler until melted.
- Serve on homemade or store bought buns.
Notes
Adapted From the kitchn