Rosemary Chicken Burgers with Caramelized Shallots and Blue Cheese

Last weekend was so beautiful that we had dinner outside by the grill. We were wearing flip flops and dining outdoors on burgers and salad and cookies. Life was good. But now it's cold again (with a chance of snow tonight). Come on, it's practically April! It's so hard to plunge back into winter once you've had a taste of spring. So depressing. I'll get through this frigid spell by thinking of all the warm-weather foods to come. The barbecue, the berries, the watermelon, ahhh....

After my recent acceptance of blue cheese, I encountered this recipe which I would have formerly shrugged off. It's a healthier take on the burger, but not lacking in flavor. To my astonishment, Dustin announced that it was his "favorite burger ever"! What?!

"Do you realize that you're eating chicken and not beef?" I asked.

"Yup." he said.

"And blue cheese?"

"Uh-huh." he replied.

He stated that he felt the combination of mayonnaise and blue cheese was just right and paired expertly with the shallots and juicy chicken patty and homemade bun.

What has become of my husband? He's turned into a foodie! (One that still craves a gloriously unhealthy Five Guys burger and grease-soaked bag of fries on occasion.) But also a chicken-burger, gorgonzola appreciating kinda-guy. And it's sexy.

To his credit, this is a fine burger. I'm not sure I'd say it is the best ever. I'm still partial to beef. But he was right about the combination of mayo and blue cheese, chicken, and onion. Pretty awesome.

Rosemary Chicken Burgers with Caramelized Shallots and Blue Cheese

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 lb. ground chicken (I used ground chicken breast)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola, crumbled
lettuce or mixed greens
4 whole wheat hamburger buns (I made these buns)

DIRECTIONS
1. To caramelize shallots, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and season with a dash of salt and pepper. Cook, reducing heat to prevent burning, until soft and golden, about 15-20 minutes.

2. Preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high heat.

3. Combine ground chicken, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Form into four patties. Grill until the juices run clear.

4. Mix together mayonnaise and blue cheese. Divide spread among the four bun tops. Place a bed of lettuce on each bun bottom. Top with a grilled burger and caramelized shallots and serve.

Serves 4.

(Adapted from Sunset)