One of my favorite fast-food things to eat in my pre-vegan era – I guess that would be like 2004 B.V. – was chicken burgers. I would go to Wendy’s and get their chicken sandwich with mayo, lettuce and tomato. Not surprising since my favorite food was chicken and fried chicken cutlets were a staple.
When it wasn’t fast food, I would go to a deli near work and get this amazing chicken cutlet sandwich with bacon (I’m so sorry), Russian dressing, pepper jack cheese (also sorry) and it was my very favorite.
So of course, I love making anything that is a vegan version of chicken and now I have found my favorite vegan chicken burger recipe ever! That’s a tall order but these are so good. I’ve tried making a lot of different vegan chicken cutlets and burgers and these were most reminiscent of the pre-vegan ones.
It’s also surprising that it’s a simple recipe. The base of the burgers is cannellini beans and leftover millet. You could use rice or quinoa if that’s what you have. It acts as a binder plus it gets crispy when you cook it. I like using cannellini beans because they are neutral and creamy.
To make it taste chicken-y, I add grated carrot to the mix. There’s something about the flavor of carrot that adds to the chicken-y taste. In addition to the usual seasonings, I add poultry seasoning. Don’t worry, it’s vegan. It’s just a mix of herbs that go well with chicken. If you don’t have a jar of that, just combine dried thyme, dried sage, dried marjoram and dried rosemary with a little pepper and nutmeg to make your own.
For the vegan “eggs,” I used Vegg Egg Replacer. You could also use flax, chia or your favorite egg replacer. Then I added gluten-free bread crumbs. Not only does this act as a binder but the bread crumbs get crispy when you cook the burgers which is a great texture. I added just enough flour to hold it all together.
Now you could bake the burgers. I like to do this; I feel it makes them hold together better plus I don’t have to stand there watching them cook. If you want to bake them, I would suggest crisping them up in a skillet first, just to get that crispy coating. Then bake them for 30 minutes or so at 400 degrees. Alternatively, you could just cook the burgers in the skillet.
For toppings, I sauteed some red onion slices and added lettuce and tomato. For a spread, I love mixing Hampton Creek Just Mayo with some ketchup or BBQ sauce and a hit of vegan Worcestershire sauce.
These burgers were so good – I daresay the best I’ve ever made. You can add other spices like curry or cumin to give them an ethnic twist or top them with vegan cheese and/or vegan bacon for a super-duper vegan bacon cheese burger. However you make them, i know you’ll love them. Enjoy!
The Best Vegan Chicken Burgers Ever!
GF
2-15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 carrot, grated
1 ½ cups leftover cooked millet
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. black pepper
2 vegan “eggs”
1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs + more for coating
Up to ¾ cup chickpea flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Gluten-free buns
Toppings of your choice
In a large mixing bowl, add the beans and smash them with a potato masher or you could put them in a food processor. Add the grated carrot and the millet and mix everything together. Mix in the seasonings and the vegan “eggs.”
Mix in the bread crumbs, reserving some for coating. Add just enough flour, about ½ cup at a time, until the mixture feels like it will hold together. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes. Divide the mixture into burger patties. Make sure they are tight and compact.
Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Spread some bread crumbs on a plate. Coat both sides of the burger patties with the crumbs. Add 3 or 4 patties to the skillet and let them cook over medium-high heat until golden brown on one side, about 4-5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
Alternatively, you can put the patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
Place the burger on the bun and add the toppings of your choice.
The “V” Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.
Print The Best Vegan Chicken Burgers Ever! Author: Rhea Parsons Recipe type: Burger Ingredients- 2-15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 ½ cups leftover cooked millet
- 2 tsp. poultry seasoning
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 2 vegan “eggs”
- 1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs + more for coating
- Up to ¾ cup chickpea flour
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Gluten-free buns
- Toppings of your choice
- In a large mixing bowl, add the beans and smash them with a potato masher or you could put them in a food processor. Add the grated carrot and the millet and mix everything together. Mix in the seasonings and the vegan “eggs.”
- Mix in the bread crumbs, reserving some for coating. Add just enough flour, about ½ cup at a time, until the mixture feels like it will hold together. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes. Divide the mixture into burger patties. Make sure they are tight and compact.
- Heat some vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Spread some bread crumbs on a plate. Coat both sides of the burger patties with the crumbs. Add 3 or 4 patties to the skillet and let them cook over medium-high heat until golden brown on one side, about 4-5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
- Alternatively, you can put the patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Place the burger on the bun and add the toppings of your choice.
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