Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Ever since we had these buffalo chicken tenders (or these buffalo chicken calzones), I realized that I liked buffalo wings.  A lot.  I've never been a huge fan of wings in restaurants but then again, I don't love dark meat chicken.  But when you can control the type of chicken and how much buffalo wing sauce you add (not to mention it's a cinch to make your own), it becomes a different story.

These burgers were no exception.  They were easy to throw together and I already had great homemade hamburger buns (which I promise will be the next recipe I share!).  Topped with a little cheddar cheese or blue cheese, they made such a fun meal.   You could really taste the wing sauce but the flavor wasn't overwhelming.  I preferred the cheddar cheese but my husband preferred the blue cheese.  And when we dipped it in a little blue cheese dressing, well, that just made it even better.

I served these burgers with a side of roasted chickpeas and steamed green beans.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers
Taken from: How Sweet It Is
Makes 4-6 burgers

• 1 lb. ground chicken breast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning (I used 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley instead)
• 1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (to make your own wing sauce, combine 2 Tbsp of melted butter and 2 Tbsp of hot sauce [I have heard Tabasco is too hot for wing sauce but Pete's and other brands work very well])
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I used about 1/4 cup)
• 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese or blue cheese
• 4-6 whole wheat buns
• Blue cheese dressing: I mixed 3 tablespoons of nonfat plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese, a splash of white or red wine vinegar, a shake of garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl, mashing everything together until thoroughly combined

1. Preheat grill or skillet.
2. In a large bowl combine ground chicken, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, parmesan and buffalo wing sauce. Mix until just combined. Form into patties (you can refrigerate the patties until ready to use).
3. Grill or pan-fry patties until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes; since it is chicken, it should be cooked to 165 degrees. 
4. In the last 3 minutes, place 1/2 ounce of cheddar cheese or blue cheese on each burger. 
5. Place cooked burgers on whole wheat buns and top with a drizzle of blue cheese dressing or serve dressing and celery on the side.