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Carolina Chicken Burgers have all the flavors of delicious Carolina mustard barbecue sauce in the burger. It’s a deliciously mustard kick to a regular chicken burger.

I had this on the menu since last year for burger month. But I just never got around to making it. Probably because it’s a chicken burger and I’m not sure how the hubs would respond to it. But, I he did eat one of the burgers. Even when I thought he wouldn’t.

His schedule has been crazy lately. It’s inventory season. That never bodes well for normal life. It means long hours and rarely getting to see each other. Like this week. I will see him tomorrow because he switched his days off, but I haven’t seen him since Monday morning and won’t see him until I get home tonight.

What’s in Carolina barbecue sauce?

Well, that depends on what Carolina you’re talking about. There’s the North Carolina sauce vinegar-based sauce. It’s based on cider vinegar and spices. It’s mopped on the meat as it’s cooked. And, of course, soused with it after the meat cooks. It’s delicious and spicy and unlike any other barbecue sauce you can think of. There are no tomato products in it at all which makes the sauce more like a hot sauce then a tomato-based barbecue sauce.

This Carolina chicken burger is based on the South Carolina barbecue sauce. Sometimes referred to as gold sauce, it’s another different kind of barbecue sauce. This sauce does have tomato paste in there, but not much. It’s more mustard and seasonings based with a spicy kick.

What’s in Carolina Chicken Burgers?

Ground chicken, of course. Yellow mustard, of course. Then there’s a little vinegar, ketchup, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Spices like garlic and onion powder, cayenne, and crushed red pepper. There’s dry mustard and smoked paprika to round out all the flavors. Oh, and a touch of sugar to offset some of the vinegar flavor. No, it’s not sweet but it has a sweet and sour tang to it just like that Carolina barbecue sauce has.

As far as toppings go, I kept mine to a minimum. There’s cheese on there, of course. You can’t have a burger without cheese. At least I can’t. I used pepper jack cheese to kick up the spice a bit. I think an extra sharp cheddar would be good for this burger, too. Or something creamy like a Colby jack. Then I added some lettuce, mayonnaise, and some thinly sliced red onion. Feel free to add tomatoes or even a little dash of cole slaw to it. I served mine with broccoli slaw that goes live on Friday. So stay tuned for that.

How do you make a Carolina Chicken Burger?

That’s the easy part. Just dump everything in a bowl and fold it all together. I say fold because you don’t want to overmix the ground chicken. Use kid gloves with it so it doesn’t become a hockey puck. No one wants to eat a hockey puck. That’s just not appealing.

Of course, when I made this recipe, I used 1 pound of ground chicken. That made for some thin burgers. As you can see. I’ve upped the dose on this recipe to 2 pounds to make a nice hefty burger for your family and friends. There’s plenty of seasoning in there to accommodate 2 pounds of chicken. But feel free to kick it up with more if you want.

Then it’s just a matter of throwing them on the grill to cook. And these will cook up quickly. Mine on a medium heat was about 6 to 7 minutes per side. If your burgers are a little thicker on a medium-high heat it should be about the same. Just make sure the internal temperature reaches at least 160 F before you pull them from the grill. Then let them rest and they should come to 165 which is the ideal temperature for chicken.

Now, when I grill burgers, I flip them twice. The second time is when I put the cheese on, then I pull them from the grill and let them rest. That way the cheese doesn’t melt all over the grill and stays on the burger. It’s just how I do it. But you do you!

I think chicken burgers would make a great smash burger. Because the meat is softer than ground beef and ground pork. I might have to try to make these into smashburgers at some point. A double stack so I can get all the delicious Carolina chicken burger flavor. Oh, and double the cheese. That’s always a good thing.

What do Carolina Chicken Burgers taste like?

Tangy with a hint of sweet and spice. You can definitely taste the mustard in there. And the vinegar with the hint of sugar. Then you get the smokiness from the smoked paprika and the heat from the cayenne and crushed red pepper. I like putting both in there. The cayenne is throughout the burger and the crushed red pepper leaves pockets of heat to nibble on.

What do you serve with Carolina Chicken burgers?

Like I said, I served mine with a coleslaw. It’s a broccoli chipotle slaw. Don’t worry! You won’t have to wait too long for that recipe. It’ll be here on Friday. And it is so delicious! I love the smoky flavor in there. It pairs nicely with the smoky and spicy of this burger.

I would go with sweet potato fries if I was making fries. I think the sweetness would offset the smoke and spice of this burger nicely. And please don’t top them with cinnamon and sugar. That’s just gross. Sweet potatoes taste amazing without all that sweet crap on top.

Taking the southern route, I’d whip up a batch of my pimento cheese macaroni salad. It’s all creamy and delicious with some sweet red peppers and kick of green olives. Or my kicked up coleslaw! That has some jalapenos in there. And the hubs says that’s the best slaw I’ve made to date. Finally, you go a completely different route and make my kimchi coleslaw. That’s totally different, but has a spicy kick you’ll enjoy with this burger.

Welcome to #BBQWeek where we celebrate all things barbecue related! From slow cooked pulled pork to grilled chicken, salsa and sides, and delicious pies there’s a recipe that’s perfect for your summer cookout parties.

Wednesday’s #BBQWeek Recipes

• Blueberry Chipotle Grilled Flank Steak from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Carolina Chicken Burgers from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Coca-Cola Baked Beans from Palatable Pastime