Buffalo Chicken Burgers + Homemade Ranch

Hump Day.  And some bad news.  And some aches and pains.  

Ever have a day that just NEEDS burger?

The bad news we had today wasn't THAT bad, just a hitch in the giddyup towards graduation and being a therapist and all that.  No worries, just a bummer.  I wish all the news in the world ever was good. 

Also.  Hurt wrist and teaching yoga twice today!  Typing kills me.  Making shoulder ache.  HOLD ME.  Or send free physical therapy.  Whichever you can do.  I get it either way. 

Now that the whining is done, let's fix our funk, shall we?  Buffalo chicken burgers.  I saw this method of saucing things from Rachael Ray on the TV last week because I ONLY WATCH AWESOME STUFF, and then I thought in my brain that I really wanted buffalo chicken.  Because yum.  

The sauce on this bad boy is kind of a fakeout ranch.  You can use just plain mayo or sour cream or whatever else you like on burgers, but this is a fun twist, and it's nice to make a burger and a topping, right?  Totes homemade.  

For the sauce, you'll need sour cream, mayo, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, and dried dill.  FEEL FREE to use fresh herbs, but dried are just fine here.  Get off your high horse, please. 

I like to make the sauce first.  Place all the ingredients in a bowl. 

And stir it!  

Taste, and add some salt if you'd like.  Let the ranch sit while you make the burgers - the flavors will come together and be happy and great.  

Onto the burgers!  They're easy too, and take most of the same ingredients as the ranch.  You need ground chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, butter, hot sauce, and burger buns.  Or not.  

If you're feeling REALLY adventurous, do two hot sauces!  I did a buffalo-style and a chili-garlic style, and WHOA.  Any hot sauce or combination of spicy stuff you like will work great, though!

First, preheat a skillet to medium-high with olive oil or cooking spray.  Then add the chicken, garlic and onion powder and Worcestershire sauce to a large bowl.  That red stuff is hot sauce - add a tablespoon extra to the meat mixture if you'd like extra spicy burgers!  That part's optional.  

Mix the chicken to incorporate all the spices, then form into 4 even patties.  The mixture will be a little wet, but it'll dry out in the pan.  

Add the patties to the skillet - you may need two skillets if yours are small.  

Let the patties cook for 5 - 7 minutes on each side, flipping once, until they're cooked through.  No rare chicken burgers, please.  

While the burgers are cooking, toast the buns, broil them, grill them, whatevs.  Also, prep any toppings you'd like!  I went with just red onion for these, but any raw veggies, pickles, cheese would be great!  

When the burgers are cooked, remove them to a plate and reduce the heat in the pan to medium-low.  Add the butter and hot sauce(s), and stir to lift up any chicken bits and create a sauce.

Add the burgers back to the pan, and turn them over and over to coat them in the buffalo sauce.  

Yum!  Burgers.  I build these by layering ranch on top of a burger bun butt (just wanted to alliterate there)...

....then adding a burger.

Then I add any toppings and a hat, and yay!  Buffalo chicken burgers.  

I'm not big on a potato product with burgers these days - the meal balances nicely if you add a veg, though!  We ate snap peas dipped in the extra ranch because WHY NOT and felt good about ourselves.

I add about a tablespoon more of hot sauce on top of Jay's burger, btw.  This sauce is tangy but not to too spicy, so add more hot sauce to the pan or directly to the burgers as a topping if you'd like more heat!

Make these soon!  They're super easy but delicious, and are ready FAST if you don't bother with a side dish.  You could make mini versions as sliders, too!  

Happy hump day - if you got bad news or have a hurt wrist just eat a burger and move on.  I feel way better.  Tomorrow is Thursday, a very hopeful day.

 Shared with Weekend Potluck – the best time suck start to a weekend!