Weekend Getaway Lucky Seven Spiced Pollo Burgers with Orange-Jalapeno Goat Cheese and Roasted Pasilla Peppers and Carrot Slaw

Pairs well with:

Pinot Grigio

You won’t need a bouquet of flowers when you share our Pinot Grigio. This crisp wine with floral aromas is a wonderful way to make an entrance.

I’ve been itching for a weekend getaway to some warm island where I could ditch my laptops and heels and sink into flipflops and indolence.I imagine myself ordering a burger just like this one, full of exotic spices and heady with red onion and roasted chilies that are tamed by soft goat cheese. I haven’t made it to my weekend get away, but just by creating and eating this burger, I get the feeling that my luck might be improving. It could be any day now.

Ingredients:

3 pasilla peppers, whole

olive oil for brushing

3 tablespoons ancho chili powder

1 tablespoon turmeric

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup best quality mayonnaise

2 lbs. ground chicken (light and dark meat)

3 tablespoons melted butter

6 ounces soft goat cheese, such as Bucheron

3 tablespoons orange marmalade

4 tablespoons jalapeno jelly

3 large carrots, grated

1/2 cup radishes, cut into matchstick pieces

1/2 cup scallions, cut into matchstick pieces

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1/2 cup minced cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 poppy seed buns, split

6 slices, 1/4 inch thick red onion

Instructions:

Preheat grill for medium hot cooking. Char peppers on grill until blackened all over, about 10 minutes. Place in large zip top bag and let sit for 15 minutes. Peel and cut into 1 inch strips. Meanwhile, combine in a small bowl the chili powder, turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons salt. Combine 3 tablespoons spice mixture with mayonnaise; set aside. Combine remaining spice mixture with chicken and melted butter. Shape gently into six patties, making slight indentation in center. In a separate small bowl, combine goat cheese, orange marmalade, and jalapeno jelly. In a separate medium bowl, combine carrots, radishes, scallions, ginger, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt, lime, and olive oil. Mix well. Grill burgers for about five minutes per side, or until internal thermometer registers 165 degrees. During last one minute of cook time, spread burgers with goat cheese mixture. Grill buns for two minutes, or until lightly toasted. Spread cut sides of buns generously with mayonnaise mixture. Top bottom buns with carrot slaw, burger, pasilla pepper strips, red onion slices and bun tops.