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Chick'n Burgers

Monday, November 22, 2010

My daughter just recently went vegan from being vegetarian.  And since then we've been shooting through Boca burgers.  So I set my sights on something similar to the Chicken Boca, something breaded and chicken-y and something that could be easily pulled out of the fridge, microwaved and eaten for lunch.

After some trial and error, I arrived at this recipe.  I tried some with & without breading, some baked and some fried.  This recipe isn't the closest to Boca, but it's definitely the best.  It's got a great texture out of the freezer (even better than fresh) and, even microwaved, it's got a thin, crispy layer.  The problem is, we're still shooting through Boca burgers because I can't keep these in the freezer. . . I think she's sneaking them out for her friends.

Vegan Chicken Burger

Chick'n Burgers
15 oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup bulgur
1 1/4 cup chicken flavored broth, boiling
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
3 tbs vegetable oil, for cooking
Spices:
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 cup tsp black pepper

In a bowl, combine the bulgur and boiling broth. Set aside for 20-30 minutes, until the bulgur has softened and cooled to room temperature. Meanwhile, pour the drained chickpeas into a bowl (a pie pan works great) and smash with a fork into a coarse meal. Combine the spices and nutritional yeast in a spice grinder and grind. Add to the chickpeas along with the cooled bulgur & broth, the grated onion, minced garlic and 1 tbs vegetable oil. Stir to combine, then add the vital wheat gluten and mix to combine.

Put a cookie sheet into the oven and preheat 400 degrees. Knead the dough for a few minutes (maybe 5), and divide into 8 balls.  Form each ball into a patty.  The dough will be a little elastic, but should hold its shape without too much trouble.  Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and add 3 tbs vegetable oil.  Swirl around to coat and add the patties.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning after 15, until the patties are browned.  Serve hot, or refrigerate/freeze. 

8 Servings 213 Cal (8g fat, 23g carbs, 15g protein)

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14 comments

  1. I'll have to make these soon! I'm not the biggest Boca fan, I think I burned myself out. This looks like a nice change!

     
  2. Kiersten Says:
  3. I definitely have to try these! I eat Boca burgers on occasion (usually when we're running out of food), but I'd much rather eat something like this.

     
  4. Jacklyn Says:
  5. I love making my own hamburger patties. So much cheaper in price and always a lot healthier and tastier. I will definitely be trying this recipe out.

     
  6. That is a tasty looking burger.

     
  7. pharaohscat Says:
  8. Oh, I really want to try these, but I live in Egypt and can't get vital wheat gluten. Is there any substitute I could use? Would the recipe hold together if I excluded it all together?

    Thanks in advance!

     
  9. the wheat gluten adds to the texture and is also a binder. You could try chickpea flour or bread crumbs or maybe even overcooked lentils or rice. I think I would start out with a mix of chickpea four and bread crumbs.

    If you find something that works, make sure and report back. I get a lot of gluten-free questions and, I'd love some feed back.

    Good luck.

     
  10. M Says:
  11. I made a variation of these the other day ... I didn't have bulgur so I used steel cut oats. Everything else I had. The recipe calls for 1/4 c. black pepper. I think it's a typo and so used 1/4 tsp black pepper. They turned out awesome!!! I'm going to try the next batch with bulgur to see if I like those better. This is definitely going to be a permanent staple of my vegan lifestyle. Thanks!!!!

     
  12. I haven't tried this trick with these burgers, but have done so with other homemade burgers for my GF clients: cook your favorite gluten free pasta until it is overcooked. It should be slightly mushy. Mash the pasta and add with the rest of your bean ingredients. Makes a great GF binder! I've also made a flaxseed binder to hold patties together. Great for nut burgers like walnut or almond. Just combine 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp. water, let sit for a few minutes until gelled together.

     
  13. Sarah Says:
  14. We made these with whole grain bulgur, and 1 cup of tempeh in place of part of the chickpeas, and they still turned out lovely! I reduced the salt because I knew we'd be slathering them in the cashew-miso mayo from Appetite for REducation which is pretty salty. When I first assembled them they didn't seem like they would hold together but after cooking, they really did so don't worry about that if you make this recipe.

     
  15. mirbrewer Says:
  16. I made these tonight according to the recipe. I definitely recommend NOT using 1/4 c. black pepper. As "M" said above, it must be a typo. I kind of thought it seemed like an awful lot, but apparently I'm too trusting of a soul, lol. Pepperiness aside, I would make these again for sure. Great alternative to expensive, processe, packaged patties.

     
  17. Mirbrewer, sorry, I thought i'd fixed that typo. It's definitely 1/4 teaspoon.

     
  18. mirbrewer Says:
  19. 'Sok. Spice is the spice of life! And besides...one who uses a free recipe really has no basis for complaint. But thanks for clarifying! :-)

     
  20. gahlia Says:
  21. these are terrific...i also tried substituting black beans instead of garbanzo, added some chili powder and...awesome! think i'll try lentils and cummin next.

     
  22. Corrin Radd Says:
  23. These are so good. They're going into my permanent file and I'll be making them forever. Thanks for this!

    I love your burger ideas, so keep on posting variations!

     

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