Spicy Poblano Burgers + Pickled Red Onions + Chipotle Cream

Spicy Poblano Burgers + Pickled Red Onions + Chipotle Cream

These. Burgers. Will. Blow. Your. Mind.

spicy poblano burger chipotle cream pickled red onion

First off… I mean how friggin’ cute can a burger get I ask you?

spicy poblano burger chipotle cream pickled red onion

One reason they’re one of my faves is because you can do basically everything minus the grilling ahead of time. The red onions can be made up to a week ahead [and go great with tons of dishes like pulled pork + any kind of Mexican food + sandwiches + eggs]. The chipotle cream can be made the day before or morning of the meal. You can even make the burger patties the morning before you grill.

spicy poblano burger chipotle cream pickled red onion

Another reason they’re one of my faves is because they’re only 222 calories per patty. That’s right, buddy. (I mean def. add the bun if you want it, but… I’ll save those calories for wine, my friend.) You do you.

spicy poblano burger chipotle cream pickled red onion

Here’s a tantalizing picture of my burgers – made ’em during nap time, ah thank you.

spicy poblano burger chipotle cream pickled red onion

These onions aren’t spicy like you might think. They’re more zippy, cool, and slightly sweet bits of yummy. They go great on so many things, like I said before. I keep them in this cute little dish I got at Target, but as long as yours is glass or plastic and has a lid, you’re golden. The reason I stay away from metal is because storing things in metal can sometimes cause a funky reaction. It’s science… don’t ask me why.

spicy poblano burgers pickled red onion

Rice vinegar is an essential if you like to cook a lot – especially “healthy” recipes. They add a ton of zip to all kinds of food, but especially to the red onions.

spicy poblano burgers pickled red onion

The chipotle cream [besides juuuussst being delicious] is also not so bad for you. It’s basically just doctored up sour cream. Feel free to use the light or fat-free stuff, but I used the whole fat goodness. If you divide this up into 5 servings [those are good-sized dollups], then each serving is only 30 calories. 30 calories of delicious, creamy, tangy heaven that is.

spicy poblano burgers pickled red onion

This isn’t the greatest piece of photography ever, but I wanted to show you this because it’s the reason the burgers are still light. Because we used 90/10 beef, I needed to add back some moisture [btw – you can def use 80/20 and skip the bread+milk – still yummy]. Adding the bread and milk just helps the burgers to hold some of their juicy characteristics.

spicy poblano burgers pickled red onion

Roasting poblanos be like…

spicy poblano burgers pickled red onion

Just cover the roasted chiles with some plastic wrap for 15-20. Then peel the skin off, get rid of the top + seeds, rinse, and dry on paper towel. I did mine a couple of hours before even chopping them and adding them to the burger mixture. Make it ahead, yo.

spicy poblano burgers pickled red onion

spicy poblano burgers pickled red onion


Spicy Poblano Burgers + Pickled Red Onions + Chipotle Cream

For the Burgers
2 poblano chiles
1 tbs. milk
1 slice white or wheat bread, crusts removed, and torn into ½-inch pieces
2 tbs. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. 90/10 ground sirloin
Cooking spray

For the Pickled Red Onions
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 jalapeño pepper, halved lengthwise
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

For the Chipotle Cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbs. cilantro, chopped
1 tbs. shallots, minced
1 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (7-oz.) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

To Make the Pickled Red Onions
Combine the sugar, rice vinegar, water, and jalapeño in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add onion to pan, cover, and remove from heat. Cool to room temperature then store in a glass or plastic airtight container for up to 1 month.

To Make the Chipotle Cream
Combine the sour cream, cilantro, shallots, lime juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Remove 1 chipotle pepper from the can and finely chop. Add to sour cream mixture. Add 2 tsp. adobo sauce from can to mixture; stir to combine. Reserve the remaining chipotles + sauce in a glass dish in the refrigerator for another use. Refrigerate chipotle cream until ready to use.

To Make the Burgers
Preheat broiler. Place poblano chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet, and broil for 10 minutes or until blackened, turning after 7 minutes. Place chiles in glass or plastic bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit 15 minutes. Peel chiles, and discard the seeds and membranes. Rinse with cool water and lay on paper towel to dry. Finely chop. (This step can be done hours ahead of making the burgers. Just leave to dry on paper towel until ready to assemble burgers.)

Meanwhile, mash milk and bread together in a large bowl using a fork until smooth. Add chopped chiles, 1 1/2 tbs. cilantro, cumin, coriander, paprika, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Stir to combine. Add the beef and mash together with your hands. Shape the mixture into 4 equal patties. Press your thumb into the middle of each patty, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or until ready to grill. Remove from fridge and let rest 10 minutes before grilling (while the grill or pan preheats).

To grill outside, grill as usual over medium heat until desired level of doneness is achieved.

To grill inside, preheat oven to 375. Spray your oven-proof grill pan with cooking spray (we use the Grilling Pam). Heat the pan over medium-high heat until sizzling hot. Grill the burgers for 2 minutes on each side, then transfer to the oven for 8-10 minutes, until desired level of doneness is achieved. Cover with foil and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Spicy Poblano Burgers + Pickled Red Onions + Chipotle Cream

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