Burger del Pollo con Parmigiano and Marinara Sauce

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.

Ingredients

Patties:
2 pounds ground chicken
½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
¾ cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
3 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 tablespoons room temperature
unsalted butter
2 medium sized whole cloves of garlic, divided
2 cups baby arugula
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves sliced into thin ribbons
Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil for greasing the grill rack
3/4 cup good quality prepared marinara sauce from a jar
9 ounces shredded whole milk mozzarella
1 ½ loaves ciabatta bread (approximately 12 ounce loaves), cut crosswise into 6 buns, split in half
3 tablespoons Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons mild giardiniera relish

 

Instructions

Prepare a charcoal grill with a top for medium hot cooking. To make the patties, in a large bowl place the ground chicken, seasoned bread crumbs, shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, Italian parsley, garlic salt, crushed red pepper and unsalted butter. Take one clove of garlic and mince it fine, add to the chicken mixture and then mix gently to distribute all of the ingredients evenly. Divide into 6 portions, shape into patties about ¾ inch thick, making them slightly oval to fit the ciabatta bread buns. Chill for several minutes while preparing the other ingredients. In a medium bowl, toss the baby arugula with the basil, set aside. Once the coals are ready, place the grill rack over the coals, and grease with olive oil. Place the chicken patties over the hottest part of the grill, cook for 2 minutes and turn over. Evenly spread the marinara sauce over each patty, cover the marinara with the shredded mozzarella, after two minutes of cooking cover grill for 30 seconds to melt the cheese. Move patties to one side of the grill, brush cut side of the buns with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, place each piece cut side down on grill rack, and toast for 30 seconds to one minute until lightly browned and slightly crisp, remove patties and buns from grill. On the toasted side of each bun, rub all over with the remaining garlic clove and brush with the 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. To assemble the burgers, place the bottom of each bun on a plate cut side up, top with the arugula basil mixture, place the patty on top of the arugula, spread the top bun with the giardiniera, and put on top of burger. Serve!