Mediterranean Chicken Burger

Is it weird that when I make burgers at home, I usually don’t eat them with the bun? I’m not trying to avoid bread, but rather, I just love burger patties on top of big fat salads loaded with brightly colored veggies and avocado. Besides, are regular ‘ol buns from the grocery store really that tasty anyways? Generally, not so much.

In my last post about vegan pumpkin fudge with cream cheese frosting, I talked about how I love making healthy food and then not telling my husband what ingredients I used until AFTER he’s gobbled it up and proclaimed he liked it. It gives me so much pleasure to do this with veggies and especially veggies that he thinks he doesn’t like!  Ha ha!  The main offender for him = mushrooms.

Burger patties, whether made from lean beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish or even beans, are great vehicles for adding hidden veggies.  Not only are you adding important gut and brain healthy nutrients, but you’re also stretching the amount of meat so you end up with more patties, and are lowering the overall fat and calories.   Sounds like a win-win-win to me.

Eat for brain health!

I recommend eating for the brain and gut rather than focusing on weight.  Trust me, additional benefits, including weight loss or maintenance, will follow.  I try to cook as much food in the Mediterranean style as possible because it contains nutrients that you’re brain needs to function well!  Nutrients such as B vitamins, zinc, omega-3, and antioxidants just to name a few.  We’re talking veggies, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, olive oil, herbs, spices, eggs,  fish and moderate amounts of meat and poultry.  Research shows that eating in this anti-inflammatory style can help lessen the symptoms of depression and decrease your risk for getting it in the first place.  But let’s face it.  Anything is better than our western Standard American Diet, nicknamed appropriately the SAD diet. 🙁 

A recent meta analysis found that those who followed a dietary pattern composed of healthy foods, similar to those found in the Mediterranean diet, were associated with a lower risk of depression. Those who ate mostly in the SAD way had an increased risk for depression. The highly refined, ultra processed, high saturated fat foods we associate with fast food increases inflammation in the brain. 

The 2017 SMILES randomized clinical controlled trial had a group of participants diagnosed with depression follow a modified Mediterranean diet, along with nutrition coaching, while the other depressed group only received social support and did not change their poor diet. 32% of the group following the nutrition intervention reported that their depressive symptoms were in remission while only 8% of the social support group reported remission.  While this study was small and more clinical trials need to be conducted, the outcome is promising and exciting!

Just remember that good physical and mental health comes about from dietary patterns and not by just adding 1 healthy item to your diet for a day or a week. 

When eating in a Mediterranean style, you can eat meat, but typically lower amounts are eaten than in the SAD diet.  For my burger patties, I started with lean chicken and added as much vegetable goodness as possible so you taste flavor and moistness without really knowing where that is coming from.  I added my husband’s arch nemesis, mushrooms, in addition to spinach leaves, fresh dill and olive oil.

The Mediterranean add-ins

Mushrooms, especially those exposed to UV light,  have a vitamin not found in many foods:  vitamin D.  Vitamin D is vital to good mood.  If you’re feeling extra fatigued and just off, it’s definitely a good idea to get tested for a vitamin D deficiency.

Dill contains anti-inflammatory  polyphenol compounds called flavonols.  Fun fact:  Adding herbs and spices to the meat marinade or mixture can inhibit cancer promoting carcinogens that build up when grilling and charring meat.

Spinach contains a B vitamin called folate which is needed for so many functions including the metabolism of neurotransmitters.  Studies have shown that those with depression often seem to have lower levels of folate and  antidepressant medications don’t work as well on people with low levels of this B vitamin. 

Olive oil not only has great flavor, but it is a healthy fat, containing mostly omega-9 monounsaturated fat, plus antioxidants,  that may help to reduce inflammation. 

With the chicken, most people will focus on the complete protein.  That’s great, but I want to mention zinc. Zinc plays a huge role in our mood by assisting in the production of neurotransmitters and how they get used in the body, in addition to keeping our memory sharp.  The role of zinc in depression is so significant that functional psychiatrist Dr James Greenblatt recommends that all depressed patients should be tested for low levels. 

You may be asking yourself, where’s the garlic?  Garlic would be fantastic in these burgers, but garlic doesn’t sit well with me and  since I eat these burger patties for lunch often, I don’t add it.   I’m one of those people where even a little garlic stays with me for a while and the smell is not pleasant, according to my better half! But, please, if you love garlic, add it in!

Mediterranean Chicken Burger

Print Recipe

These chicken burger patties are packed with good-for-your-brain nutrients such as folate, vitamin D, monounsaturated fat, and zinc. You can definitely freeze the uncooked patties and cook at a later time. Serve on top of a salad or serve on your favorite whole wheat bun with veggies and condiments of your choice.

• Author: TastyBalance Nutrition
• Yield: 6 patties 1x
• Category: Entree

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound lean ground chicken
• 2 packed cups baby spinach (2 ounces), finely chopped
• 4 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped (about 1–1/3 cups chopped)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until they are evenly distributed.
2. Form into 6 patties.
3. Grill on 1 side until grill marks appear. Flip to other side and cook until patties are 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Enjoy on a whole wheat bun with you favorite condiments or on top of a big entree salad!

Notes

If you don’t have a grill, the chicken patties can also be baked in the oven at 350 degrees F until the center is no longer pink (165 degrees F).
Nutrition Facts are calculated for the patty only.

Keywords: chicken, burger, gluten free, nut free, dairy free, mushrooms, blended burger