I haven’t posted in a long, long time. Was busy… getting ready to move here to Saudi Arabia! So we went from Eating in Moose Jaw, to Comox, and now to Riyadh. Today I tried making our favourite burger in the Comox Valley – the sticky chicken burger from Cornerstone Taphouse. It’s chicken breast with a balsamic reduction, roasted garlic and fried feta. This turned out SO good. I still have some roasted garlic and balsamic reduction leftover so am thinking of making this again tomorrow!
(This will make more roasted garlic than you need for this recipe but since you’re putting in the effort anyway, might as well have leftovers you can keep in the fridge. Roasted garlic is the best!)
To make 4 burgers: 4 chicken breasts / 4 burger buns / garlic cloves from 5 heads / 1/2 cup olive oil (plus extra for frying) / 1/2 cup vegetable oil (plus extra for frying) / 1 cup balsamic vinegar / ~250 grams feta cheese / a heaped tbsp of flour / ~4 tbsp mayonnaise / romaine lettuce for topping / salt and pepper
First make the roasted garlic. I used to do this all the time in the oven but now I tend to confit it (so not really roasted, but basically same result) as it’s much quicker. Put all the cloves, the olive oil and the vegetable oil into a small saucepan over medium heat. (Depending on the size of the pan, you need just enough oil to cover the garlic.) Once the oil has heated up and the garlic is sizzling a bit, lower the heat to medium-low. Let the garlic cook for about 40 min or until they’re soft (I like to check by piercing with a fork) and golden brown.
In the meantime, heat up the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat until it’s just a simmer and let it cook down for about 10 minutes. It will have taken on more of a syrupy consistency and will thicken up more as it cools down. Set aside.
Using a sharp knife, butterfly the chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Heat up a large frying pan with a little bit of oil over medium to medium-high heat. Cook the breasts on both sides until completely cooked through. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate and spoon over the balsamic reduction.
Cut the feta into slices a few centimetres thick. Lightly coat both sides of the slices of feta with flour. Heat up a thin layer of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and then fry the feta on both sides until golden brown. (The feta I got from the shop was a much softer texture than any other feta I’ve had before so I didn’t get the neat slices I was expecting. Definitely not photo-worthy but oh well. Will go searching for more feta options!)
While the feta is frying, mix some of your roasted garlic with the mayo and give your burger buns a light toasting under your broiler.
Now finally, put everything together! One chicken breast per burger, some feta, lettuce, the roasted garlic mayo plus a few extra garlic cloves for good measure. Enjoy!
eating in moose jaw 