Description
Stuffed Southwest Turkey Burgers are mega juicy, mega cheesy, & mega flavorful, with bursts of spicy chiles & creamy guacamole in every single bite.
Ingredients
Scale
for the Stuffed Southwest Turkey Burgers:
- 1 pound 90% lean ground turkey or chicken (see Recipe Notes)
- 6 ounces Tillamook Pepper Jack cheese, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles (mild or hot as preferred)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- vegetable oil, for brushing the grill
- for serving, as desired: toasted burger buns, avocado mash (below), salsa, lettuce, etc.
for the avocado mash:
- 2 medium avocados, halved & pitted
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- optional: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the grill or a grill pan to medium heat, about 500 degrees F.
- Form the stuffed Southwest turkey burger patties: Add the ground turkey to a large bowl with the diced pepper jack cheese, diced green chiles, cumin, & garlic powder. Season with salt & ground black pepper, adding cayenne pepper as desired. Using your hands, combine the mixture until the pepper jack & chiles are evenly dispersed. Be careful not to overmix. Using a burger press or mold, form into 4 equally sized burger patties (see Recipe Notes).
- Grill the stuffed burgers: Just before throwing the burgers on the grill, use grill tongs to swipe a piece of paper towel that’s been drizzled with vegetable oil over the grates to prevent sticking. Grill the burgers over direct heat for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until a thermometer inserted into the center of the burger registers 165 degrees F. The burgers should have beautiful grill marks & tons of melty cheese oozing out!
- Prep the avocado mash: Meanwhile, as the burgers grill, prep the avocado mash. Add the avocado to a medium bowl with the lemon juice, lime juice, and salt, seasoning with cilantro, garlic powder &/or cayenne pepper as desired. Mash to your desired consistency. Set aside.
- Serve as desired, on toasted buns with the avocado mash, salsa, lettuce, & condiments. Enjoy!
Notes
- Choosing the right meat for your turkey burgers: Now’s not the time to use ground turkey breast or chicken breast meat, which is so lean that it will absolutely dry out by the time its cooked through on the grill. I always look for 93% lean ground turkey or chicken, or if the butcher counter sells ground “breast” vs “thighs, I opt for thighs.
- Burger press or ring mold: As someone who isn’t into keeping tons of kitchen gadgets on hand, use of a burger press or mold is key for taking your homemade burger game to the next level. The press/mold will help you be able to pack each patty very compactly, making for a much more enjoyable texture in your burgers. This one is $10 and has awesome reviews!
- Meal prep tip! These burgers are super meal prep friendly & take just 10 minutes to prep. To meal prep: form the burger patties according to Step 2 of Recipe Directions. Store, layered with parchment, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. At dinnertime, all you have to do is toss them on the grill & prep your avocado mash – easy!
