Chicken & slow-roasted tomato burgers with pesto mayonnaise

From Marcus Bean’s Chicken – available for pre-order from Amazon now
 
I do love a good burger. My tip for success is to build on the flavour of the minced chicken, starting with the onion and garlic, then adding herbs and sauces. My special ingredient in this burger is the slow-roasted tomatoes, which lift the flavour and give a lovely, fresh kick. Combine it with the fresh basil pesto mayonnaise and you have something really special.

People seem to have problems pan-frying chicken, but it’s wonderully simple. In our busy lives, we often need something that will cook quickly, so pan-fried chicken is a great option. Melt a little butter or oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium to high heat and, when it is hot and bubbling, add the chicken. Cook it skin-side down first to give a crisp skin and help to seal in moisture.

I like to fry it until it is coloured and sealed, then finish it in a hot oven, but you can simply cook in the pan until the meat is tender.

This method is best for breast meat and imparts a lovely colour and texture to the chicken. You can cook the breasts whole, in which case this is one of the best ways to get a lovely crispy skin, or slice the meat into goujons or strips for stir-frying quickly over a high heat. Halfway between frying and grilling, if you use a chargrill pan to cook chicken, you’ll get attractive dark bars across the meat.

Chicken & slow-roasted tomato burgers with pesto mayonnaise

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 20 minutes chilling, and making the slow-roasted tomatoes, pesto and mayonnaise

Cooking time: 30 minutes
 

600g/1lb 5oz minced chicken
300g/10½oz Slow-Roasted Tomatoes (see below) or sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), finely chopped
1 onion, diced
2 garlic bulbs, crushed and chopped
leaves from 2 thyme sprigs, chopped
2 tsp truffle oil
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
4 bread rolls, sliced in half
1 handful of rocket leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
 
FOR THE PESTO MAYONNAISE
2 tbsp Fresh Basil Pesto
4 tbsp Mayonnaise
 
To make slow-roasted tomatoes

Makes about 400g/14oz
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 6 hours
 
12 large vine tomatoes
50–100ml/1½–3½fl oz/3 tbsp–scant
½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp sea salt crystals
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
leaves from 3 thyme sprigs
 
Preheat the oven to the lowest possible heat, 100°C/200°F/Gas 1. Slice the tomatoes straight down the centre, then cut each half into wedges, making sure all the wedges are the same size. Put on a baking tray, skin-side down. Drizzle with a little of the olive oil, then sprinkle with the salt, garlic and thyme leaves.
 
Roast for 4–6 hours until dried but still slightly flexible, checking every hour as you don’t want them to dry completely. Leave to cool.
 
Spoon into a screw-topped jar and cover with the remaining oil. Store in the fridge for up to a month.
 

To make the burgers

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Put the minced chicken in a bowl and add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme, truffle oil, breadcrumbs and Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces and mix well until combined. Shape into 4 burgers, then cover and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up while you cook the sweet potato wedges.

2. Meanwhile, mix together the pesto and mayonnaise, cover and chill in the fridge until ready to use.

3. Heat the olive oil in a griddle pan or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side until browned, turning the heat down to low if they start to brown too quickly. Transfer to the oven and cook for 5–10 minutes with the sweet potatoes until cooked through and browned.

4. Remove the burgers from the oven, cover and leave to rest in a warm place while you toast the bread rolls. Put some rocket leaves on the bottom half of each bun, top with a spoonful of the pesto mayonnaise, then the burger, another spoonful of pesto mayonnaise, then the remaining bun. Serve with the sweet potato wedges.