Chipotle-Honey-Orange Turkey Burgers

May 22, 2012
Sometimes I think I am stuck in a Berenstain Bears book. For those of you who are not familiar with the Berenstain Bears books, they were stories about a family of, believe it or not, bears. There was always some moral that brother and sister bear had to learn by the end of the book.

I feel like the title related to the Berenstain Bear’s book I am currently stuck in would be “The Berenstain Bears and the Slow Realization That They Aren’t 21 Anymore.”
The crazy thing is that for some reason, I (along with my Mister Berenstain Bear) have been unable to truly grasp the moral related to my tale.
I have grasped the fact that I need to work out more than I used to in order to stay in shape at my age.
I have grasped the fact that I need to be in bed by ten (I don’t have to be asleep but at least in bed and reading) in order to function the next day at work.
I know that I need to keep a more balanced diet. I can’t eat as many red meat burgers covered in cheese as I would have back in college and expect to have a long and healthy life.
When faced with the prospect of going out on a Friday and then a Saturday night, I agree and somehow think that I will be able to bounce back and not be exhausted the next day, like I would if I was 21. You know, I know, we all know how this is going to end.

Clearly, this is where I think Papa and Mama Bear need to sit down with me and tell me I am not 21, I am 28, and if they keep having to remind me of that fact, they are going to have to kick me out of the book series because telling this story over and over again after every weekend is getting pretty old to them and the moral is lost on 6 year old kids.
Well, guess it’s time to grow up a little bit more. At least I have these awesome turkey burgers to replace my beloved Bubba Burgers cooked to a perfect greasy medium covered in cheese from my college days.

Ingredients (Makes 4 Turkey Burgers)
1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey
2 Tablespoons Chipotle (Take a small can of chipotles in adobo sauce and puree it in a food processor until smooth. Freeze and thaw for seasoning as needed.)
¼ Cup Honey
¼ Cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
1 Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Pepper
Combine the lean ground turkey with the chipotle, honey, orange juice, orange zest, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to evenly distribute all the seasonings and flavors throughout the ground turkey.
The meat mixture will be very wet and sticky. It is best to cook these in the pan. However, you can cook them on the grill if you like. Just be sure to put the burgers on a small square of tin foil so it does not stick to the grill.
Form the meat mixture into four medium-sized burger patties. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat.
Add the burgers to the hot pan and cook for six minutes on each side. The burgers will have a very dark crust on the outside. It is not burnt! That is the caramelization of the orange, honey, and chipotle.

Let the burgers rest for five minutes before serving. Smash a bit of fresh avocado on a bottom bun. Place the burger on top of the avocado and then top with some blue cheese crumbles and baby greens. If you need something a little indulgent to balance out the healthiness of this burger, give these Cheddar Ale Fries a try!

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  • BinomialBaker
    May 27, 2012 at 12:37 pm

    Yum! I love turkey burgers and these sound fantastic!

  • DB-The Foodie Stuntman
    May 26, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    Nice healthy alternative!

  • Kyle (the girl)
    May 25, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    Okay, I made them for the family, left out the chipotle peppers.. THEY LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE YOURS!!!! And were PHENOMENAL. Thanks so much for the recipe!

    • Stefanie
      May 26, 2012 at 9:25 am

      Yay!! I am so glad your family liked them!

  • Jesse F.
    May 25, 2012 at 8:12 am

    I have to say that I was honestly scrolling through the photos of your burgers and getting hungry before I read through the post and realized it was a turkey burger. Despite my slight despise of turkey burgers, the recipe has enticed me into (maybe) trying it, ha. Although I’d probably swap out the blue cheese for feta, but great looking recipe nonetheless.

    • Stefanie
      May 25, 2012 at 8:19 pm

      Feta would be great with this too! Give the turkey burger a try, it is definitely more of a summer burger.

  • Kyle (the girl)
    May 24, 2012 at 9:36 am

    Holy frijole, these look ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. I JUST stumbled upon your blog while looking for a healthy, delicious dinner to make for the family tonight. (parents/sister/bro-in-law/nephew/boyfriend) and these look great. I just had a question, are the burgers spicy at all? I mean, I love herbs and spices, but my mom and I can’t handle foods that are TOO spicy. I’m nervous about the turkery burgers. I LOVE turkey bacon, and I LOVE turkey pepperoni, but I made spaghetti once and put ground turkey in the sauce and I couldn’t eat it, weirded me out. I may have to suck it up though because this looks incredible.

  • Dawn
    May 24, 2012 at 8:10 am

    What an explosive burger! Everything about this is wonderful.

  • Kelly
    May 23, 2012 at 11:28 am

    Ohh my I just love everything about these burgers! They sound absolutely amazing and I love all the different flavors! 🙂

  • Lauren @ Part Time House Wife
    May 23, 2012 at 2:42 am

    Love the idea of these turkey burgers! I can absolutely see how all the flavors blend to give it the perfect zest. It’s like the ultimate summer burger alternative! And don’t think for a second I’m not making those cheesy goodness fries! I pretend I’m 21 all the time when I want to eat something that delish.

  • Chels R.
    May 22, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    I love finding new Turkey Burger recipes! I’m pregnant so the idea of always eating red meat burgers makes me feel like I’m going to gain 10 lbs just by looking at it. But a Turkey Burger is a whole other story! Perfect for pregnant and non pregnant woman alike 🙂

  • Kelly
    May 22, 2012 at 9:26 am

    I adore the Berenstain Bears books. Seriously had them all and a robotic Papa Bear that would read along with the books. It was pretty fantastic. I have an idea for you though… just ditch the idea of growing up and be Lizzie!! That crazy cub was always a little more reckless than Brother and Sister. That way you can still fit it the series AND continue to live in the glory days. Done and done! PS: I loved these little turkey burger babies.