Sometimes I gravitate towards dishes which combine the best of two culinary worlds or flavors which seem related in my mind because I love them both. Savory scones are my jam, I’ve been known to enjoy the combination of chocolate and bacon and well, don’t get me started on cinnamon’s affect on my lasagna.

This being said, this burger allowed me to combine my love of burgers with my love of Thai spices and flavors and oh man it did not disappoint. Since making this the initial time I have made it without the additional of Thai Basil and it did seem to be missing something. Thai Basil is hard to find in stores unless you know where to look, but I’ve planted it in my garden or the past 2 years and this year I had an explosion of a harvest of it. Many things in my garden stubbornly refused to bloom, to produce fruit and even to grown but Thai Basil? I think the actual legal term of measurement of how much Thai Basil I had in my garden is well a “ S@#t ton.”

Things to remember: Chicken does not have as much fat as beef so chicken burgers are more prone to crumbling as they cook so be gentle and don’t skimp on the binding ingredients. It is hard to tell when they are done but time has taught me chicken burgers are done when they are firm, so cook them at a lower temp than beef burgers and cook until there’s no more give. Unlike beef you have to make sure they are completely well done before serving and cooking the outside too quickly can result in chicken burgers which crumble and are still raw in the middle.

Initially when I made this recipe it was summer hot in my kitchen and I had no room in my fridge so I made the burger and sauce, but not the slaw. Cooking I live; cooking while sweating for another part of the dish which is extra is not always my jam because my air conditioner is not energy efficient. Cabbage takes up so much room! When assembled it was missing some crispness, so I bought the slaw ingredients and I was rewarded with a well rounded dish which seemed (because it was) healthier and balanced. The slaw recipe makes SO MUCH SLAW so I would be prepared (if I was you) to eat it as a salad as leftovers with some some grilled vegetables or protein. You could, to make it meatless, add some edamame, some legumes and even add some vinegar and oil to the peanut sauce you have leftover (if you have some) and use it as dressing. The peanut sauce is super potent, probably because of the fish sauce, so while it’s addictive, a ;little bit goes quite a ways.

Be careful who you make this for because it’s so good, they might wanna “Thai” you down…Haha… Lonely kitchen humor!