Say “goodbye” to dry ground turkey! The burgers were moist and flavorful, and guilt-free. Sauteed veggies– including apples– add moisture to the lean turkey, while chutney really “trumps” up the flavor of the patties.
In the warm summer months, we do a lot of grilling. We don’t get very fancy, really– because we’re both tired when we get home from work. Most any kind of well-seasoned grilled meat, and whatever vegetables are in our fridge, makes a perfect meal for us. Give me a grilled meat and veggies, and a simple salad– and I’m happy!
We enjoy grilling red meat, but I try not limit how often we do that. I starting searching through my saved recipes and I settled on this turkey burger recipes. What seems like ages ago, I had bookmarked this recipe that was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah was raving how she had the best turkey burger, ever, at Donald Trump’s private club in Palm Beach. The Donald and his chef were invited to share the recipe with Oprah’s viewers. I decided to finally see for myself what all the hoopla was about this recipe:
The first step is to sauté scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.
The ground turkey is then seasoned with salt & pepper, hot sauce and Major Grey’s Chutney. Only, my chutney comes from Trader Joe’s. Close enough. Lemon zest and juice is also added.
Because I’m rebellious, at times, I reversed the recipe directions and added the cooked veggies and apples last…and then some fresh chopped parsley. I scaled the recipe down to make four patties. Turkey burgers can be a challenge to work with. They’re very soft and can fall apart very easily. After pressing an indentation in the middle (a little Bobby Flay trick I learned), I borrowed something I’ve seen the fine folks at Cook’s Illustrated do–I froze the patties for about 15 minutes.
The recommended grilling time is seven minutes per side, plus 5 minutes for the meat to “rest”.
Because the patties were partially frozen, it took about an extra 4 minutes of grilling time. My husband said that the patties were easy to work with, since they the freezer had firmed them. These were cooked to about 160F and they continued to cook as they rested, loosely covered in foil.
I slathered a bit of Poupon Mustard, a touch of mayo and a dab of chutney on the patties. I picked one of our paltry tomatoes (we’ve had one of the coolest and overcast summers that I can ever remember) and some onion. Look closely and you’ll see a golden raisin that was in the chutney.
Of course, fries goes beautifully with burgers. I made a new recipe for oven-roasted garlic fries and they were fantastic!
TASTING NOTES: Okay, I get it, Oprah. This is a really good turkey burger! The apples add a lot of moisture to the lean ground turkey, but you really don’t taste them. The lemon zest really came through– and I think next time, I’d add a little less as I don’t want that to be the dominant flavor. In fact, I think lime would be a great alternative! The chutney adds a little bit of sweet to the mix, while the hot sauce kicks up the flavor a notch. If I do say so myself, I need to get busy and make some more of my own peach chutney (that has red bell pepper) to this burger. The bonus is that this is healthy burger, especially if I had whole wheat buns.
I’ll definitely add this recipe to our grilling menu. Is this the best burger ever? Ever is pretty absolute, so I don’t use that word as liberally as others do. I’d say it’s a great burger, and I’m glad I can make my own at my humble home.
The Best Grilled Turkey Burgers
Oprah found a new favorite food when she tried this turkey burger at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's private club in Palm Beach. "I believe [it] may be the best turkey burger in the entire world," she says. I'd say that's a pretty accurate statement. Say "goodbye" to dry ground turkey! The burgers were moist and flavorful, and guilt-free. Sauteed veggies– including apples– add moisture to the lean turkey, while chutney really "trumps" up the flavor of the patties.
Servings: 8
Calories: 362kcal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup scallions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 3 Granny Smith apples peeled and diced
- 1/8 cup canola oil
- 4 pounds ground turkey breast
- 2 Tbsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
- 1 lemon juiced and grated zest
- 1/2 bunch parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup Major Grey’s Chutney pureed
Instructions
- Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.
- Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.NOTE: Before grilling, I froze the patties for about 15 minutes so the patties wouldn't fall apart on the grill. It worked!
- Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Serve with a side of Mar-a-Lago Pear Chutney and your favorite toasted bread, pita or hamburger roll.
Notes
This recipe can easily be cut in half.
Nutrition
Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 1593mg | Potassium: 838mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 463IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!
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These look and sound insanely flavorful and healthy because of the ground turkey! I must try these out soon, thanks for sharing =)
i just read this post in detailed because I want to make this turkey burger and I hope I make a big surprise to my family this weekend.
As a member of a fund raising organization, I took part in a private tour of Mar-A-Lago. At lunch we didn't get a lovely turkey burger like yours, but a boxed lunch with a ham sandwich and a bag of chips. I think it would rather visit your home next time where I know I would get something delicious.
I'm glad that your mojo is back Debby. Working 6 days a week I think mine has been lost until I can get back into some kind of routine. These burgers are bookmarked and on my list to make before the end of summer.
Your execution of the burger looks great and I love that tip about putting them in the freezer for a little bit before grilling. Really nice post — and if Karen got a ham sandwich and a bag of chips at Mar a Lago, I, too, would rather lunch at your house!
It looks like a fabulous burger, Debby. Absolutely fabulous! I love your tip about freezing the patties to keep them bound together. Great tip.
It's good to have a review of these from someone whose opinion can be trusted. I've heard about these but never made them. You are my muse – whether you want to be or not:-). Have a great weekend. Blessings…Mary
This turkey burger looks de-lish! Can't wait to try it…
Fantastic color on those burgers! Love the grill marks, your pictures are mouthwatering. 🙂
I have to say, I REALLY love the idea of chutney mixed into a burger. I'm all for adding in exotic flavors like that!
I recorded the last season and have yet to watch them all either. Of course I didn't watch them in order either 🙂
I saw her go on and on about this burger and it sure does look good!
It's always good when one's kitchen mojo returns. 😀
These turkey burgers look scrumptious!!
Deb,
These turkey burgers look great! I love chutney!
Juicy juicy love it…
can't remember how i found your blog, but i'm lovin' it! already pinterest'ed a few things to try soon.
i made this recipe at the suggestion of another food blogger and i left out the celery and the lemon zest and subbed cilantro for parsley. didn't miss anything and loved these! btw, i added the apples and green onion at the end too…rebels unite!
I made these too after I saw them on Oprah and they were good but I hadn't made them again since, thanks for the reminder 🙂