Chicken and Mushrooms Burger

If you’ve been to Tagaytay City, you must have passed by Mushroom Burger along Aguinaldo Highway. And if you’re a Tagaytay habitue like I am, you must have eaten at the place more than once. If you’re a real Mushroom Burger fan, you would probably know that there used to be a branch at the Makati Commercial Center and that there is still a branch in Quezon City. And if you’re the kind of person who is curious about what exactly goes into a Mushroom Burger, you’d probably have read up or asked around and discovered that it is one part ground beef and one part ground oyster mushrooms.

As I mentioned a few entries ago, we are trying to drastically cut our red meat consumption. We are succeeding, so far, but coming up with new chicken and fish dishes has been a tremendous challenge. Here is something we had recently chicken and mushroom burgers. I kept the size small so they’d fit inside a split pan de sal.

Mix all the ingredients. Form into patties and arrange on the lined baking sheet. Cook in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. That’s about it. I know it sounds so impossibly simple so I’ll answer the obvious questions. Oyster mushrooms have a very delicate flavor that will not compete with the natural flavor of the meat. I suspect that is why the owner of Mushroom Burger chose oyster mushrooms.

If you were using ground beef instead of ground chicken, yes, it’s possible. However, the ground chicken and mushroom mixture is not easy to form and the patties are soft rather than firm. I doubt if they can withstand handling and turning on a grill or a frying pan.