Chicken and Pancetta Burgers with Fried Egg
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I’ve been making this recipe for chicken and pancetta patties for years now. It was only the second recipe from Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries I tried the year I decided to cook a recipe each month from the book, and by the end, it was still one of our favorites. Tom especially has always loved these, and gets excited every time I make them.
The original version, which just calls for finishing off the patties with some chicken stock in the oven, is great as-is with some bread or even over mashed potatoes or polenta. But, I wanted to do a bit of a recipe remix and turn these patties in something a little different. A while back, I decided to make the patties into burgers, and they were a big hit. At the time, I just cooked them up and added cheese but as I was eating it, I couldn’t help but think it would be even better with a fried egg on top. The patties themselves have sort of a breakfasty taste to them, because of the pancetta and rosemary, so they pair beautifully with an egg. We served these on standard buns, but an English muffin would basically turn these into the ultimate breakfast sandwich, if you wanted to go that route.
Considering how much we love the patties, we obviously really loved the burgers. Tom in particular is a fan of fried eggs (something that, in all honesty, has taken me a bit longer to like) and he got to have a runnier one than I, being that he’s not pregnant and all 🙂 Zachary is not a fan of eggs, but he loved the burgers both times we had them. Seriously, pancetta burgers for dinner at 2 years old? This kid doesn’t know how good he’s got it.
Chicken and Pancetta Burgers with Fried Egg
Adapted from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries
1 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. pancetta, small dice
2 tsp. freshly minced rosemary
1 lb. ground chicken (I like to use thighs or a mix of thighs and breast)
olive oil
4 slices provolone cheese
4 eggs
4 buns or rolls, split and toasted
Heat a skillet over medium heat (I used cast iron). Add the butter to melt and then stir in the onion, cooking until translucent. Add the garlic, pancetta, and finally the rosemary. Continue cooking until the pancetta is golden brown. Spoon out the mixture and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Add the pancetta mixture to the ground chicken, along with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly mix everything together and form into 4 patties. Let the patties settle for about half an hour on the counter, or for longer in the fridge.
Wipe out your skillet, place it over medium heat, and add a little oil–-just enough to coat the bottom. Place the patties in the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until thoroughly cooked. During the last minute, add a slice of cheese to each burger and let it melt. Remove the patties from the skillet.
Crack the eggs into the skillet (in 2 batches, if necessary) and cook to your liking. Place a burger patty and a fried egg on each roll.
On Australia Day they have a burger with a fried egg so I have been intrigued. Since these have been a regular in the ESO kitchen we have to try them.
I always feel like a fried egg amps up any and every meal! Even already decadent burgers like these. 😛
I’ve been hoping you’d post these ever since you mentioned making them. Yum!
I was just thinking that I wanted some more chicken or turkey burger recipes. These look fantastic and will be going on our menu soon!
These look so good! I can not wait to try them. I love eggs on burgers!
These look so delicious. Pancetta and a fried egg? Yum!
As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. It was deemed “best bacon burger ever” by our whole bacon-loving brood! I like using ground chicken in place of beef so this combination was perfect. After a few recent Pinterest recipe fails, it felt good to find success with yet another of your winners, thank you Elly!
So great to hear, Donna! Glad you guys liked it!