Here’s another delicious way to deal with that piece of boneless, skinless chicken (or perhaps turkey) that you have in your fridge.

This recipe packs a high-protein, nutritious punch and is  full of flavor, low in fat  – and the addition of mushrooms adds some low-calorie moisture.

You can use chicken breast or thigh meat – I prefer thigh as it’s slightly juicier.

The avocado, cucumber, red onion and yoghurt dressing would also make a wonderful salad to serve alongside poached salmon or anything else that’s summery, sandwich-y or burger-y. It doesn’t keep too well due to avocado’s tendency to discolor, so it will need to be eaten within a couple of hours.

I like to use sprouted grain buns; they’re available in the freezer section of good supermarkets or Whole Foods; sprouted grain breads taste terrific and contain more protein and less carbs than regular bread; something to do with the sprouting reducing the grain’s carbohydrate content…I always have it in my freezer.

Chicken Edemame Burger with Avocado Cucumber Relish

CHICKEN EDEMAME BURGER

(Serves 4)

Ingredients for the burgers:

12 oz (340g) of boneless, skinless chicken (or turkey) breast or thigh meat

1 cup (240ml measure) of defrosted shelled edemame beans

4 large white button mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed

1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 of a small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped (you’ll need half an onion – the other 1/4 goes in the topping)

2 tablespoons of tamari or reduced sodium soy sauce

A pinch of cayenne

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Ingredients for the topping:

1/4 cup (60ml) of plain low-fat Greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

1/4 of a small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped

Approx 1 cup (to 240ml) of thinly sliced hothouse/English cucumber

Burger buns and lettuce to serve

Action:

Make the topping first – whisk the yoghurt, vinegar and sugar together in a bowl. Add the avocado, chopped red onion and avocado – toss well and chill while you make the burgers.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F (200C)

Start by pulsing the edemame, mushrooms, garlic and red onion in a food processor until finely minced. Add the chicken (or turkey), soy sauce and cayenne and pulse again until everything is well blended. Form into 4 equal patties.

Heat a large heavy ovenproof skillet/frying pan over a high heat then add the olive oil. Cook the burgers for 2-3 minutes each side or until both sides are browned.

Place the skillet directly into the preheated oven and cook for 12-14 minutes or until the burgers are cooked right through.

Serve immediately on toasted buns with lettuce and a good dollop of the avocado cucumber topping – serve the rest on the side.

(Adapted from the ‘Drop 10 Diet Cookbook’)