My daughter just recently went vegan from being vegetarian. And since then we've been shooting through Boca burgers. So I set my sights on something similar to the Chicken Boca, something breaded and chicken-y and something that could be easily pulled out of the fridge, microwaved and eaten for lunch.
After some trial and error, I arrived at this recipe. I tried some with & without breading, some baked and some fried. This recipe isn't the closest to Boca, but it's definitely the best. It's got a great texture out of the freezer (even better than fresh) and, even microwaved, it's got a thin, crispy layer. The problem is, we're still shooting through Boca burgers because I can't keep these in the freezer. . . I think she's sneaking them out for her friends.
Chick'n Burgers
15 oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup bulgur
1 1/4 cup chicken flavored broth
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
3 tbs vegetable oil, for cooking
Spices:
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 cup tsp black pepper
In a bowl, combine the bulgur and boiling broth. Set aside for 20-30 minutes, until the bulgur has softened and cooled to room temperature. Meanwhile, pour the drained chickpeas into a bowl (a pie pan works great) and smash with a fork into a coarse meal. Combine the spices and nutritional yeast in a spice grinder and grind. Add to the chickpeas along with the cooled bulgur & broth, the grated onion, minced garlic and 1 tbs vegetable oil. Stir to combine, then add the vital wheat gluten and mix to combine.
Put a cookie sheet into the oven and preheat 400 degrees. Knead the dough for a few minutes (maybe 5), and divide into 8 balls. Form each ball into a patty. The dough will be a little elastic, but should hold its shape without too much trouble. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and add 3 tbs vegetable oil. Swirl around to coat and add the patties. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning after 15, until the patties are browned. Serve hot, or refrigerate/freeze.
8 Servings 213 Cal (8g fat, 23g carbs, 15g protein)
Big News! A Sandwich Book!
2 days ago
I'll have to make these soon! I'm not the biggest Boca fan, I think I burned myself out. This looks like a nice change!
I definitely have to try these! I eat Boca burgers on occasion (usually when we're running out of food), but I'd much rather eat something like this.
I love making my own hamburger patties. So much cheaper in price and always a lot healthier and tastier. I will definitely be trying this recipe out.
That is a tasty looking burger.
Oh, I really want to try these, but I live in Egypt and can't get vital wheat gluten. Is there any substitute I could use? Would the recipe hold together if I excluded it all together?
Thanks in advance!
the wheat gluten adds to the texture and is also a binder. You could try chickpea flour or bread crumbs or maybe even overcooked lentils or rice. I think I would start out with a mix of chickpea four and bread crumbs.
If you find something that works, make sure and report back. I get a lot of gluten-free questions and, I'd love some feed back.
Good luck.
I made a variation of these the other day ... I didn't have bulgur so I used steel cut oats. Everything else I had. The recipe calls for 1/4 c. black pepper. I think it's a typo and so used 1/4 tsp black pepper. They turned out awesome!!! I'm going to try the next batch with bulgur to see if I like those better. This is definitely going to be a permanent staple of my vegan lifestyle. Thanks!!!!
I haven't tried this trick with these burgers, but have done so with other homemade burgers for my GF clients: cook your favorite gluten free pasta until it is overcooked. It should be slightly mushy. Mash the pasta and add with the rest of your bean ingredients. Makes a great GF binder! I've also made a flaxseed binder to hold patties together. Great for nut burgers like walnut or almond. Just combine 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp. water, let sit for a few minutes until gelled together.
We made these with whole grain bulgur, and 1 cup of tempeh in place of part of the chickpeas, and they still turned out lovely! I reduced the salt because I knew we'd be slathering them in the cashew-miso mayo from Appetite for REducation which is pretty salty. When I first assembled them they didn't seem like they would hold together but after cooking, they really did so don't worry about that if you make this recipe.
I made these tonight according to the recipe. I definitely recommend NOT using 1/4 c. black pepper. As "M" said above, it must be a typo. I kind of thought it seemed like an awful lot, but apparently I'm too trusting of a soul, lol. Pepperiness aside, I would make these again for sure. Great alternative to expensive, processe, packaged patties.
Mirbrewer, sorry, I thought i'd fixed that typo. It's definitely 1/4 teaspoon.
'Sok. Spice is the spice of life! And besides...one who uses a free recipe really has no basis for complaint. But thanks for clarifying! :-)
these are terrific...i also tried substituting black beans instead of garbanzo, added some chili powder and...awesome! think i'll try lentils and cummin next.
These are so good. They're going into my permanent file and I'll be making them forever. Thanks for this!
I love your burger ideas, so keep on posting variations!