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Green chili whiskey onion burgers are rich, smoky, sweet, and a little spicy – with no grill needed! Tons of southwestern flavor in every bite.
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
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Green Chili Whiskey Onion Burgers
In Colorado, there is one ingredient that we seem to love more than anything.
It’s in eggs, burritos, tacos, on hot dogs and burgers… pretty much anywhere you look, it is there.
This magical stuff? Green chilis.
There is nothing like delicious smoky and slightly spicy green chili in all sorts of recipes – it’s a quintessentially Denver ingredient (never mind the fact we use green chilis from New Mexico… it is still very much a part of Colorado cuisine.)
While I love having burgers often, they are kind of a pain in the butt on days it’s raining or I don’t want to turn on the grill – so pan fried hamburgers are a huge staple in our house. They are juicy, caramelized, rich, and full of meaty flavor just like burgers off the grill – no charcoal or propane needed!
How To Pan Fry Hamburgers
These hamburgers are perfect just in a pan – I’m using my best pan grilled burger method to make pan fried hamburgers great.
- Don’t crowd the pan with too many burgers.
- Adding too many burgers to a pan will cause your burgers to steam, instead of brown. This will make your burgers tougher, and they won’t have a lovely browned appearance – they will look a bit grey.
- Prevent this by giving burgers enough room in the pan to keep the pan at high heat – cook in batches instead of adding all in at once if needed.
- Use butter.
- I love the rich salty flavor pan frying burgers with just a little butter in the pan gives this dish.
- Use high heat.
- Burgers should be fried – not steamed or slowly pan-roasted for the best juicy never-dry flavor.
- Use high heat to cook your burgers fast for the best flavor.
- Steam the cheese.
- If you’re pan frying burgers and adding cheese, try placing the cheese on the burger, adding 1 tbsp water to the pan, and adding a lid over the pan to steam the cheese, making it perfectly melted.
Honey Whiskey Caramelized Onions
These burgers use my whiskey honey onions recipe – they are smoky, sweet, and SO delicious – they will become your favorite caramelized onion recipe, ever!
To get my hands-down absolute favorite recipe for caramelized onions, click here.
What to Serve With Pan Fried Burgers
These delicious side dishes are guaranteed to wow your family – they are simple, easy, and bursting with flavor!
Try my favorite sides with these burgers, Crunchy Baked Fries, Paleo Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Fries, Baked Carrot Fries, Easy Baked Zucchini Chips, Easy Baked Sweet Potato Chips, The Best Easy Air Fryer French Fries.
If you aren’t feeling fries you can always make, Bacon Ranch Potato Salad, Italian Potato Salad, Easy Sautéed Squash and Zucchini, and wash it down with one of our 4 Delicious Beer Cocktails.
You can find our complete side dish recipe index here.
What Green Chilis to Use
For the green chilis, I find the frozen kind in my grocery store and sauté them with garlic powder, butter, and a sprinkle of cumin. It makes them extra smoky and delicious!
We have several local grocery stores in Northern Colorado that fire roast green chilis every year and then sell them – or freeze the smoked chilis and then sell them throughout the year – I always try to stock up when they come out with the next years batch!
But you can also just use chopped green chili, or even green chili sauce!
I like Hatch 505 Honey Green Chili Sauce, affiliate link above with my burger making favorites, like an amazing burger press, my favorite heavy iron pan, and burger shapers!!!
Green Chili Whiskey Onion Burgers Recipe
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Green Chili Whiskey Onion Burgers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 batch whiskey honey onions
- 1 lb beef, shaped into 4 patties
- 1 tbsp ghee
- salt and pepper, to taste
- sharp cheddar cheese, optional
- 4 brioche hamburger buns
- For the green chili:
- 1 cup diced green chilis
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp butter
- OR 1/2 cup green chili sauce per burger
Instructions
- In pan you used to make whiskey honey onions (DONT CLEAN PAN AFTER MAKING, it will give more flavor to the burgers), melt ghee over medium high heat.
- Shape burgers into patties (I like to use a burger press).
- Generously season burgers with salt and pepper.
- Add burgers to pan when ghee is melted, and cook 5 minutes on each side.
- When burgers are done to your liking, add a slice of cheese (if desired), and add lid to pan to melt cheese.
- When cheese is melted, remove from pan.
- Add green chilis to burger bun and place burger on top.
- Garnish with onions, place bun on top, and serve immediately!
- For the green chilis: sauté in pan with butter, garlic powder, and cumin until hot. Use as burger garnish; OR add sauce to burger bun.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You used New Mexico chile because you know it’s better!! The best in fact!!!
This burger turned out excellent ! Really flavorful ! I made it with different chilies, but will definetly make again soon !
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