Spicy chicken burgers with vegetables served with refreshing yoghurt dressing

Light in calories and really delicious these "biftekia" will be surely appreciated by everybody! To make the recipe more kids-friendly and give them the chance to eat vegetables that usually they avoid, adjust the spices accordingly. We are not into too hot spiced dishes in our family so I tried to find the right amount of each spice to suit us better. Also, don't neglect to finely chop the vegetables so to keep the meat mixture together and not fall apart while cooking
 

 
 

Adapted from a recipe of Michael Dounetas,

in "BHMAgourmet" magazine of "TO BHMA" newspaper 

 
Ingredients (for 4 people):
1Kg of ground chicken
2 medium yellow onions, grated
olive oil
50gr. of carrots, finely cubed
4 cloves of garlic, minced
50gr. of frozen (or fresh) peas
½ red bell pepper, finely cubed
½ green bell pepper, finely cubed
1 tbsp of mild curry powder (I used 1 tsp of turmeric)
1 tbsp of sweet paprika
1 tbsp of hot paprika (I used 1/4 tsp)
½ tbsp of ground ginger (optional) - (I used 1 tsp)
3 eggs
1 tbsp of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
80gr. of Greek Kefalotyri cheese, grated
salt
pepper

Method:
In a spacious non-stick frying pan put enough oil to cover the bottom and warm in medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add in the pan the carrot, the peppers, the garlic and in the end the peas and saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Sprinkle with the spices,stir well and saute for another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables start getting soft. Take the pan off the heat and spread the mixture into an oven dish to allow it to cool faster.

Preheat the oven grill to the highest temperature. Generously brush with oil an oven pan.

In a large bowl put the meat, season with salt and pepper, add the eggs, the parsley, the grated cheese and the vegetable mixture (it should be cooled enough). Mix the ingredients with your hands and knead for 10-15 minutes.

Divide the meat mixture into burgers of 90-100gr. each, giving them an oblong shape. Transfer on the oven pan and cook under the hot grill for 7-8 minutes on each side.

In the meantime, put in a bowl 1 pot of Greek yoghurt (175-200gr.), 1 pinch of sweet paprika, ½ a clove of garlic (mashed) and 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and whisk with a fork until well blended.

Serve the biftekia while they are still hot along with the dressing.

Note: You could also shape the meat mixture into meatballs, lightly dust with flour and fry them for 3-4 minutes on each side in hot oil