Dinner Divas Chicken Cobb Burger

This is the choice of the Nest's What's Cooking Board group, The Dinner Divas. Great choice ladies!!!

I knew that these would be a success after putting them all together, but I drastically underestimated Paul's reaction to these babies... One bite was all it took for him to utter something unfit to post here and say "THESE ARE MY NEW FAVORITE THING YOU HAVE EVER MADE!"...My reaction was "Really??" because I think I've whipped up some pretty delicious meals, but I guess these really took the cake with Paul...so I guess these will be making repeat appearances on our meal list. As a side note: This vinaigrette is delicious - I will definitely be making this as a regular salad dressing - easy and very tasty!

The middle picture above is mine - no tomato. :)

Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay, Beefless Burger episode of Boy Meets Grill.

For the burgers:

8 (1/2- thick) strips bacon
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, 90 percent lean
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 burger buns, split
1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, cut into 4 slices
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 8 slices

For the vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely shredded romaine lettuce

For the burgers:

Heat the grill to medium. (We grilled the bacon - but ran low on gas, so the burgers we cooked inside on a grill pan on high heat.)

Place the strips of bacon on the grill (lay them across the grate so they don't fall through) and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Increase the heat of the grill to high.

Form the meat into 4 (8-ounce) burgers, brush with the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the burgers until golden brown on both sides and cooked completely through, about 5 minutes per side. Top the burgers with the blue cheese, close the cover, and continue cooking until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute longer.

Place the burgers on the bottom half of each bun and top with a slice of tomato, 2 slices of avocado, 2 slices of bacon and some of the dressed romaine. Cover each burger with the bun tops and serve.

For the vinaigrette:

Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld.

Just before assembling the burgers, place the romaine in a medium bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. (YUM!)