Chicken Tikka on Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Burger

Yield: 2 burgers 

What You'll Need:
For the Chicken:
(there will be left over chicken; there will be enough for at least 6-8 burgers):
2lb boneless chicken thigh meat
1 roma tomato, chopped
1/4 c. yellow or white onion, chopped
1/8c. white vinegar
2 capfuls Liquid smoke
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs. garlic powder
2 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/4 tsp red chili powder (use less for mild heat)
1 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp (heaping) dried parsley flakes
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala (can be found in most Indian stores)
1/2 tsp ajwain (carom) seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon

For the Stuffed Mushrooms:
2 portobello mushroom caps (flatter caps are better)
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. cilantro, minced
1 Tbs red wine vinegar (optional)
1/8 tsp lemon pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper


What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chicken:
In a large bowl, combine all spices, vinegar, liquid smoke and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Make sure the chicken is well coated with the spices; set aside and allow it to marinate at least 30 minutes (longer is better).

In a sauce pan, heat approximately 1 tsp olive oil over high heat. Add chopped onions and saute for about 2-3 minutes, or until they begin to turn slightly transparent. Reduce heat to medium-high (closer to medium) add in marinated chicken; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan as necessary to prevent the spices from burning. Add chopped tomatoes; stir well. Cover the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes,  add 1 Tbs. tomato paste and cook the chicken uncovered for an additional 5-7 minutes to evaporate most of the liquid. Turn the heat off, garnish chicken with fresh cilantro and set aside. Note: instead of cooking on the stove top, you can also grill the chicken; leave out the roma tomato and tomato paste. (grill approximately 6 minutes each side).

                                

Mushrooms:
In a bowl, combine the bell pepper, cilantro, vinegar, spices and minced garlic.  Place mushroom caps, gill side up, on a foil-lined tray. Divide veggie/spice mixture in to two portions and spoon on to the mushrooms (including the juice). Bake for 20 minutes in the oven.

To Assemble the Burger: 
Stack the chicken pieces on top of the mushroom cap (gill side up) on a burger bun. Add condiments and/or other toppings (I like sauteed onions with reduced fat provolone cheese and low-fat mayo).

Tips:
* You will have more than enough chicken left over for lunch or dinner the next day! You can enjoy with brown rice or naan (will be posting recipe soon).
* To reduce the sodium content further, you can reduce the amount of salt in the chicken and squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken while cooking.
*To mix things up a bit you can make the burgers with just the mushroom caps or chicken; Or even serve as chicken tikka burgers with stuffed mushrooms as the side