Celebrity chef Anne Burrell shares her 'Killer Turkey Burger' recipe for holiday weekend

This Memorial Day weekend and beyond, try a delicious turkey burger recipe courtesy of celebrity chef Anne Burrell.

The chef, Food Network personality and former instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education told Fox News Digital this week, "This recipe was invented out of pure necessity when I was visiting my sister."

She said, "I had just gotten off a plane and dropped my bags at her house when she said, 'We're having turkey burgers for dinner … Can you make them?'"

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Continued Burrell, "I looked in her pantry and just grabbed some stuff. She had a can of water chestnuts hanging out in there, so I decided to put a crunchy little twist on dinner. I added some soy, sautéed onion, ginger, garlic and cilantro to the mix — and voilà! The killer turkey burger was born."

Dig right into this fun recipe for a special weekend meal — or for any occasion with family and friends this summer. 

Makes 4 servings

Prep time: 50 minutes (active prep time: 45 minutes)

Extra-virgin olive oil, for coating the pan

1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice 

Kosher salt 

2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped 

1½ pounds ground turkey 

One 8-ounce can water chestnuts, coarsely chopped (not too fine; they add great texture) 

¼ cup soy sauce, plus more if needed

½ bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves finely chopped 

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 

2 tablespoons sambal oelek or Asian chili paste, optional (but recommended) 

½ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons sambal oelek 

4 burger buns (I like the seeded ones!) 

4 slices American or cheddar cheese (American melts better) 

4 slices beefsteak tomatoes 

4 slices red onion 

4 leaves butter lettuce 

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1. For the turkey burgers: Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and toss in the onion. Season with salt and bring the pan to medium heat. Cook the onion until soft and very aromatic, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. 

Turn off the heat and let cool.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, water chestnuts, soy sauce, cilantro, ginger, sambal if using and the cooked onions and garlic. (Note: Save the onion pan to cook the burgers in later!) 

Add ¼ to ½ cup water to the mix — this will keep the burgers really moist! 

Use your hands to squish the mixture until everything is really well combined.

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3. Make, cook and eat a little tester patty to be sure the turkey is really delicious. If the seasoning isn't just right, add a little more soy or a sprinkey-dink of salt. 

When you're confident the burger mix is perfectly seasoned, form it into 4 equal patties.

4. With a paper towel, wipe out the sauté pan you used to cook the onion, coat the pan with fresh olive oil and bring it to medium-high heat. Add the burgers, being sure not to crowd the pan — if you need to work in batches, knock yourself out. 

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Cook the burgers for 5-6 minutes on each side. The burgers should be browned and cooked through when done. 

(If working in batches, keep the first batch warm in the oven at 200 degrees F while cooking the second batch.)

5. For the toppings: Mix together the mayo and sambal oelek in a small bowl. 

Toast the burger buns and top with the burgers. 

Garnish as desired with the cheese, tomato, red onion, lettuce and spicy mayo.

Wrote a commenter online about the burgers, "These really were a delicious new twist on a classic! I made the recipe as written. The water chestnuts really do add fantastic crunch and the burger as a whole has great flavor."

"Killer Turkey Burger" recipe by Anne Burrell. Used by special arrangement.

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