'Killer Turkey Burger' recipe from Anne Burrell, celebrity chef: 'Delicious new twist'

With ground turkey a "default healthy stand-in for ground beef" today, according to Eating Well, it's no wonder it's the main attraction in a delicious weekend burger recipe courtesy of celebrity chef Anne Burrell.

Burrell — chef, Food Network personality and former instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education — told Fox News Digital, "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 added, "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."

"I added some soy, sautéed onion, ginger, garlic and cilantro to the mix — and voilà! The killer turkey burger was born," said celebrity chef Anne Burrell to Fox News Digital. (Anne Burrell; iStock)

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

Anne Burrell's Killer Turkey Burgers

Makes 4 servings

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

Ingredients

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 

Celebrity chef Anne Burrell uses 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and finely chopped, for her "Killer Turkey Burger" recipe.  (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

1½ pounds ground turkey 

One 8-ounce can of 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) 

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Toppings

½ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons sambal oelek 

4 burger buns (I like the seeded ones!) 

4 slices American or cheddar cheese (American melts better) 

For Anne Burrell's Killer Turkey Burger recipe, she uses four slices of American or cheddar cheese. "American melts better," she said.  (iStock)

4 slices beefsteak tomatoes 

4 slices red onion 

4 leaves butter lettuce 

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Instructions

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!) 

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

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.

"Cook the burgers for 5-6 minutes on each side," said Burrell. "The burgers should be browned and cooked through when done." (iStock)

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.)

Celebrity chef Anne Burrell, a New York native, shared a delicious "Killer Turkey Burger" with Fox News Digital. The recipe shared here makes four servings.  (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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

Toast the burger buns and top with the burgers. 

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

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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 is used by special arrangement.