Lemon & herb chicken club burger

The joy of barbecuing chicken breasts is that they take minutes to cook, which makes them suitable for all barbecues – whether you’re cooking on a portable one or using a larger grill in the garden. Here, we’ve stacked the chicken with a winning combination of bacon, lettuce, avocados and a lemony burger sauce.

SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins plus chilling COOK 20 mins EASY

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

8 rashers smoked bacon

4 burger buns, split

4 slices of your favourite cheese (optional)

2 avocados, halved, stoned, peeled and sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

4 handfuls of lettuce leaves

For the marinade

1 garlic clove

2 tsp chopped thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried thyme

½ lemon, juiced

3 tbsp olive oil

For the burger sauce

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp mustard small splash of chilli sauce (optional)

1 First, make the marinade. Crush the garlic with the thyme and a pinch of salt using a pestle and mortar. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and plenty of cracked black pepper and mash together to combine. Lay the chicken breasts out on a board and flatten slightly using a rolling pin until they are an even thickness. Transfer to a container with the marinade, then seal, shake and chill until needed, or for up to 1 hr. Light the barbecue and wait until the coals are ashen, or heat a gas barbecue to medium. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and keep chilled.

2 Cook the bacon on the barbecue for 3-4 min until crisp. Remove to a plate and set aside. Toast the cut side of the buns where you grilled the bacon to soak up the fat, then remove and set aside. Barbecue the marinated chicken breasts for 4-5 mins on each side until lightly charred. Top each with a slice of cheese, if using, and cook for a few minutes more until the cheese has melted and the chicken is cooked through (a probe thermometer should read at least 65C).

3 Spread the base of each bun with the sauce, then top with the avocado slices, tomatoes, chicken, bacon and lettuce. Sandwich with the bun tops, press down lightly and serve.

GOOD TO KNOW vit c • 2 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 733 kcals • fat 44g • saturates 9g • carbs 26g • sugars 4g • “ibre 5g • protein 56g • salt 2.2g