Set aside some time for marinating and you’ll be rewarded with juicy meat, enveloped in a super-crispy coating
recipe BARNEY DESMAZERY photograph CHELSEA BLOXSOME
What’s often considered fast food can be elevated to a higher standard with just a few simple tweaks to the spicing and the method. Here, we’ve tried to recreate the best elements of takeaway burgers, but emphasising everything that makes a great chicken burger so irresistible – particularly the crunch of the coating and the succulence of the chicken breast. As well as the technical side of the process, we’ve added extra flavour with subtle spicing that runs through both the marinade and the coating.
SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins plus at least 4 hrs marinating COOK 20 mins MORE EFFORT
2 large chicken breasts sunflower oil, for deep-frying
For the spice mix
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic granules
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
For the brine
500ml buttermilk
3 tbsp pickle juice from the gherkin
jar (see ‘to serve’, right)
For the coating
150g plain flour
150g cornflour
For the sauce
6 tbsp mayonnaise, plus extra for
the buns
1-2 tbsp hot sauce (we used buffalo
hot sauce)
To serve
4 slices burger cheese
4 brioche burger buns
4 medium gherkins, sliced
lengthways
1 First, make the spice mix by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl, then set aside. For the brine, whisk the buttermilk with the pickle juice, 1 tsp of salt and a third the spice mix in a plastic container or bowl until fully mixed. Cut each chicken breasts into two, about two-thirds up from the thinner end, so you have a thinner piece and a plump piece of chicken from each. One at a time, put the chicken pieces between two sheets of baking parchment and flatten out using a rolling pin until about until 2cm thick. Lower the chicken into the buttermilk mixture, then cover and chill for at least 4 hrs. Will keep covered and chilled for up to 24 hours.
2 To make the coating, mix the plain flour and cornflour with the rest of the spice mix and 1 tsp of salt in a shallow dish. Make the sauce by mixing the mayonnaise with the hot sauce to taste, then set aside.
3 Fill a saucepan or deep-fat fryer with oil to a depth of 5cm, then heat until it reaches 175C, or until a small piece of bread dropped in quickly turns golden. When the oil is up to temperature, use tongs to lift a piece of chicken out of the bu
