I’ve always known that the secret to a great fried chicken is buttermilk. Some people even say buttermilk is the miracle ingredient that makes fried chicken crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. If you understand the properties of buttermilk, you’ll know why. There are the enzymes in buttermilk that break down the proteins, naturally tenderizing the chicken. Then, if the chicken is soaked in buttermilk and then dredged in flour, the buttermilk really helps coat the chicken. Now that you know the secret, it’s time to work it into a great recipe like this Crispy Chicken Burger! Fully loaded with bacon, coleslaw and a delicious combo of honey and sriracha, the beef pattie needs to just mooooooove aside for this finger lickin’ chicken sandwich!
Watch my How To Video for Crispy Chicken Burger here!
| Servings |
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or large thighs
- 1 1/2 cups prepared coleslaw
- 12 strips of bacon cooked crisp
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup Sriracha
- 4 Burger Buns
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying (do not use olive oil)
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Ingredients For the Chicken & Burger:
For the Wet Mix:
For the Dry Mix:
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- Place chicken in a zippered plastic bag. With a mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken to 3/4" thickness. In a bowl, combine the buttermilk and wet mixture (paprika, salt, onion and garlic powder, pepper and cayenne), mixing together with a whisk or fork to combine. Add the chicken breasts to the buttermilk mixture, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. When ready to fry, remove chicken from refrigerator and let sit room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredient mixture (flour, smoked paprika, baking powder, oregano, salt, onion and garlic powder, cayenne and pepper.) Remove the chicken from the buttermilk marinade and dredge in flour mixture, coating thoroughly. Heat enough oil in a large skillet to fry the chicken. Place chicken in oil and cook until golden brown on both sides and internal temperature is 165. (If coating gets too brown and internal temperature is not done, place chicken on a rack and bake at 325 degrees until chicken is thoroughly cooked. When done, place chicken on wire rack. (Do not put chicken on paper towels as they will lose crispiness.) Cook bacon until crispy. Combine honey and Sriracha in a small bowl, mixing well to combine. If you are not using store-bought cole slaw, prepare cole slaw greens with slaw dressing. Toast bun in a skillet. To assemble, spread some honey Sriracha sauce on the bun. Spoon cole slaw on bottom bun. Add chicken, bacon, and top with a little more cole slaw. Place top bun over the cole slaw and enjoy! Serve with chips and a pickle.
