The Best Fried Chicken Burger (KFC-Inspired
- Chicken :Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I will fight anyone who says you can't make fried chicken with breast. Some of your favorite fried chicken is made with chicken breast. Just look at Howlin' Ray's "The Sando", Shake Shack's Chicken Shack and even the famous Hattie B's.
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- Flour All-purpose flour for the dredging.
- Seasoning: A mix of spices to flavor the chicken. This is where you can go absolutely crazy ๐
- Buns: Brioche buns are elite but we'll keep things simple with regular buns. You pick.
- Toppings: Lettuce, cheese, and mayonnaise. You can customize this in a number of ways. I add slaw and hot peppers for some crunch and heat.
Secret to Extra Crispy Chicken. Shhh
- Cut of chicken: While this recipe calls for chicken breast, you can substitute thighs if preferred. However, note that chicken breast results in a less chewy, more tender bite after frying.
- Flour Coating: Pressing the chicken into the flour and making sure it’s FULLY coated is crucial for getting that crispy exterior. Seriously, the crumbs should look jagged and almost forced when you're done coating.
- Frying Temperature: Maintain a medium-high heat for the oil. If the temperature is too high, the chicken may burn before cooking through. If it’s too low, the coating may get soggy and the chicken will look and taste oily.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 chicken breast
- Seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon red chili powder increase to 1 teaspoon if you like really hot chicken
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder optional
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder optional
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Coating
- all-purpose flour
- ice-cold water
- Rinse and pat the chicken dry before dividing it into three pieces, keeping them ½ inch in thickness
- Add the seasoning to the chicken and massage really well. Let the chicken marinate for a couple hours if possible, but at least 20 minutes.
- To coat the chicken, add a cup or more of flour in a large bowl and coat the chicken really well for about 15 seconds.
- Next dunk the chicken pieces in ice water (or just really cold water) for 3 seconds and then dip back into the flour for the final coating. Really work in the flour in a rotating motion for at least 60 seconds and up to 2 minutes. You will begin to see crumbs form on the chicken.
- Fry the chicken pieces in medium high heat for only 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the piece. For ½ inch pieces, 4 minutes is max. Don't overcook because chicken breast will dry out.
- To assemble the Zinger burger, toast buns and smear both sides with some herb mayo (or any mayo). Lay lettuce leaves on one side and place the fried chicken piece. Top with sliced cabbage (sprinkled with lemon juice), some jalapeno/fresno peppers and more herb mayo.
- Enjoy this classic crispy Zinger burger with some French fries!
- DO NOT overcook because chicken breast has a very short cooking window.
- Plain flour is all you need for coating because there is plenty of spice in the chicken. However, you can season the flour if you want.
- If you don't see crumbs form after the final coat at all, you can dip it again in water and repeat. I have not done this because two coats are all I need.