Henry’s Extremely Crispy Fried Hen Burger

September 29, 2023

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KFC, eat your coronary heart out! Our Fried Hen Burger is method crispier than yours, the hen is method juicier and it tastes method higher. The trick is to combine a little bit of marinade into the flour coating – this creates lumps that fries up into an superior extremely crunchy crust.

Double stack of Crunchy Fried Chicken Burgers

Henry’s Extremely Crispy Fried Hen Burger

As we speak’s recipe is right here courtesy of a younger boy named Henry whom I met at a e book signing within the NSW regional city of Mudgee. Huddled on the sofa of a comfortable native e book retailer, he declared his signature dish to be the RecipeTin Fried Hen. We enthused over how remarkably un-greasy it’s and marvelled at the way it’s crunchy throughout, in contrast to KFC which we eeewed about how the pores and skin has greasy soggy patches.

Dialog then moved into how we’d use the Fried Hen to make the BEST fried hen burger on the earth. (Sure, we capitalise it!). We each agreed plain shredded lettuce was higher than coleslaw (too wealthy!), melted cheese was pointless (an excessive amount of!), tomato was non-compulsory. and the bun have to be tremendous smooth.

So right here it’s. Devoted to Henry and the city of Mudgee – I current to you, our easiest Extremely Crispy Fried Hen Burger!

Please observe the nubbly, crunchy, craggy floor on the fried hen!! 🙌🏻

Crunchy Fried Chicken Burgers cut open to show juicy chicken inside

Elements

Right here’s what you want for home made Crispy Hen Burgers.

Hen brine retains it juicy!

I exploit breast as a result of it’s simpler to get a pleasant uniform form appropriate for burgers. It’s marinated in a buttermilk and salt combination which locks in juices. Important as a result of breast will prepare dinner past the perfect inside temperature within the prepare dinner time required to make the crust actually crispy and golden.

Don’t fear in the event you don’t have buttermilk, substitute yogurt and milk as a substitute. It really works nearly the identical!

How to make Crunchy Fried Chicken Burgers

Hen breast is my desire for a comparatively uniform form when trimmed to dimension. Nonetheless, boneless hen thighs work as effectively. Whichever you employ, it’s greatest to pound to even thickness so it cooks by way of evenly and sits moderately straight on the burger.
Buttermilk – Recognized for its marinating qualities so the hen is basically juicy inside as soon as cooked. It’s the normal marinating ingredient used for Southern Fried Hen which is the fried hen recipe used for this burger.

Whereas it’s a typical ingredient within the States, it’s extra of a speciality baking merchandise right here in Australia. However there’s an straightforward substitute that works nearly the identical – simply plain yogurt and milk! The acidity and thickness of yogurt diluted with milk leads to nearly the identical consistency as buttermilk, and yogurt is superb for marinating (proof right here!).
Salt – For seasoning and improve the hen’s juiciness.
Egg – To make the flour crust stick with the hen.

KFC 11 secret herbs and spices!

The flavour of the fried hen is a copycat of KFC fried hen. Flavour smart, it’s very related!

Herbs and spices – No uncommon gamers right here, simply all of the normal suspects! Alter the cayenne pepper for the quantity of spiciness you need. Merely omit in the event you don’t need spicy in any respect!
Cornflour/cornstarch and flour – For the coating of the hen to make it fry up extremely crunchy! Cornflour makes it crunchier than simply utilizing flour. So why not simply use all cornflour? As a result of it doesn’t go golden when fried, it stays white. Then again, flour coated issues fry up into an attractive golden color! So through the use of a mix of the 2, we get one of the best of each worlds – crunchy and golden color.

Burger fixings

Don’t let anybody inform you what you need to or mustn’t have in your burger. Although, in order for you a copycat better-than-KFC-Burger expertise, right here’s what you want!

Delicate buns – I exploit brioche buns as a result of they’re so smooth and pillowy, and somewhat bit candy like KFC buns. Nonetheless, you need to use any buns you need. (I’d personally keep away from extremely chewy / crispy ones although. Somewhat too robust to be used in burgers).
Gherkins/pickles – Simply your on a regular basis dill pickles, or no matter takes your fancy. Just a bit one thing to chop by way of the richness and saltiness of every thing else occurring contained in the burger!
Lettuce – Good ole’ iceberg lettuce! Good and contemporary, finely slicing it offers it some first rate peak and a beautiful mattress for the crunchy hen to relaxation on. 🙂
Garlic mayonnaise – KFC doesn’t use garlic mayo, however you and I do know {that a} contact of garlic simply makes mayo higher. Turns it into aioli, really! 🙂

Methods to make Crunchy Fried Hen Burgers

It’s simpler than conventional Fried Hen which is made with bone-in hen that take longer to fry (~6 to eight minutes) so that you must be fairly correct with temperature management.

Hen Burgers, then again, are thinner, boneless items and take simply 3 to 4 minutes to fry. And due to the form, you don’t want practically as a lot oil.

Pound the hen to 1cm / 0.4″ even thickness. Use freezer baggage, ziplock baggage or related (I exploit a purpose-made product referred to as “Go-Between”) and a meat mallet, or rolling pin. Pounding is advisable so the hen cooks by way of evenly and sits somewhat straighter on the burger. However in the event you skipped this step, it wouldn’t be a deal breaker. 🙂
Trim the hen to the scale of the buns, or bigger, in order for you! It should shrink a contact when it cooks however the crunchy nubbly bits add dimension.

Marinade – Combine the buttermilk, salt and egg. Then add the hen and toss to coat. Marinate for at the very least 3 hours, or as much as 24 hours. Don’t go a lot past 24 hours, it really over marinades and makes the feel of the hen an excessive amount of just like the chilly minimize hen slices you purchase on the deli. Nonetheless good, but it surely does change the hen texture.
Crunchy coating – Combine collectively the flour, cornflour/cornstarch and all of the spices.

PS There isn’t any spice combine within the marinade as a result of there’s a ton within the coating which is the place you need a punch of flavour. If it was within the marinade too, then the entire hen simply tastes the identical throughout. The distinction between hen flavour inside and intense coating is nicer. KFC tastes like ours ie you possibly can’t style the seasoning contained in the hen, simply on the coating.

Marinade flour clumps – That is the trick to the extremely crunchy hen! Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the marinade into the flour combination then use your fingers to combine it in. The flour will type little clumps.

When this sticks to the hen, it fries up into extremely crunchy nubbly bits. That is what makes this hen so crunchy! See my Fried Hen recipe for musings and ravings about this methodology. Thanks Kenji!
Coat the hen within the flour combination simply previous to frying. Don’t do that prematurely and go away it mendacity round, the hen will sweat and make the flour soggy.

Look in any respect these clumps! Categorical cross to crunchy city!
Fry in oil for 4 minutes or till golden and crunchy, then drain on paper towels.

Cooking vessel & oil quantity – You will want 2.5cm / 1″ of oil in no matter cooking vessel you employ, so the hen is elevated off the bottom and can fry evenly all the way in which round. A heavy based mostly pot like a dutch oven is good for security, even distribution of warmth and in addition as a result of it retains warmth effectively.

Oil temp – The oil temperature must be 180C/350F. In case you don’t have a thermometer (I exploit a Thermapen) then take a look at by throwing in a small dice of bread. At 180C/350F it ought to flip golden in 15 seconds. OR stick a bamboo chopstick in and contact the bottom of the pot – if bubbles instantly rise from ground of pot, oil is sizzling sufficient.

Retaining cooked items heat – As a result of the skinny items of hen prepare dinner in simply 4 minutes, you received’t want an oven to maintain the cooked items heat. Batch 1 will nonetheless be sizzling if you end batch 2. Nonetheless in case you are scaling up, maintain cooked hen heat in a 50C/125F pre-heated oven on a rack set over a tray (so the underside doesn’t go soggy).

⚠️ Don’t contact the hen for the primary 90 seconds, to offer the crust an opportunity to stick.

Assembling the hen burgers

Garlic mayo – Combine the mayonnaise with grated garlic. Do that at the very least quarter-hour forward to offer the flavours an opportunity to meld.
Unfold the mayo on the lid and base of frivolously toasted buns. You’ll be able to toast within the oven, beneath a grill or simply put the minimize face down in a pan on the range.
Assemble – Pile lettuce on the bottom, prime with tomato if utilizing, then hen, gherkins then the lid.
Consuming time! Sink your tooth into the burgers whereas sizzling and crunchy!

Freshly made Crunchy Fried Chicken Burgers

Like to know what you assume in the event you do that! Hand on coronary heart, this actually is much superior to KFC burgers. I’m not one to draw back from going public with Shameful Meals I like (oh, I’ve been busted doing midnight kebab runs a number of instances!). However KFC burgers is one factor you’ll by no means catch me consuming!! – Nagi x

PS In case you make a aspect of home made fries to serve with these burgers, I’ll be impressed. And in the event you do a full-blown home made KFC unfold by including Coleslaw plus Potato and Gravy, I’ll be significantly impressed!

Full your Do-it-yourself KFC unfold!

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Watch easy methods to make it

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Henry’s Extremely Crispy Fried Hen Burger

Henry’s Extremely Crispy Fried Hen Burger