Sometimes the idea of deep frying is found to be daunting, but like most things, practice makes perfect and there is no reason to be afraid. The fact is, that you don’t even need that much practice to get it perfect, and all you need is the right thermometer, a good steady pan and some self-belief.
That feeling of biting into a crunchy piece of fried chicken is so wonderful. There is nothing that can beat it. The feeling of breaking through the crunchy exterior to reach the juicy chicken in the middle is almost addictive, which is why people can’t help but order it when they see it on the menu. For this, I’ve tried to emulate my absolute favorite Korean-style fried chicken. I find it hard to go to O Chicken in Westfield without ordering their signature fried chicken wings. My dream is to one day go on a culinary adventure to Korea and sample all their amazing dishes and hopefully learn more about how to recreate them at home. Until then, we’ll just have to keep trying to make these amazing chicken burgers first.
The chicken is marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce. Also try adding some spices if you like the taste of them. However don’t let the marinade get you down in any case. Also in the coating are a heap of Korean red chilli flakes, but you don’t need to be afraid of them either, they are milder in flavour than the standard crushed chilli flakes you buy in the supermarket. If you don’t have these flakes for the flour coating it won’t be the end of the world, though if you want to buy some, that’s where I got a big jar from Westfield and they’re still going strong in my cupboard.
If you don’t usually have buttermilk at home, it’s easy to make your own, for example by mixing a cup of whole milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice – give the two ingredients a good stir and you’ll find they start to separate. This gentle acidity helps tenderise the chicken without making it tough, that’s why it’s so juicy and soft when you bite into it. If you’ve got time, keep it marinating overnight, wonderful! Other wise, a few hours is fine.
Materials：
Serves: 2, feel free to scale up or down.
Time: 20 minutes + marination
Technique: medium level
Equipment: thermometer
Beginning：
2 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon of Sriracha
300 ml buttermilk
or
280ml full fat milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
The Secret of Crispy Crusts：
50 g cornflour
50g flour
1 tablespoon Gochugaru (I bought this one)
A generous pinch of salt
Half a teaspoon of black pepper
2 litres of oil for frying
The Sauce Directions：
2 tablespoons gochugaru (I personally buy this one)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
Optional extra ingredients: if you want it spicier, you can use chilli flakes.
For the coleslaw：
1 onion, finely sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into strips
about 50g of red kale
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
Juice of half a lime
Prepare Ahead：
2 hamburger buns, I like to use buns for this!
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Cooking Method：
To make the marinade, take the buttermilk or milk and lemon mixture and mix it with the chutney. Then add the chicken, ensuring it is covered with buttermilk, and cover and chill in the fridge overnight, or as much as you like.
When preparing the coleslaw, just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss them all together so that the vegetables are coated with the mayonnaise and lime juice.
Put all the ingredients for the coating in a wide bowl or plate and drizzle over 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk mixture. These will create little pieces that will stick to the chicken and help to produce an extra crunchy crust. Then remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking gently to remove any excess, then coat thoroughly with flour.
Heat the oil in a large pan until it reaches 175°C. Add the chicken to the oil gently, one by one, holding it away from you so it doesn’t splash at you. Cook for 8 minutes until it turns golden brown, then transfer to a tray lined with kitchen roll to remove any excess oil.
Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the sauce into a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and you have a glossy red mixture.
If you want your burgers to finish dipping into the sauce then throw the fried chicken burgers into the sauce so that they are completely coated.
And to assemble your the burgers, toast your buns and place the bottom of each bun on a plate. Put the crispy chicken burgers on top, then top with the coleslaw and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Add the remaining buns and enjoy.
Please don’t forget to have napkins ready while you are enjoying, you will need them.
Take Note：
If you don’t want to risk frying them, you can shallow fry them in a pan. Although you won’t get the same crispness, they are still great.
The chicken breasts you can use for this, although I think chicken thighs are juicier and more economical. One thing I would recommend is cutting the chicken breasts in half to make two thinner burgers if you want to go that route.