Crispy Fried Chicken Burger
A Southern-style burger with double-dredged fried chicken, dill pickles and sweet honey butter on a toasted brioche bun.
- Prep
- 20min
- Cook
- 25min
- Total
- 1 h
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 890per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
The crust comes from a double dredge: flour, back into the buttermilk, then flour again. That second coat builds a thick, craggy shell that stays crunchy under a soft brioche bun. If you have time, let the chicken soak for the full 2 hours; the buttermilk seasons the breast and keeps it moist.
Honey butter on both bun halves adds sweetness and salt against the peppery crust, and dill pickles cut through all of it. The frying is shallow, about 250 ml of oil in a deep skillet, so you don't need a deep fryer, but you do need a thermometer for the oil.
Crispy Fried Chicken Burger
Prep 20 min, cook 25 min, total 60 min. About 890 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/crispy-fried-chicken-burger
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
Tap a step to keep your place.
Place chicken cutlets in buttermilk and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes (or up to 2 hours for best results).
Make honey butter by mixing 2 oz softened butter with 2 tbsp honey until smooth. Set aside.
Mix 7 oz flour, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp black pepper, and salt in a shallow dish.
Remove chicken from buttermilk, dredge in seasoned flour, dip back in buttermilk, then dredge in flour again for a thick coating.
Heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F (175°C). Fry the cutlets two at a time for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown, crispy, and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C). Drain on a rack or paper towels, and let the oil return to 350°F (175°C) before the next batch.
Toast brioche buns until golden.
Assemble burgers: spread honey butter on both bun halves, place fried chicken cutlets on bottom buns, top with dill pickle slices, then crown with top buns. Serve with coleslaw on the side.
Tips
- Pound any thick ends of the breast to an even 1/2 inch (13 mm) before soaking. Even cutlets brown and cook through at the same rate.
- After the second dredge, rest the cutlets on a rack for 10 minutes. The coating hydrates and clings, so it won't flake off in the oil.
- Fry two cutlets at a time and let the oil climb back to 350°F (175°C) between batches. Cooler, crowded oil gives a greasy crust.
- Start checking the thickest part for 165°F (74°C) after about 4 minutes a side. Pounded cutlets get there quickly, and overcooked breast dries out fast.
Substitutions
- Boneless, skinless thighs instead of breast: juicier and harder to dry out. Cook them to at least 165°F (74°C).
- No buttermilk: stir 15 ml lemon juice into 240 ml milk and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Gluten-free: use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for both dredges and a gluten-free bun; the method stays the same.
- Hot honey in the honey butter adds a slow heat without changing any steps.
Make ahead & storage
Honey butter keeps up to 1 week in the fridge; soften it before spreading. Fried chicken keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated; reheat it on a rack in a 375°F (190°C) oven until it reaches 165°F (74°C), which brings back some of the crunch. Assemble only when serving, since the bun steams the crust soft.
