Nashville Hot Honey Chicken Burger
A spicy fried chicken burger brushed with cayenne hot paste, drizzled with honey, and topped with pickles and coleslaw.
- Prep
- 20min
- Cook
- 22min
- Total
- 42min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 750per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
The heat goes on after frying, not before. Cayenne, paprika and garlic powder are stirred into hot oil and brushed over the cutlets as soon as they leave the skillet, while the crust is hot enough to soak it up.
Pouring shimmering oil over the spices blooms them, so the cayenne tastes toasty rather than dusty and the paste brushes on deeper and rounder. Honey goes on at assembly; pickles and a quick mayo slaw are there to cool your mouth between bites as much as for crunch.
Nashville Hot Honey Chicken Burger
Prep 20 min, cook 22 min, total 42 min. About 750 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/nashville-hot-honey-chicken-burger
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
Tap a step to keep your place.
For the hot paste, stir together 1 tbsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp paprika and 1 tsp garlic powder in a small heatproof bowl. Set aside.
Prepare coleslaw: toss coleslaw mix with 3 tbsp mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
Set up breading station: place buttermilk in one shallow bowl and flour seasoned with salt and pepper in another.
Dip each chicken cutlet in buttermilk, then dredge in seasoned flour, coating completely.
Heat ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the cutlets in two batches, 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 165°F (74°C). Let the oil reheat between batches.
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers, about 1 minute, then pour it over the spices and stir; it should sizzle. Brush the hot paste onto both sides of each cutlet right away, while the crust is still hot.
Toast brioche buns until golden.
Assemble burgers: place Nashville hot chicken on bottom buns, drizzle generously with ¼ cup honey, add pickle slices and coleslaw, then crown with top buns. Serve with plenty of napkins.
Tips
- Pound the cutlets to an even 1/2 inch (12 mm). Uneven pieces leave the thin ends dry while the thick part is still under 165°F (74°C).
- After dredging, let the cutlets sit for 5 minutes. The flour hydrates on the buttermilk, and the crust stays on in the pan.
- Heat the paste oil until it shimmers but never smokes. Oil that is too hot scorches the cayenne and turns it bitter.
Substitutions
- Boneless, skinless thighs for breasts: juicier and more forgiving. Cook them to 165°F (74°C) too.
- Milder heat: use 5 ml cayenne and add 10 ml more paprika so the paste keeps its color.
- Gluten-free: a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for the dredge, plus gluten-free buns.
- No buttermilk: stir 15 ml lemon juice into 120 ml milk and let it stand for 5 minutes.
Make ahead & storage
Make the slaw up to a day ahead and keep it cold. Mix the dry spices whenever you like, but heat the oil for the paste only once the chicken is fried. Fried chicken keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge; reheat it on a rack in a 375°F (190°C) oven until the center reaches 165°F (74°C), then add the honey, pickles and slaw.
