Mini Fillet-style crispy chicken burger

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 small chicken breast fillets (about 100 g each), butterflied to 1 cm
• 300 ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp salt

Seasoned flour

• 200 g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp black pepper

To assemble

• 4 mini sesame-topped burger buns
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 80 g iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
• Oil for shallow frying

Method

1. Brine. Submerge chicken in buttermilk with salt. Rest 20 minutes.
2. Season flour. Mix all dry ingredients in a shallow bowl.
3. Dredge. Lift chicken from buttermilk, let excess drip. Press into the seasoned flour. Rest on a rack 10 minutes.
4. Heat oil. Heat 1 cm of oil to 175°C.
5. Fry. Cook fillets 3 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.
6. Toast buns. Mayo on cut sides, toast in a dry pan.
7. Assemble. Bottom bun → lettuce → chicken → top bun.

Tips

• Smaller fillets cook faster — keep an eye on them. Overcooking = dry chicken.
• Mini buns can be tricky to find. Use dinner rolls or slider buns as a substitute.
• Make a double batch and freeze the extras between parchment. Reheat in a 180°C oven.