Zinger-style spicy chicken burger

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 chicken breast fillets, butterflied to 1 cm thick
• 300 ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp salt

Spicy seasoned flour

• 200 g plain flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano

To assemble

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

Method

1. Brine. Submerge chicken in buttermilk with salt. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (2 hours is better).
2. Spicy flour. Mix all dry ingredients in a shallow bowl.
3. Dredge. Lift chicken from buttermilk, let excess drip, then press firmly into the spicy flour. Coat both sides. Rest on a rack 10 minutes.
4. Double-dredge. Dip back into buttermilk, then back into flour. Press again. This is the trick for that craggy crust.
5. Heat oil. In a heavy pan, heat 1 cm of oil to 175°C.
6. Fry. Lay fillets in the oil — don’t crowd. Fry 4 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through.
7. Toast buns. Spread mayo on cut sides. Toast in a dry pan until golden.
8. Assemble. Bottom bun → lettuce → chicken → top bun. Done.

Tips

• The cayenne-to-flour ratio is everything. Too little and it’s a plain fillet; too much and you can’t taste anything else. Stick to 1 tbsp per 200 g flour.
• Rest the dredged chicken 10 minutes before frying — this lets the crust hydrate and stick properly.
• Mayo is the only sauce. Anything else (BBQ, hot sauce, burger sauce) overwhelms the chicken.