Meet the Spicy Fried Chicken Burger of your dreams. Thick fillet of spicy crispy tender chicken, with spicy mayo sauce, bacon and cheese

It’s hubby’s birthday!

Every year when Tomasi’s birthday is near, he would ask me to cook him specific dishes. There was never a dish that was off-limits because he assured me I was an amazing cook and I was capable of making anything. Yeah, nice try hubby! I know these sweet words are for your own gain.

Last year, he asked for Nashville style fried chicken served with waffles. For dessert, he wanted a traditional style Vanilla slice. The sucker that I am, I made this all happen for him!

This year Tomasi’s birthday was a little different, as we were (and still are) in lockdown. This meant there would be no extravagant meals for him. So I made him this Spicy Fried Chicken Burger because I had the ingredients readily available at home. Tomasi’s eyes lit up when he saw the burger and when he was eating it he did a happy dance, like he does often when devouring something he loves.

With my hand on my heart, I can say that this is the best tasting chicken burger I have ever made. Let me tell you, I’ve made so many versions of fried chicken and I can honestly say this one blew me away.

This fried chicken fillet has a monster crunch because it’s battered twice. It’s also beautifully tender and juicy thanks to the buttermilk marinade. The spice rub and the hot sauce also give the chicken plenty of flavour. 

Lockdown blues

On Tomasi’s birthday, we would usually host a small BBQ at our place, but this year we don’t have that option. We went into lockdown again a few weeks before his birthday. So, like everyone else, we had to celebrate our special days isolated and at home.

My son, Kai, was born a few months before the pandemic made it to Australia. He is now 21 months old and we haven’t had the chance to throw him a big party. A gathering where we can invite both sides of our family and friends to meet him altogether. Also, many of our very close friends still haven’t even met our first-born baby in person. Each day Kai grows up, I feel sad that I’m unable to share these precious moments with my loved ones.

However, this is the new reality that most of us have to adjust to. We are fortunate because we have 3 adults, a toddler and 2 cats living under one roof, so this makes lockdown bearable. Also, on the plus side, I have more time to cook! OMG, look at how golden and crispy these chicken fillets are!

What pains me most is not being able to see my elderly parents in person. Prior to lockdown, we visited my parents every single weekend. Kai was their ray of sunshine, and they doted on him. We’ve been 2 months apart, and I’m not even sure if Kai remembers his grandparents. We send video clips of Kai regularly to my parents, but it’s not the same. They can’t hug or give him kisses.

I know that this is a cooking blog and I’m always supposed to be upbeat but this is me being honest and this is how I’m feeling. So if you’re reading this and struggling with lockdown, know that we’re all in the same boat. Please hold your head up and hang on tight. There will be light on the other side. We just have to be patient, and I know is much easier said than done.

In saying this, I must stress, it’s vital that we support each other and do the right thing by complying with the restrictions. Regardless of how difficult these times are, we must keep each other safe. Human life is precious and no one should ever have to lose their life to COVID.

Are you ready for more spicy goodness?

Spicy Fried chicken is for hardcore fans only

Tomasi said that I should put a warning on this burger that states: ‘For hardcore spicy fried chicken lovers only!‘ That’s because true hardcore fans would:

• have loads of patience and devotion, hoping to make the best tasting spicy fried chicken ever.
• tolerate high level of heat in the chicken fillet and in the burger sauce.
• convince others that the total calorie intake for this burger is ‘not that bad’

I don’t believe making this burger is complex, but there are a few steps involved. Once you get a flow going, you’ll be fine! Also, this recipe is for 4 burgers, so realistically, you probably only need to make 2 so less prep and cook time.

The marinading part is simple. We just rub the spices into the chicken before pouring buttermilk over it. Marinade for at least for 4 hours or even better, overnight. If you don’t have buttermilk and don’t wish to buy some, I have you covered. You can make a buttermilk substitute by mixing milk with either lemon or vinegar. My instructions are below under the ingredients section for buttermilk.

To make the chicken batter extra crispy, we’ll be double coating the chicken with the buttermilk and flour mixture. We are then going to leave the chicken to dry out before frying. Doing this will make the batter very crunchy and it’ll also bring the chicken to room temperature. This means the chicken won’t take as long to fry, so the batter won’t get too dark and stay golden.

I used brioche buns and filled them with a chunky fried chicken fillet, bacon, cheese, lettuce and spicy mayo sauce.

After all this, your kitchen will probably look like a hurricane just struck, but I promise you it’s all worth it.

Ingredients for Spicy Fried Chicken Burger

For the buttermilk marinade

Skinless and boneless chicken thigh fillets are my preferred cut because it’s much juicier and tastier than chicken breast. Breast fillets will work too, but the chicken will be slightly drier. The total weight of the chicken should be between 500-600gm (18-21oz).

Buttermilk will tenderise the chicken and make it juicy. To make a buttermilk substitute, pour in a bowl a cup of milk into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes for the milk to thicken. This will make 1 cup of buttermilk substitute. Please note that you’ll need 2 cups of buttermilk for this recipe.

Hot sauce – Use your favourite hot sauce. It can be Frank’s, tabasco or even sriracha, just as long as you enjoy the taste and heat level. My favourite is ‘Shit the bed’ hot sauce (not sponsored) It’s an Australian hot sauce that has high-quality ingredients and is super delicious, I l love the heat level, it’s insanely spicy!

For frying and the flour coating mixture

Plain flour (all-purpose flour) does not contain any leavening agents.

Frying oil – I like to use vegetable or canola oil for deep frying as we need to use a lot of oil and these are affordable. Any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point (doesn’t burn at high temperature) such as rice bran, sunflower or corn oil are great choices.

For the burger

All burger fillings are optional and you can build your own burger with the ingredients you enjoy.

Spicy mayonnaise sauce is just a simple mix of whole egg mayonnaise with spicy sauce.

Cheese – Use a variety of cheese that melts easily. Cheese specifically made for burgers and Swiss cheese are great choices.

How to make Spicy Fried Chicken Burger

Step-by-step guide with photos

For the buttermilk marinade – Place chicken in a large bowl, add in cayenne, paprika, celery, garlic, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Use hands or a wooden spoon to rub the spices into the chicken. Pour in the buttermilk on top of the chicken and gently stir. Make sure the buttermilk completely covers the chicken. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or even better, overnight.

For the flour coating – In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic, baking powder, salt and pepper.

Remove The chicken from the marinade, shake off any excess marinade from the chicken and place it on a plate. Leave the buttermilk mixture in its original bowl.

Prepare a large rack with a plate underneath for the chicken. Working one fillet at a time, cover the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excess flour. Cover the chicken into the buttermilk mixture and shake off any excess buttermilk. One more time, cover the chicken into the flour mixture, then shake off any excess flour. Place the chicken on the rack and repeat the same steps for all the chicken fillets. Leave the chicken to rest on the rack for 30 minutes at room temperature before frying.

In a wok or saucepan, pour enough oil to deep fry the chicken, place over medium to high heat. Heat the oil to 180°C  (356°F) or test the oil by placing a wooden object into the oil (chopstick, skewer or wooden spoon). The oil is ready for frying if it bubbles around the wooden object. 

Carefully lower two chicken fillets into the oil, use a wire strainer or heatproof spatula to stop the chicken from sinking to the bottom of the pan because it’ll burn. Fry the chicken for a few minutes until it’s lightly golden and carefully turn it over. Fry each fillet for 8 to 10 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally for even cooking and colour. Place the chicken on a clean rack and quickly place a cheese slice on top so it’ll slightly melt. Repeat these steps with the remaining chicken.

In a frying pan, cook the bacon over medium to high heat for 5 minutes or until the fat has rendered.

Toast the insides of the burger buns and butter them. Make the spicy sauce by mixing the hot sauce and mayonnaise together in a bowl. Build the burger starting from the base, add lettuce, chicken fillet with the cheese, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the spicy sauce, bacon and the burger lid.

Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.

I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.

Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.

I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’

Cheers – Cat T