Mexican Fried Chicken Burgers
Photography Yuki Sato.
Makes: 6 burgers
INGREDIENTS
CORIANDER, CHILLI AND LIME MAYO
2 cups coriander leaves and tender stems
1 cup good-quality egg mayonnaise
2 long green chillies, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
1 teaspoon sea salt
CHICKEN
½ cup Greek natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon each ground cumin and smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed
800 grams boneless, skinless chicken thighs
TO COOK
2 cups potato starch
½ cup flour
sea salt and ground pepper
3 cups neutral high smoke point cooking oil, such as rice bran
TO SERVE
2 cups finely shaved red cabbage
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 avocados
1 tablespoon lime juice
6 brioche burger buns, halved
1½ cups grated mozzarella cheese
pickled jalapeño chillies
fresh coriander leaves
EQUIPMENT: Line an oven tray with baking paper and a cooling rack with scrunched-up kitchen towels.
METHOD
MAYO: Whiz all the ingredients together with a stick blender or in a small food processor until smooth and bright green. Store in a sealed container in the fridge until ready to use.
FRIED CHICKEN: Whisk everything except the chicken together in a large bowl. Cut each chicken thigh into two or three pieces depending on their size, put between two pieces of plastic wrap and give them a gentle bang to flatten a little. Add to the marinade and turn so they are well coated. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours and ideally overnight in the fridge in a sealed container.
TO COOK: Whisk the potato starch and flour together in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Using tongs or chopsticks, drop the chicken pieces into the flour and coat well. Place on the lined tray. Heat the oil in a large pot or wok until a piece of bread dropped in rises to the surface and turns golden in about 30 seconds.
Fry the coated chicken in batches for about 4-5 minutes or until fully cooked through, turning occasionally. Drain on the kitchen towels, then use a sieve or slotted spoon to scoop out any batter that has dropped off into the oil.
If desired, fry the chicken a second time (just for a minute) until it is golden and super-crunchy.
TO SERVE: Put the cabbage and red onion in a bowl and toss with the oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Scoop the avocado into a bowl, add the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Lightly crush with a fork but keep it a little chunky.
Place the halved buns on a baking tray and top the bottoms with mozzarella. Heat until the cheese is melted, and the buns are toasted. Layer the buns with slaw, avocado, chicken, mayo, jalapenos and coriander leaves.
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126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.