Fried Chicken Sandwich by Nigella
This recipe is found in Nigella's book - Cook, Eat, Repeat - on pages 66-69. When it comes time to assemble the burger this is straight forward but also personal preference. Layering the meat with the lettuce, pickles and sauce can be done any which way. I like to use two layers of lettuce as an extra layer between all the ingredients and the bun. This acts as a barrier for the bun to keep it in one piece, but also holds everything together... for a little longer...
Notes
Cost of ingredients (excluding Pantry Staples): $15
Serves: 4 Burgers
Ingredients
300ml buttermilk (or plain yogurt)
2 tsp smoked paprika (+ 1 tsp for breading)
2 tsp fine sea salt (+ 1 tsp for breading)
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp maple syrup
4 cloves garlic
4 chicken thighs
3/4 cup plain flour
500ml sunflour or ricebran oil for frying
My Pantry Staples
smoked paprika
sea salt
lemon juice
garlic
flour
mayo
chutney
pickles
red onion (and vinegar for pickling)
Assembly
mayo (or choice or burger sauce - I use my own special burger sauce)
chilli sauce (I substituted caramelized onion chutney)
burger buns (go with potato buns or semi firm brioche)
cos lettuce
kimchi or pickles
picked red onion
Method
Pour the buttermilk into a mixing bowl along with the paprika, salt, lemon juice, dijon, maple syrup and minced garlic. Stir, then add the chicken and make sure the thighs are all evenly coated. Cover and leave for 4 hours, up to 2 days.
Take the chicken out of the fridge and allow to settle to room temp before frying.
Combine the flour, paprika and salt in a shallow dish. Lift one thigh out of the marinade and dip into the breading, back into the marinade, and back into the breading before laying on a separate plate. Repeat.
Pour oil into a pan (I used a 26cm stainless steel pan) until the oil rises 3 1/2 cm up the sides and heat to 190°C.
Gently lower the thighs into the hot oil and cook for approximately 4 mins on each side. This time will vary depending on the size of the thigh, you may need longer.
Use a thermometer here to monitor the oil temp. Too hot and the breading will burn before the chicken is cooked.Allow chicken to cool on a rack lined with paper towel for 3-5 minutes before assembling the burger.
