This crispy chicken burger recipe is absolutely delicious! Chicken is marinated in buttermilk and then double dredged in a spiced flour mixture. It’s comfort food that will surely make your belly happy!
I’m super excited to share this recipe with you today!
This crispy chicken burger (or chicken sandwich) is one of my favourite recipes to date.
Honestly, it kinda reminds me of a chicken burger from a local fried chicken place.
When you order this chicken burger it comes with one pickle slice on top of the bun. Funny, right? On top of the bun, not on the burger itself?
And should said pickle be missing?
Watch out.
Just kiddin’.
Kinda.
No worries now, though, because you could be whipping up your own crispy chicken sandwich in no time at all (while staying in your cozy pants).
I made this epic chicken burger recipe one day while hubby wasn’t home. I tried it and immediately texted “you gotta get home now!!!” (with what seemed like a million exclamation points).
Oops, no pic of the burger right away, just the message. My bad.
In retrospect, I probably should have thought that through. Like, who texts that to someone?! I guess he was relieved when he realized my message was just about food and not an actual emergency or anything. Hubby requested a second one the next day. Yeah, they are that good.
How To Make This Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger Recipe
Full details on how to make this fried chicken burger recipe are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
Cut the chicken breast in half
Cut the chicken breast in half lengthwise so you have two equal pieces (one for each chicken burger). Don’t worry if the cut is not perfect. The flour coating will cover that! Perfect is overrated anyway!
Make the seasoned flour mixture
This seasoned flour mixture (or seasoned flour dredge) will add lots of flavour to the chicken burger and give it a lovely crispy exterior.
Flour dredge is easy to make and uses pretty simple ingredients. In a bowl, whisk together the seasoned flour mixture (all-purpose flour, dried thyme, mustard powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper).
Make the seasoned buttermilk mixture
The buttermilk helps the flour dredge adhere to the chicken and tenderize it.
Like the seasoned flour dredge, the buttermilk mixture is easy to make. In a bowl, combine buttermilk and sriracha and whisk until combined.
Tip: Don’t want to use sriracha or prefer another hot sauce? Use your favourite variety. And, if you like things spicier, you can add a little more sriracha or hot sauce.
Marinate and dredge the chicken breast pieces
- Place the chicken into the buttermilk mixture. Place in the refrigerator for an hour.
- After an hour, remove the chicken from the buttermilk.
- Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour mixture.
- Dip the chicken back into the buttermilk, then remove.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture again.
- As each piece of chicken is nicely dredged, you can place it onto a plate while you get your cooking oil ready.
Oh, see those crackly bits in the flour-dredged chicken below? When the chicken burgers fry up, that’s some serious texture, my friends. You get all these lovely crispy bits (yum!).
Fry and assemble the chicken burgers
- Carefully place the chicken into a pot of hot oil, away from you, and cook until golden brown on one side.
- Carefully, turn the chicken and cook the other side. When the chicken is fully cooked through, carefully remove it from the oil.
- Drain the chicken of any excess grease on a paper towel-lined plate or on a wire rack (cooling rack) set over a baking sheet.
- Then all you have to do is put each crispy chicken onto a burger bun, garnish (if you like) and enjoy!
How To Make Buttermilk
In a bowl, mix ½ cup of milk (I like to use whole milk or 2% milk) with either ½ tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once the lemon juice or vinegar is added to the milk, it will slightly curdle the milk. After about 5 to 10 minutes, then it’s ready to use.
You can scale the ingredients to make more or less buttermilk, depending on how much you need. For example, if you need one cup of buttermilk, use 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar.
While I often make buttermilk using this method (especially in a pinch or if I don’t have much use for a big carton of buttermilk), I do find that store-bought buttermilk tends to be a bit thicker and creamier than homemade. However, homemade buttermilk definitely works!
How To Garnish This Burger
Any of these garnish ideas work great with this crispy chicken burger:
- Mayonnaise
- Iceberg lettuce. Yes! Iceberg does have it’s place and it’s here. Shredded and generously piled on this crispy chicken sandwich and it’s delicious!
- Not digging lettuce? Try coleslaw on top.
- Pickle, thinly sliced
- Hot sauce
- Honey
What To Serve With It
Make things more substantial with sides. Some favourites to serve with this crispy chicken burger are:
- Baked fries
- Coleslaw
- Pickle
- Potato salad
- Potato chips
More Comfort Food Recipes
If you make this buttermilk fried chicken burger, be sure to leave a comment below!
Buttermilk Fried Crispy Chicken Burger
Ingredients
- 1 boneless and skinless chicken breast, about half a pound or 8 ounces
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, use ½ teaspoon if you want less of a thyme flavour
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon sriracha, or your favourite hot sauce
- canola or corn oil, enough to come up to 2 inches up the side of the pot
Other Burger Ingredients
- 2 burger buns, cut in half horizontally (if not already precut)
- Mayonnaise, to taste
- Shredded lettuce, to taste
Instructions
- Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise (into two equal pieces) so you have two pieces (one for each burger).
- In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, dried thyme, mustard powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper until well combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk and sriracha (or hot sauce) until combined. Place chicken into buttermilk mixture and place in the fridge for an hour.
- After an hour, remove chicken breast pieces from the buttermilk and allow excess buttermilk to drip off, back into the bowl.
- Dredge chicken breast pieces in the reserved flour mixture, gently shaking off excess.
- Dunk chicken pieces again into buttermilk, again allow excess buttermilk to drip off back into the bowl.
- Dredge chicken again in the flour mixture, gently shaking off excess.
- Place the canola or corn oil into a large heavy-duty pot with high/tall sides suitable for frying. (I used a high sided cast-iron pot.)Note: Use enough oil to come up to 2 inches up the side of the pot. To monitor your oil temperature, a candy and deep-fry thermometer clipped to the side of the pot (with the tip submerged in the oil) is a great tool to use.
- Heat the pot of oil over medium heat. You want an oil temperature of about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Note: I heated the oil to about 360 degrees Fahrenheit as the temperature will drop when the chicken is added.
- Carefully place the chicken pieces into the hot oil, away from you, and cook for 3 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken pieces and continue to cook for another 3 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through (the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit when checked with an instant-read meat thermometer).Note: Depending on the thickness of the chicken, you may have to cook longer. To check the internal temperature of the chicken, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, all the way to the middle. Remove the thermometer from the chicken after checking the temperature.
- Once cooked, carefully remove the chicken from the oil (a spider strainer works great for removing the cooked chicken).
- If desired, place the cooked chicken burgers onto a paper towel-lined plate or on a wire rack (cooling rack) over a baking sheet to drain of any excess grease.
- To assemble each crispy chicken burger: spread mayonnaise over the cut side of the bottom and top portion of the bun. Place chicken burger over bottom bun, then garnish with shredded lettuce. Place top bun over top to form the chicken burger. Serve and enjoy! Fan of spice? Feel free to drizzle some of your favourite hot sauce over the cooked chicken burger!
Notes
- Use a large heavy-duty pot with high sides (suitable for frying) for cooking the chicken.
- Know what you’re doing and always use caution when frying.
- Always place the chicken in the oil away from you. And gently place the chicken into the oil.
- A food thermometer is your best friend here. You can use one to monitor the oil temperature (I like to use a “candy and deep-fry thermometer” with a pot clip). I also like to use an instant-read meat thermometer to check the chicken for doneness. Both are well worth the investment (and usually pretty inexpensive).
- I love using a soft (untoasted) bun. Prefer to have it toasted? Go for it!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Zoe says
Hello, recipe looks amazing! Has anyone tried leaving the chicken in the buttermilk mixture overnight? (Wondering if I could somewhat ‘meal prep’ it!)
Thanks!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Hi Zoe! Thanks so much! Yes, you can certainly marinate the chicken in the buttermilk overnight. Cover the bowl with plastic food wrap and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use the next day. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Kathy says
I found this recipe by accident but wow was I glad I found it. Anyone reading this you have to make these fried chicken burgers. The recipe is so easy and the chicken fries up perfectly crispy just like the pictures! I will definitely be making these for my next dinner party such a fun comfort food to enjoy!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
That’s wonderful, Kathy!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, thank you very much!!
Mary Jarvo says
Wow…no more “Big Mary’s” for me. Excellent as written!
I had the privilege of living along the Avalon for a year and I think I left my heart there…thanks for sharing this recipe and your beautiful province.
Cheers from Ontario.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you so very much for the kind words, Mary!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!!
Britnie says
Do you think this would work in an air fryer?
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Hi Britnie! I haven’t tried making these chicken burgers in an air fryer, but I don’t think it would work with that cooking method.
Shaelysse says
Hi Britnie—
We make these in an air fryer. We spray the bottom basket before hand and only use a spatula to turn them over. Frying them in oil is much easier and does keep the batter together better but air fryer tastes good too. They’re not pretty with an air fryer but they do work “ok”.