Honey Hot Chicken Burgers

 

I confess I have a real weakness for chicken burgers of any kind. In fact whenever we go to McDonald's or any other fast food place, I will choose a chicken burger over a beef burger 99% of the time.  Usually they are fairly good. 

 

I also like to make my own at home.  They are always delicious.  I saw this recipe the other week for baked ones on a blog called Spoon Fork Bacon, and they looked fabulous!  So fabulous that as soon as I saw them I wanted to make them! 

 

I adapted the recipe to what I have available here in the UK, with fabulous results. I did cut down on the amount of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper as we I don't like things to be overly spicy.

 

Pounded boneless, skinless chicken breasts are tender and delicious, having been marinated in buttermilk for two hours prior to coating and baking.  Buttermilk helps to really tenderise chicken, and gives it a nice flavour.

 

Once you have marinated the chicken you dredge them in a crumb mixture, made by mixing together panko crumbs, flour and some seasonings, etc.  I tend to be a bit judicious when adding spicy ingredients, but that is due to my gastric problems. By all means use the full amount if you don't mind a bit of heat! 

 

What I liked about these is the fact that they are baked and not fried, although to be honest, there is a fair bit of butter used.  1 TBS of melted butter gets spooned over each breast once you have coated them.  They are placed on top of a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet to cook in a hot oven.  This helps to maintain the integrity of the crumb coating and the butter also helps them to turn a nice golden brown. 

 

A delicious mixture of melted butter, honey, along with some more smoked paprika and cayenne is brushed on the finished burgers.  I chose to brush them with some of it for the last 5 to 10 minutes of bake time to really get the flavours in there, and then finished them off with the rest after they were finished baking.

 

This gave them a really delicious flavourful crisp glazed sweet and spicy coating that worked really well!  I added some crisp rashers of streaky bacon to ours, but that is down to you whether you chose to do so or not! 

 

In my opinion  bacon and burgers go together like peas and carrots!  I like a bit of bacon on my burgers, chicken or otherwise!

  

Tucked into toasted brioche buns with the addition of shredded lettuce and ranch dressing, these went down a real treat!  I served them with some oven chips on the side!

Yield: 4Author: Marie Rayner

Honey Hot Chicken Burgers

prep time: 2 hourcook time: 30 minstotal time: 2 hours and 30 mins

These delicious burgers are simple and easy to make. Do plan ahead as the chicken needs to marinate in the buttermilk for two hours.  We like to serve them with the optional crisp streaky bacon, but its not necessary. Everyone always loves these.  I serve with some oven chips to make a hearty, yet simple weeknight supper.

ingredients:

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts,

pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

360ml (1 1/2 cup) buttermilk

140g (1 cup) plain flour

120g (1 cup) panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
180g (3/4 cup) butter, melted and divided
85g (1/4 cup) liquid  honey
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Brioche burger buns, lightly toasted
shredded lettuce
ranch salad dressing
Crisp cooked streaky bacon (optional)

instructions:

Season the chicken breasts lightly on both sides. Place into a shallow baking dish and pour the buttermilk over top.  Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Grease a cooling rack really well and then place on top of a baking sheet.

Place the panko crumbs, flour, garlic powder, turmeric, smoked paprika, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl and mix well together.  Remove the chicken from the fridge and, working with one at a time, remove them from the buttermilk and dredge really well in the bread crumb mixture.  Place them onto the cooling rack, leaving plenty of space in between each one.  Discard any buttermilk let in the dish. Spoon 1 TBS of melted butter over each coated piece of chicken.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Whisk together the remaining melted butter, the honey,  paprika and cayenne pepper.  Brush generously over each piece of chicken to glaze. Return to the oven for about  5 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush with the remainder of the honey mixture to finish.

Spread the bottoms of each toasted bun with ranch dressing and top with some shredded lettuce.  Place a chicken breast on top of each, then top with more shredded lettuce and some more ranch dressing, finally covering with the top of the buns.  Serve immediately.

Note - smoked streaky bacon, cooked until crisp, makes an excellent addition.  Plan on two rashers for each burger.  You can also marinate and coat the chicken ahead of time if desired, keeping the coated burgers in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

I really, REALLY, REALLY enjoyed these burgers.  I do think that if you didn't want to go faffing about and coating your own chicken breasts, you could use a good quality frozen crumbed chicken breast.  They would not be quite as spicy as you wouldn't have the spices in the coating, but the spicy glaze would work very well, adding some about 5 minutes prior to the end of the cook time and the remainder at the end.  Whichever way you choose to do these, from scratch or with a cheat you are in for a real treat!  Bon Appetit!