Chicken Satay Burgers

For anyone that knows me, you’ll know that I love a burger. Usually, it’s a bacon cheeseburger and I don’t venture any wilder than that – if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

But whenever we have chicken satay, we’re always left with a bowl full of sauce SO Mike suggested Satay Burgers – and they didn’t disappoint. There are lots of recipes out there for grilled chicken burgers with satay sauce but if there’s one thing we both agree on, it’s that you don’t skimp when it comes to burgers. So, these are crispy chicken burgers, with lashings of satay sauce, pickled cucumber and coriander (well, not for me. I taste soap).

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

Satay sauce (see chicken satay recipe here)

Half a cucumber

1 tbsp of white wine vinegar

1 tbsp caster sugar

Handful of fresh coriander

100g Panko Bread Crumbs

4 Brioche Buns

1/2 tsp curry powder

s&p

Half an Iceberg lettuce shredded

1 egg

Vegetable Oil for frying

Method:

Before lockdown I’d never deep fried anything – I was always brought up being told that deep fat fryers were too unhealthy and using a pan of oil was far too dangerous. I guess both are true.

During lockdown I’ve experimented a few times and use a wok 1/3 full of vegetable oil. I always use the back ring of the hob so it’s slightly further away so I can avoid the hot splatters, always use tongs to place things AWAY from you & LEAVE THE OIL TO COOL COMPLETELY before transferring into a jar / bottle to dispose / save until next time.

If you don’t have a deep fat fryer / feel comfortable frying at home, I’m sure these would turn out brill in the oven too!

1. Let’s start with the pickled cucumber – using a peeler remove the skin and then continue peeling the flesh to make ribbons. Pop in a bowl and mix in the vinegar and caster sugar with a pinch of salt. Set aside for 15 minutes and then pat dry with a kitchen towel (you don’t want a puddle of vinegar in your burger!)
2. Crack an egg into a shallow bowl and whisk – add a pinch of salt to help break the egg up
3. In a separate bowl mix the panko breadcrumbs with the curry powder and season
4. At this stage I would add the vegetable oil to the wok and start heating it up
5. Take your two chicken breasts on a chopping board and cover with a sheet of parchment paper – either using a meat tenderiser or rolling pin flatten the breasts until they’re half a cm thick. Then slice in half to create 4 chicken burgers. (I use any offcuts to make nuggets with the leftover Panko!)
6. Once your oil is at temperature – (160cish – you could test the temperature of the oil with a nugget to start with*) place a piece of chicken in the egg bowl and coat well before dipping into the breadcrumbs. Make sure the chicken is well coated before using tongs to place (gently!!) into the oil.
7. Complete the process with all 4 pieces of chicken – I usually fry two pieces at a time. They should take about 6 minutes to fry & turn once during cooking. I keep the first batch warm in the oven whilst the second is cooking (I’m a worrier when it comes to chicken and always use a meat thermometer to make sure they’re at 65c and if not I pop them in the oven to cook through!)
8. Now to build your burger! I always griddle my burger buns just to toast them slightly (you can do this whilst the chicken is resting) and then spread a thin layer of satay sauce on each side of the bun, layer up with iceberg, chicken, another dollop of sauce and then pickled cucumber and coriander!
9. Enjoy!!

*you’re testing to see how quickly it cooks – if it goes golden brown within seconds it probably means the oil is too hot and your chicken will burn before cooking through. Equally, too low and the Panko will stay pale and soggy.