There are so many reasons to love a good burger, especially when it’s one you’ve made yourself and you can be confident of the quality of ingredients.
No matter how bad the day, no matter what’s going on in the outside world, we think that there are very few problems that can’t be fixed by a good burger.
Is it because they’re so adaptable, with so many different sauce and side combinations, so we can personalise them just the way we like? Maybe it’s just because it really is the ultimate comfort food, easy to eat, with plenty of comforting carbs. Or, most likely in our opinion, could it simply be because they are just so darn delicious!
Whatever the reason, this is our absolute favourite at the moment. Inspired by the current trend, our Korean inspired chicken burgers are simply fantastic, using chicken legs for a fuller flavour and to be kinder to your pocket.
Super crispy, with a delicous sweet and sour, spicy sauce, and tangy kimchi on the side, these really do hit every note, and then some. We love to serve them with air fried chips, or oven roasted sweet potato wedges.
Korean Inspired Chicken Burgers
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 large shallow bowl
- 1 large wok or deep fat fryer
- 1 medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 leg chicken legs
- 1 thumb ginger grated
- 200 ml buttermilk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 200 g cornflour
- 500 ml vegetable oil
- 8 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 jar kimchi
- 1 whole sweet gem lettuce sliced
- 2 whole tomatoes sliced
- 4 wholemeal muffins
Instructions
- Debone the chicken legs. Lay skin side down on a chopping board, then cut along the centre of the leg from the top of the leg, down, and across the thigh, using your sharpest knife. Use the tip of the knife to make small incisions around the bone, pulling the meat awawy as you go. Slice around the joint to release the whole bone from the meat. Check that there's no trace of bone or cartilage left on the meat, and cut away any prominent sinews.
- Place the chicken leg meat into the large bowl with the grated ginger and the buttermilk. Season well, then mix well to ensure the meat is well covered. Allow to stand whilst making the sauce.
- Put the caster sugar, the gochujang, the soy sauce, garlic powder, ground ginger and sesame oil into the saucepan, then simmer over a low heat until it becomes a glossy, syrupy, sauce.
- If using the deep fat fryer, heat to 185C. If using a wok, make sure to take the appropriate precautions. Ensure that the work is stable, and that you monitor it all times. Pour in about 2cm of vegetable oil, then carefully heat over a high flame. Use a thermometer to check the temperature, or a small cube of bread. When the oil is hot enough, the bread should sizzle, with bubbles forming, and browning in roughly a minute
- Put the cornflour into the shallow bowl. Remove the legs from the buttermilk, one at a time, and shake off any excess, then pass through the cornflour, ensuring that it's covered all over. Gently place into the oil, laying it away from you to avoid splashing. Don't overcrowd the fryer or wok. If there's not enough room, cook in a couple of batches.
- Cook for around 5 minutes each side, until golden brown and crispy. If you're cooking in batches, set the first to once side whilst cooking up the second. Allow them all to rest for around 5 minues, then fry again for an extra two minutes to really crisp them up.
- In the meantime prepare your plates. Slice the muffins and toast until browned. Put the bottoms onto the plates, then divide up the lettuce and tomato on top. Top with the crispy chicken legs, then drizzle over the sauce. Serve with fries.
