Korean Fried Chicken Burger
Ingredients
Makes 6 Burgers
Fried Chicken Coating:
- 30 g (1 oz) corn flour
- 2 ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
BBQ Sauce:
- 3 Tbsp Korean chilli paste (gochujang)
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Batter:
- 64 g (1/4 oz) corn flour
- 20 g (3/4 oz) fine matzo meal
- 30 g (1 oz) plain flour
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- 2 ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 90 ml (3 fl oz) vodka (or any neutral-tasting 40% alcohol)
Kimchi Slaw Topping:
- 180 g chopped cabbage kimchi
- 60 g daikon radish, peeled and julienned
- â…› head of red cabbage, shredded
- 1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
- ½ red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Burger:
- 6 burger buns, split horizontally
- 6 tbsp kewpie mayo
Method
For the coating:
In a large bowl, stir together the corn flour, salt, baking powder and a generous amount of pepper.
Add the chicken and toss to coat. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack, shaking each piece to remove any excess coating. Leave uncovered, at room temperature for about 1 hour.
For the bbq sauce:
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients and simmer for 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened. Set aside and keep warm.
For the kimchi slaw:
In a large bowl, toss together the kimchi, lettuce, red cabbage, carrot and onion. Set aside.
Heat the oil:
Shortly before cooking, in a large, wide, heavy based pot at least 13 cm (5 in) deep, heat 5 cm (2 in) of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat until it reaches 180C/350F.
For the batter:
While the oil is heating, in a large bowl, whisk together the corn flour, matzo meal, flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and baking powder. In a small bowl, whisk together the vodka, and 240 ml (8 fl oz) water.
Right before you're ready to fry the chicken whisk the vodka mixture into the corn flour mixture. (Don't do this in advance or the resulting batter nay thicken too much as it sits. The consistency should be relatively thin and runny).
Dunk the chicken into the batter:
Dip each piece of chicken into the batter, letting any excess drip off. Suspend the chicken in the oil for a couple of seconds to set the crust before letting it slip completely into the oil; otherwise it will stick to the base of the pot.
Fry the chicken for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through. Cook until the thickest part of the chicken registers 75C/165F. Transfer to a wire rack or kitchen lined plate to drain. Keep warm in a low heated oven.
Build the burger:
First grill or toast the burger buns, until warmed through. Then slather a spoonful of kewpie mayo on the bottom side of each bun. Place a piece of fried chicken on top, and drizzle the BBQ sauce on the chicken. Top with the kimchi Asian slaw and then place on the top bun. Serve immediately.
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