Protein needn’t be pious. Satisfy your fast-food lust with this stripped-back, spicy offering.
Total time to prepare: 4 hrs and 20 mins
What you’ll need
- 500g chicken thighs, cut into 8 pieces
- 250ml buttermilk
- Rice bran oil
- 200g plain flour
- A pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and chilli flakes
- 200ml whole milk
- 4 Brioche buns
- A dollop of honey mustard mayo
- A handful of lettuce
How to make it:
1. Keep your chicken juicy, without using an industrial pressure fryer, by marinating it in the buttermilk. Refrigerate for four hours. Heat a large pot of rice bran oil, which has a high smoke point and therefore maintains more of its phytonutrients when deep-frying.
2. Roll each piece of chicken in flour and the spices, drop it in the milk, then pop it back in the flour. Deep-fry each piece for six minutes. If you need justification for your dirty food fix, a University of Montana study found that the macronutrient balance in burgers makes them as efficient for muscle recovery as many sports supplements.
3. Warm the buns under the grill, then assemble your burger with honey mustard mayo and torn lettuce. And to wash it down? We recommend The Devil’s Peak King’s Blockhouse IPA. It’s a fruit-driven beer, but it still has that bitterness that you love. You’ve earned it.