Crispy Chicken Pho Burger

This Vietnamese fusion crispy chicken pho burger is a perfect getaway from traditional beef burgers. Simple, crispy, and loaded with flavors are all that this amazing burger has to offer.

When I make a burger at home, I always try to go with a twist as much as possible. Why? There are so many places that already offer such good traditional beef or chicken burgers, so why bother?

I often love making simple recipes for homemade meals, like my soy sauce chicken thighs, easy delicious grilled pork chop, or Sriracha charsiu chicken. However, with burgers, I usually take it up a notch. I don't want my homemade burger to be so regular - if you know what I mean.

You'll love this chicken burger recipe because

They are unique. These crispy chicken pho burgers resemble the flavor of pho without taking hours to cook. Trust me, nothing can be better than this. See my recipe How to make authentic chicken Pho from scratch.

The burger includes a crispy fried chicken cutlet layered with fresh cilantro, culantro, jalapeno, tomato, and basil, with a one-of-a-kind spiced hoisin sauce as a moist maker layer. Did I mention crispy cutlet? Everybody loves a tasty cutlet for their meal, for sure. (See: Super easy breaded chicken cutlets)

Main ingredients and substitutions (if possible)

This recipe is using lots of Vietnamese/Asian ingredients so if you can't find any of this in your go-to grocery store, Amazon is always available to help.

• Burger buns - you can buy these at your local grocery store or make them at home using my no-knead brioche buns, fluffy milk dinner rolls, or fluffy condensed milk bread recipe. They work well with this crispy burger.
• Hoisin sauce - sweet hoisin sauce makes this burger perfectly resemble the pho's taste.
• Sriracha - another must-have ingredient in this pho burger recipe. Sriracha sauce and hoisin sauce are a combination that you often see at any Pho restaurant. You can substitute it for any other chili hot sauce. But avoid the one that has a sour taste that you often see at a steak house, like Tabasco.
• Cilantro, culantro, and basil - these are the basic Asian herbs that are normally found next to a hot bowl of Pho.
• Beansprout or tomato—though it was not pictured in the photos, beansprout is definitely another must-have ingredient when it comes to resembling Pho flavor.
• Jalapeno - way to add a few extra kicks of spiciness to the burger if you prefer.
• Five-spice powder - this spice boosts the flavor of an authentic pho for the burger. You can substitute with a homemade mix: in a food processor blend together 2 tbsp coriander seeds or whole cloves, 2 tsp cinnamon powder, 2 whole star anise, 2 tsp fennel seeds or cumin seeds, 2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns.

How to make such crispy chicken Pho burger

This procedure can be used for any recipe that calls for crispy fried chicken. By following these steps, I guarantee you'll have crispy, gorgeous golden brown pieces of fried chicken.

1. First, chicken breasts are marinated in a buttermilk mixture for at least 3 hours. You can marinate chicken 1 day ahead of time.
2. Second, double dredge chicken in flour and spice mixture.
   • It means dredge the marinated chicken in the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture. Then dip the piece again in the buttermilk. Finally, dredge again in the flour before deep frying it.
3. Heat the oil on medium-high heat (I prefer vegetable oil or any other oil with a neutral flavor) to the desired temperature, usually around 350F (175C).
4. Carefully add dredged chicken breast to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd your frying pan to avoid soggy frying chicken cutlets.
5. Deep fry the chicken breast until done, approximately 7-10 minutes. The time depends on the thickness of your cut; mine is 1 inch thick.
6. Remove the deep-fried chicken breast from the oil and hold it over the pan, allowing the excess fat to drain.
7. Transfer the chicken to a pan or a plate lined with absorbent paper—season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Place fried chicken in the oven at 250F to keep it warm and crispy or ideally under a heat lamp if not use right away.

Did you make this recipe? If so please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comment section. Also, don't forget to tag me #cookmorphosis @cookmorphosis on social media.