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–+ servings
a burger that includes crispy chicken cutlets, assorted herbs, tomato slice put on a white plate

Crispy chicken Pho burger

A getaway from traditional burger: Vietnamese fusion food recipe - homemade crispy chicken pho burger. Fast, simple, crispy, and delicious.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Marinating time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 4 burgers
Calories per serving: 464kcal
Author: Tu

Ingredients 

  • 4 halved chicken breast trim away excess fat, cut into 3x3in chicken pieces with 1 inch thickness
  • 4 burger buns
  • 2 sprigs culantro tear in half
  • 4 sprigs cilantro
  • 8 basil leaves
  • 1 tomato sliced
  • 1 small jalapeno sliced
  • vegetable oil or other neutral oil for deep frying

Buttermilk marinade mixture

  • 1 ½ c buttermilk see notes for substitution
  • 1 medium shallot minced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ tsp Kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Flour mixture

Spiced hoisin sauce

  • 4 tbsp sweet hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp ginger finely minced
  • 1 tsp garlic finely minced
  • 1 tbsp Sriracha

Instructions

Marinade chicken

  • Whisk together all buttermilk marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl. Marinate chicken breasts for at least 3 hours or up to 1 day under refrigeration.

Make spiced hoisin

  • Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use. The sauce can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Fry chicken

  • Heat the oil on medium-high heat to the desired temperature, usually around 350F (175C).
  • Pick one piece and dredge the marinated chicken from the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Then, dip that piece again back in the buttermilk. Finally, dredge again in the flour.
  • Carefully add dredged chicken breast to the hot oil.
  • Deep fry the chicken breast until done, approximately 7-10 minutes. The outer layer of the fried chicken breast should be crispy and golden brown.
  • Remove the deep-fried chicken breast from the oil and hold it over the pan, allowing the excess fat to drain.
  • Transfer the chicken to a pan or a plate lined with absorbent paper. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Assemble

  • Cut burger buns in half. On a clean surface or a clean plate, spread a thin layer of spiced hoisin on both halves of the buns.
  • Then add basil to one half, top it with fried crispy chicken (drizzle more spice hoisin on top of the chicken if desired), culantro, a slice of tomato, and cilantro, and then the other half of the bun.
  • Serve immediately with French fried on the side.

Notes

  • If the deep-fried chicken is not used immediately, place it in the oven at 250F to keep it warm and crispy or under a heat lamp.

Substitutions

  • The buttermilk in this recipe can be replaced with 1 cup of whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream, and 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon/lime juice.
  • For a regular fried chicken sandwich, replace the spiced hoisin sauce and Asian herbs with mayo spread and lettuce.

Nutrition

Calories: 464kcalCarbohydrates: 86gProtein: 15gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 1162mgPotassium: 432mgFiber: 4gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 724IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 325mgIron: 6mg