Heavily inspired by the great Joshua Weissman, this is an arguably better version of KFC’s chicken burgers. I’ve made some adjustments. I found the coating in original recipe too peppery and similarly the mayonnaise was a bit too punchy for my liking. I tried to make the buns as instructed, but they were a disaster, so I’ve switched those up as well.
The mayonnaise technique used in this recipe is one I found from Kenji López-Alt on YouTube and it works wonders.
KFC Style Burgers
A KFC style chicken burger
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1½ tsp MSG
- 500 ml buttermilk
- 6 large boneless chicken thighs
Burger Buns
- 2 tbsp bread flour
- 2 tbsp water
- 4 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 120 ml whole milk @ 35C
- 320 g bread flour
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 56 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 42 g butter softened
Garlic Mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tbsp water
- 150 ml flavourless oil e.g. ground nut oil
Herbs and Spices Flour
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 375 g plain flour
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1½ tbsp ground white pepper
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 3½ tbsp paprika
- 1¼ tbsp MSG
- 1½ tbsp celery salt
Other
- 1-2 litres frying oil e.g. rapeseed oil
- shredded lettuce
Instructions
Chicken Marinade
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, then whisk in the buttermilk. Add the chicken thighs, toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Burger Buns
- Create a tangzhong by combining 2 tbsp bread flour, 2 tbsp water and 4 tbsp whole milk in a small pan. Heat over a medium heat and constantly whisk until it becomes a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
- Combine the warm milk and yeast, then let sit for 10 minutes to bloom.
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, salt and sugar. Add the tangzhong, yeast mixture and egg, then mix on low with a dough hook until the dough comes together. Increase speed to medium, then gradually add butter until incorporated then allow to knead for another 5-8 minutes or until smooth.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and allow it to double in size (around 1-1.5 hours).
- Punch down the dough, and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Divide into six pieces (around 110g each), and shape into balls. Place the balls in a lightly greased rectangular tin, about 6cm apart. Cover with greased cling film to rise until doubled (around 1-2 hours).
- Bake at 175°C for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
Garlic Mayonnaise
- Finely chop the garlic, add a pinch of salt, then continue chopping, bringing together and smearing, and chopping until a paste forms.
- Find a tall container barely wider than the head of your immersion blender. Add all the ingredients and allow a minute for them to separate. Put the immersion blender to the bottom, and blend on the highest setting. As the mixture begins to emulsify, slowly tilt and bring the head up until fully mixed. Season to taste, add a little more water if too thick.
Fried Chicken
- For the seasoning, add black peppercorns and mustard seeds to a blender and blend on high speed until a fine powder. Add them to a large bowl with the flour and the rest of the ingredients then whisk to combine.
- Fill a heavy bottom pot with enough frying oil and heat to 350°F.
- Drizzle about 2 tbsp of the marinade into the flour dredge and toss it together. Place a piece of chicken in the flour and thoroughly coat on all sides. Press to adhere, and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Fry 2-3 pieces of chicken (depending on the size of your pot) for 4-6 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
Assembly
- Slice and toast the buns in a pan with butter. Add mayo to both top and bottom, then layer the lettuce and chicken. Serve with fries.