Today’s recipe is the chicken and fried green tomato burger. A piece of chicken thigh, smothered in Sriracha and doused in flour then deep fried, placed on top of a fried green tomato, to make a crispy and succulent spicy chicken burger.
Monday is Memorial Day in the US, and it’s Spring Bank Holiday in the UK. One of the few days when both countries celebrate a holiday, and a time when most of the people I know will be relaxing and having fun. They may be in different parts of the world, but they will all be cooking, drinking, partying this weekend.
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I conducted a burger lab series last year to determine the tastiest burger meat mix. I started the program during the Memorial Day holiday and it ended just after Labor Day. I ate my way through many burgers during my burger lab series program, and some made it to the blog.
Some of my burgers are a real hit on Yummly, Foodgawker and Pinterest. The most popular is the Bistro Burger, a succulent burger, topped with thick slices of brie and lashings of thyme scented caramelized onions. I urge you to give the Bistro Burger a try, it’s divine.
I didn’t explore chicken burgers during my lab series, so I’m really pleased to share the chicken and fried green tomato burger with you today. It’s a culturally diverse burger that lends from many regions.
- The fried green tomato hails from Southern US
- Sriracha from Thailand
- Brioche buns, my fave, which are from France
The dressing melds all of the above regions together, as an homage to their heritage. The flavors come together so well resulting in a refreshing change to a traditional burger.
As soon as you bite into this burger, you will experience an explosion of flavors and textures. Both the chicken and tomato have crunch on the outside, but have a nicely succulent inside that encourages you to take another bite pronto!
Chicken and Fried Green Tomato Burger
Ingredients
Sriracha Buttermilk Dressing
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp blue cheese softened
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Sriracha
Chicken Thighs
- 4-6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Sriracha
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Oil for deep frying approx. 12 fl oz
Fried Green Tomatoes
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp buttermilk
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1-2 green tomatoes sliced - 4 large slices
- Oil for deep frying approx. 12 fl oz
Burger Assembly
- 4 burger buns
- 4 butterhead lettuce leaves
Equipment & Utensils
- Large skillet
- 3 Large plates
- Large bowl
Instructions
Sriracha Buttermilk Dressing
- Vigorously whisk ingredients together to combine and then set aside.
Chicken Thighs
- Remove fat and rinse chicken thighs in cold water.
- Pat dry with a paper towel.
- In a bowl mix together garlic powder, salt and Sriracha then add chicken and coat thoroughly, then set aside.
- Mix together flour, coriander and kosher salt, then scatter mixture evenly onto a plate.
- Coat each piece of chicken until coated on all sides, then set aside.
- Heat the oil in a skillet on high heat.
- Once oil is very hot, carefully place each coated chicken pieces in the oil and lower heat to medium.
- Cook chicken pieces until golden on both sides and juices run clear (approx. 8-10 mins)
- Once chicken is cooked, place on paper towels to drain and rest.
- Discard oil and wipe skillet clean with paper towels.
Fried Green Tomatoes
- Mix together flour, salt and onion powder and scatter evenly onto a plate
- Whisk together egg and buttermilk and transfer to a large bowl, and scatter breadcrumbs evenly onto another plate.
- Immerse each tomato slice in flour and pat away excess.
- Dip each tomato slice in the egg solution and then coat with breadcrumbs on all sides.
- Heat oil in the skillet on high heat.
- Once oil is very hot, carefully place tomato slices into oil and then lower heat to medium.
- Cook tomato slices until golden on both sides and place on paper towels to drain oil.
Burger Assembly
- Cut burger buns in half and heat through until warm.
- Place a lettuce leaf on the base of each burger bun.
- Drizzle some Sriracha buttermilk dressing onto lettuce leaves then place a fried green tomato slice on top.
- Follow with 1 or 1 1/2 pieces of chicken thigh, enough to cover the base of the burger bun.
- Drizzle Sriracha buttermilk dressing on top of chicken and then carefully press top of burger on top.
- Serve immediately.
