A favorite Spicy Crispy Chicken Burger that packs some heat, inspired by KFC’s Zinger Burger and the Indonesian-style crispy Ayam Geprek (“smashed chicken”).
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Never would I have thought that US fast food joints would grip my attention and keep me on the edge of my seat over the past 2 years. But lo and behold, we’ve had the ongoing famous Chicken Sandwich Wars to keep us entertained!
Who’s the winner of this craze? You decide. But with all the chicken burgers that have been popping up, I started to get an intense craving for KFC’s Zinger Burger. Sadly though, it’s been discontinued in the US. So I decided to make one myself!
Crispy Chicken Zinger Burger With A Twist
The Zinger Burger or Zinger Sandwich uses KFC’s fried chicken recipe for the patty, with an added spicy heat to its seasonings. It’s served between toasted buns with some lettuce and a delicious creamy sauce.
I tweaked the method of preparing the chicken by incorporating ways from making Indonesian-style Ayam Geprek (“smashed chicken”). This means we don’t use the wet milky-style batter that’s more popular in the US. Instead, coat the chicken in a mixture of egg whites and flour, followed by an ice water bath, then again in the batter. The chicken will turn out super crispy and crunchy.
Notes for Spicy Crispy Chicken Burger
- Ice Water Bath – I know this might sound a little strange, but trust me on this. By dipping the chicken in the ice water bath between coats of batter, the chicken absorbs and grabs on to the flour better. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes after the final coating before frying. You will end up with a crunchy crust on your chicken.
- Boneless chicken thigh – Use chicken thighs for a juicier patty.
- Zinger Burger Sauce – The sauce is a simple mix of mayo, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, light soy sauce, vinegar and chili flakes (for extra heat).
*Recipe updated on November 8th 2020.
Looking for more Chicken recipes? Check these out:
- Chinese Crispy Lemon Chicken
- Malaysian Creamy Butter Chicken
- Cheesy Korean Fried Chicken
- Easy 15-Minutes Chicken Teriyaki (No Mirin and Sake)
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Spicy Crispy Chicken Burger
Ingredients
Wet Batter
- 4 boneless chicken thighs see notes
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp gochugaru see notes
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Dry Mix
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tbsp gochugaru
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder optional
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Spicy Creamy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Japanese mayo
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
Others
- 3 cups ice cold water
- burger buns
- lettuce
- American cheese slices
Instructions
Chicken Marinade
- Mix all the wet seasoning better in a bowl.
- Add chicken thigh and coat every single piece with the marinate.
- Marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Dry Mix
- Mix all the dry mix ingredients in a bowl.
Spicy Sauce
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
Dredging
- Take a piece of the chicken thigh and lightly dredge it in the dry mix. Making sure every inch is coated.
- Dip the chicken in ice cold water for 5 seconds, careful not to rub off the flour coat.
- After lifting the chicken out of the water, wait for 10 seconds before putting it back into the dry mix so the water does not drip into the dry batter.
- Dredge the chicken again, making sure the every inch is coated.
- Repeat the process until you've done it a total of 2 times. Best to use new ice water for every piece of chicken.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before frying.
Deep Frying
- Deep fry in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown. Depending on your stovetop, mine took between 10-15 minutes.
- Let it rest. Optional: Fry for another 5-8 minutes for extra crispy chicken.
- Remove from oil and let it rest. During this time, sprinkle a pinch of salt and if you want, more gochugaru.
Assembling
- Toast the burger buns.
- Spread a generous amount of the sauce on both burger buns.
- Add the chicken to the bottom part of the bun, a slice of cheese, lettuce and the top of the bun. Serve and enjoy!
Can you airfry instead of frying? I hate deep frying – it’s so labor intensive and clean up heavy.
It’s possible but I don’t recommend dredging with flour multiple times like I did. This method is most suitable for deep frying. If you’re cooking it in the air fryer, dredge the marinated chicken with seasoned flour then dip it in the ice cold water then do a final dredging of the flour. Generously spray cooking oil on the chicken and air fry. Good luck, do let me know how it goes! 🙂
I loved trying out this recipe. Worth every minute of my Sunday. Hubby was impressed and can’t wait until I try other recipes from Farah website or page. Thank you Farah.
That’s so great, so happy to hear that. Thanks for trying it out 🙂
Absolutely amazing recipe! Easy to make, the right amount of ingredient so there is as little waste as possible! Overall it tasted amazing and I can’t wait to try more recipes! Kind regards from the Netherlands
Thank you so much! 🙂
Tried the recipe today,my whole family enjoys it,was so crispy and delicious,thanks for putting us through
So happy to hear that! Thanks for trying it 🙂
Such an easy recipe and so delicious!!
Thanks for trying it! 🙂
My son made it and loved it so did my grand kids. He shallow fried his and I want to deep fry mine so could you give me and idea of oil temperature.
So happy to hear that! For deep frying, I would say the ideal temperature is 350 F/177 C and don’t overcrowd the pot. Good luck 🙂
This recipe was incredible! So simple to make and so crunchy! We will forever more use this recipe for all the fried chicken we do! Thank you Farah! ☺️
Thanks for trying the recipe Izzy! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I made this for my in laws and they LOVE It!! Defo put me in the good books xxx I was just wondering how many calories are in this burger roughly??
The chicken is so crispy and the marination flavor is perfect!!!!
Thankyou so much for this recipe😍
I’m trying this tomorrow how would you recommend cooking it when using a oven ?
Unfortunately with this method, it won’t come out the same if you cook it with an oven. I recommend using panko crumbs instead and seasoning it with the same seasoning for flour. Bake at 400 F using a baking rack until crispy (maybe 40-50 minutes), flipping halfway.
Im just a 14 year old girl going on about life and when I saw this recipe I had to make it!! I was so happy when it nded up amazing and it tasted even better than it looks! Thank you so much!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for trying the recipe young chef! 🙂
LOVE this recipe! But I would add more salt tot he dry mix. Love that it doesn’t require buttermilk like most fried chicken.
Love this recipe! I airfry them rather than frying them in oil, but it comes out just as good! Perfect spice level, so much better than any restaurant made ones! Thank you for this!