I was going to have a dietified salad as a light lunch before heading out for an event. But I had to leave early so I ate something en route. So then I was going to have this light lunch for dinner. But I came home tired and just couldn’t be bothered to cook.
Fry it already
And then it just got colder and I in no mood for this ‘light’ bullshit. To avoid getting stuck with the light meal in perpetuity I decided to Franken it up and just fry it already.
Caesar salad love
So what was this ‘light’ lunch. It was the classic Caesar salad. I’ve been heavily involved with Caesar salad ever since the first time I went to EuroDisney in the 90’s. As much as I love a classic it was getting kind of tired and also a little too cold for that shit. And so Caesar fried chicken was born.
You can have these as is, or on one of my sweet potato buns with all the Caesar salad accouterments as explained below. Store bought buns will of course also do nicely.
Caesar Fried Chicken Burger
Equipment
- Bowl
- Seal-able containers x2
- Deep fat fryer
- Paper towels
- Shallow plate x2
Ingredients
For the marinade and sauce
- 1 c - 250 ml Greek yogurt
- 2 T - 30 ml olive oil
- 2 t - 10 gr garlic powder
- 4 anchovy filets finely chopped
- juice 1 lemon
- 6 T - 85 gr Parmesan grated
- 2 pieces chicken boneless, skinless, I prefer thighs
For the coating
- 1/2 c - 65 gr plain flour
- 1/2 c - 65 gr cracker meal basically fuck up some crackers in a plastic bag
- 1/2 c - 65 gr Parmesan grated
- 1 t - 5 gr garlic powder
- 1 t - 5 gr cayenne
- 1 t - 5 gr salt
- oil for frying
To finish
- 4 rashers bacon grilled to your desired crisp
- 2 medium eggs however you like them, keep the yolk runny tho or we can't be friends
- lettuce of choice I like little gems of butter head
- 1/2 avocado sliced
- 2 buns of choice, I like my sweet potato buns
Instructions
The night before or at least 2 hours ahead of time
- Mix together 1 c - 250 ml of yogurt, 2 T - 30 ml of olive oil, 2 t - 10 gr garlic powder, 4 finely chopped anchovy filets, juice of 1 lemon and 6 T - 85 gr of Parmesan in a bowl. Divide over 2 seal-able containers.
- Place 2 pieces of chicken in one of the containers, make sure they are fully covered by the marinade, and move to the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours. Close the other container and store that in the fridge as well, this will be your burger sauce.
Get frying
- Heat your deep fat fryer to 175° C/ 350° F.
- Remove the chicken from the yogurt. Use some paper towel to remove any excess marinade and pat dry.
- WARNING: THROW OUT THE USED YOGURT MARINADE IMMEDIATELY. Do whatever you can to not accidentally use this as your burger sauce.
- While your fryer is heating, mix together 1/2 c - 65 gr of flour, 1/2 c - 65 gr cracker meal, 1/2 c - 65 gr of grated Parmesan, 1 t - 5 gr of garlic powder, 1 t - 5 gr cayenne and 1 t - 5 gr of salt in a shallow plate. Line another shallow plate with paper towels to rest your chicken after frying.
- Once your deep fat fryer has reached the right temperature, dip your chicken in the cracker/ Parmesan mixture, shake off any excess flour and slowly lower into your deep fat fryer. Be sure to lower your basket into the fat before you do this, so you can easily fish your chicken out once it's ready. Do not lower the chicken in with the basket as they will stick together.
- The chicken will take 7-14 minutes to cook, depending on how thick your thighs are. Be sure to wait until your crust is nice and golden brown. Let the chicken rest and drain on your pre-lined plate.
- While the chicken is frying, cut open your burger buns and grill them cut side down, fry up the bacon rashers and cook or fry your eggs if using.
Assemble your Caesar fried chicken burger, optional
- You can now assemble your burger, grill the buns cut side down. Add some fried bacon rashers, a few lettuce leaves and top with the fried chicken, an egg your way, maybe even some avocado and definitely the remainder of the burger sauce. Either way you're in for a good time.
