Name: Fried chicken burger with smoky mayo, cos and pickles
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 skinless chicken thigh fillets; 250 ml (1 cup) well-shaken buttermilk; 150 gm Japanese mayonnaise (see note); ½ garlic clove, finely grated; 3 tsp smoked paprika; 150 gm (1 cup) plain flour; 2 tsp onion powder; 2 tsp baking powder; Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying; 4 soft burger buns, halved; Baby cos lettuce leaves and bread-and-butter pickles, to serve

Fried chicken, soft bread, pickles, crisp lettuce and smoky, garlicky mayo. A simple combination that yields outstanding results.

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken thigh fillets

250 ml (1 cup) well-shaken buttermilk

150 gm Japanese mayonnaise (see note)

½ garlic clove, finely grated

3 tsp smoked paprika

150 gm (1 cup) plain flour

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp baking powder

Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying

4 soft burger buns, halved

Baby cos lettuce leaves and bread-and-butter pickles, to serve

Method

1.Combine chicken and buttermilk in a bowl, tossing to coat, then season with salt and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, garlic and 1 tsp paprika in a small bowl, season to taste and chill until needed. Combine flour, onion powder, baking powder and remaining paprika in a bowl and season to taste.

3.Heat 2cm oil to 180°C in a large deep saucepan. Drain chicken, then dust heavily in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Deep-fry, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through (4-6 minutes; be careful, hot oil may spit). Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a wire rack over an oven tray to drain briefly.

4.Spread mayonnaise on bases of rolls and top with cos, chicken, more mayonnaise and pickles. Sandwich with tops and serve.

Japanese mayonnaise is available from Asian grocers and select supermarkets.
Notes

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Styling by Lisa Featherby