Sidi Kaouki Signature Burger

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Step 1 – Pound the chicken:

Pounding the chicken ensures even thickness, which means the fillets will cook evenly. It will also help to tenderise the chicken, along with the buttermilk.

Slice each of the breast fillets in half, to make four round(ish), burger-sized fillets. Place them on a board and cover with baking paper before using a rolling pin to pound them to about 1cm thickness. *Ensure that the chicken is evenly flattened so that they don’t take too long to cook. Otherwise, the coating will overcook before the chicken is ready.

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Step 2 – Coat in buttermilk and spices:

Mix the spices and buttermilk together and add the chicken. Ensure the chicken is completely coated in the buttermilk, then cover and refrigerate. Marinate for as long as possible. Overnight is best, or at least 4 hours, but they should sit in the buttermilk for at least an hour if you are short on time. **Prepping the night before is optimal, because the chicken will be super tender and it will make dinner prep the following night much faster.

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Step 3 – Make the chicken coating;

Mix the flour, cornflour and spices in a large bowl and stir until completely combined. *The coating can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in your pantry until ready for use.

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Step 4 – Coat the chicken;

Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and coat in the flour and spice mixture. *Be sure to drain off as much buttermilk from the chicken as possible, or you’ll end up with a gummy coating that doesn’t crisp as nicely. Too much buttermilk on the chicken will also mean the coating may slide off.

Make sure the chicken is completely coated in the flour mixture.

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To make the coleslaw;

Finely shred the coleslaw and carrot and combine in a bowl with a generous amount of coleslaw dressing or mayo. Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to use.

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Step 5 – Pan-fry the chicken;

Pan-fry the chicken in oil at about 175-180 °C/356 F. How long to pan fry chicken will depend entirely on the thickness of the chicken fillets and the temperature of the oil.

For chicken 1cm in thickness, aim for about 3-4 minutes on one side and then flip and fry for an additional 2-3 minutes.

For chicken to be safe to eat, it should be completely white and cooked through in the middle, with an internal temperature of 75°C/167 F.

Place the chicken on a wire rack to cool slightly.

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Step 6 – Assemble the burgers;

Add the lettuce and coleslaw to the bottom of the burger bun and top with the chicken and some mayo, or any of your desired toppings. Add the top of the bun and enjoy with some crispy fries.

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Enjoy here: Sidi Kaouki Surf Station