Persian Fried Chicken Burger: The PFC Burger

Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Course: Mains

Ingredients:
Buttermilk Marinade
• 500 ml buttermilk
• 1/8 tsp ground saffron
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp chilli sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic (crushed or minced)
• 1 onion (medium sliced)
• 4 chicken thighs (skinless and boneless)

Moosir Mayonnaise
• 8 discs dried moosir
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Flour Coating
• 250 g plain flour
• 2 tbsp advieh (Persian mixed spice - Cardamom, Black Pepper, Dried Rose • Petals, Cinnamon, Nutmeg)

• 2 tbsp Za'atar spice blend
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

To serve
• 4 Burger Baps (such as Brioche buns)
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Thai Basil
• Pickled cucumbers

To make:
Marinade the chicken thighs
1) Take a large bowl, add buttermilk, ground saffron, turmeric, chill sauce, salt, pepper, garlic, onion and mix with a spoon. Add the chicken thighs and ensure they are full submerged in the marinade. Cover and leave in the fridge to marinade anything between 8 hrs to 24 hrs.

Moosir mayo
1) Rehydrate the moosir by placing in a bowl and adding boiling water. Cover and leave overnight.
2) Drain the rehydrated moosir discs and rinse. Mince finely with a sharp knife, discarding any tough parts. Take a bowl, add mix the moosir and mayo. Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge for the flavour of the moosir to permeate through the mayo (no less than 3 hours before you want to eat your burger).

Prepare the flour coating and fry the chicken
1) Make the coating by combining the flour, advieh, za'atar, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper.
2) Drain the chicken thighs and sliced onion, reserving the marinade. One by one, dredge each thigh in the flour, then dip in the reserved marinade, then dredge again in the flour, pressing on as much as you can to coat. Transfer the coated thighs to a large plate. Do the same with the sliced onions.
3) Heat a 20cm depth of oil in a saucepan or deep-fat fryer until it reaches 175C (please be careful with the hot oil and do not leave it unattended). 

4) Lower two of the thighs in at a time and fry undisturbed for 3 mins, making sure the temperature doesn’t drop below 160C (it should stay at about 170C). Fry until deeply golden and crisp on both sides. Lift the chicken out and transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain, then put on a rack and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining thighs and sliced onions. When all the chicken and onions have been fried get ready to build your burger!

Serving the chicken burgers
1) Lightly toast your burger buns. Spread the Moosir Mayo on both ends of the buns, layer with lettuce, sliced tomatoes, Perisan pickled cucumbers, the fried chicken thigh, ketchup, the crispy fried onions and Thai Basil. Pop the top of the bun on and tuck in! A side of fries go very well with this burger and hopefully there will be some of the Moosir Mayo left to dip into.