At Cheeseburgerme, we have often discussed chicken burgers to be featured more in our content. Every time it is discussed, it falls out of favor. I am a fan of a good chicken burger, but, finding a good one in the UK is tougher than perhaps I realize. The grab-and-go KFC chicken burgers, which sometimes taste like you are eating cardboard with mayo, are not the best advertisement. Maybe the service station feeling that KFC can sometimes radiate deters me from ordering anything but side breasts. So, today, I want to discuss what makes the perfect chicken burger and who could be a contender for a good one.
Fried or Grilled Chicken Burger?
There is an element of health consciousness when deciding on a grilled or fried chicken burger. On what could be considered a ‘normal’ day, I guess the healthy side of me would say that a grilled chicken burger is okay. However, my reality still agrees that there is no comparison in terms of flavor. Grilled chicken can be a healthier substitute, but this is a burger website, not a training website. There is no better piece of chicken than a piece dripped in the flavorful flour mix, tossed in the fryer, and sealing valuable juices in the meat. There is just something about a crispy chicken stacked between two pieces of bread with mayonnaise and lettuce. Simplicity is also an element that is often overlooked when it comes to a chicken burger.
Grilled chicken is good; I get it for those ‘woke’ health-conscious guys. But, for me, it lacks the same punch that a fried chicken burger does. Nandos, one of the biggest chicken brands in the UK, makes a decent burger. But, regardless of how many times I try it, I am still left with an unsatisfying representation of a burger. Perhaps it is the privilege of working on a project which showcases some of the best burgers in London that sets the bar so high. We will save the chicken burger vs beef burger for another conversation! Frankly, a grilled chicken burger is something I will order when I am feeling a little fat or want to give my digestive system a break. But fried chicken is the way to go on any other day of the year.
So what makes a Good Fried Chicken Burger?
I lived in Asia for quite a while, and the fried chicken in countries like Korea and the Philippines was on levels of their own. The crunchiness of the batter, once it had been deep-fried, was exceptional. For some reason, they had an innate ability to fry chicken batter to perfection. I had varying flavors in batter, but the consistency was near enough, always perfect wherever I went. Here in the UK, we still struggle to find places that can execute on batter well. Some places are too crispy, which usually means thin and dried meat. Some too soggy, meaning bun slide, and usually fall apart buns due to the moisture. The textural component is an issue in itself, something that many of you KFC fans will find. The inconsistency of KFC is down to the chef. Unfortunately, a microwave won’t fry chicken.
The flavor profile changes drastically in the UK. If you head into London, you will find a chicken shop on virtually every high street. Some people believe that cheap chicken means it is poor chicken; I beg to differ. Some of the fried chicken burgers I have eaten in my younger days are among the best I have had in the UK. Agreed, the sourcing of the chicken is probably questionable, but flavor can be top-class in some of these joints.
If I were 18 again, I would attack every chicken shop from Hackney to Shepherds Bush! But at my age, too much fried chicken could send my organs into disarray. All the more reason to find somewhere that serves quality fried chicken, in a good batter, with a focus on the build of the stack. Chicken burgers should have the same attention a traditional burger gets, in my opinion.
So, what about Chicken and Cheese, should they go together on a Burger?
I have yet to figure out the answer to this question! I absolutely love chicken, and cheese is another favorite of mine, especially American Cheese. Nonetheless, they never seem to mix whenever I try a chicken burger with cheese. One of the more high profile failures is the Chicken Big Mac from McDonalds. I am still open minded to finding a good chicken burger that also contains cheese, I just have not come across one yet.
Some Aficionados are trying out there!
You will find some places trying to make a difference in the chicken burger game out there. One of which is the Bok Shop, in Brighton. I travelled to Brighton from London to try them out and ordered the Satay Night Fever, which was okay. Since my visit, Bok Shop is creative in its approach to chicken and has won multiple awards for its chicken wings. I want to head down to the seafront again to see the progression. Summer is on the way. Ill see you soon guys!
Another chicken-head company is The Wing Stop. Over the past couple of years, I have seen this brand spring up in multiple locations. Unfortunately, I have not tried their chicken burger, but I have tried the wings. The wings had the texture you hoped for, which was super crispy and well-cooked inside. I think The Wing Stop tends to market itself toward a younger demographic than myself. As I chewed on the spiciest wings in the building, I noticed the hoods and caps in a sea of young college-goers.
