Buttermilk Fried Crispy Burger

Ingredients 

• 1 boneless and skinless chicken breast, about half a pound or 8 ounces
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, use ½ teaspoon if you want less of a thyme flavour
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon sriracha, or your favourite hot sauce
• canola or corn oil, enough to come up to 2 inches up the side of the pot

Other Burger Ingredients

• 2 burger buns, cut in half horizontally (if not already precut)
• Mayonnaise, to taste
• Shredded lettuce, to taste

Direction

1. Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise (into two equal pieces) so you have two pieces (one for each burger).
2. In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, dried thyme, mustard powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper until well combined. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk and sriracha (or hot sauce) until combined. Place chicken into buttermilk mixture and place in the fridge for an hour.
4. After an hour, remove chicken breast pieces from the buttermilk and allow excess buttermilk to drip off, back into the bowl.
5. Dredge chicken breast pieces in the reserved flour mixture, gently shaking off excess. 
6. Dunk chicken pieces again into buttermilk, again allow excess buttermilk to drip off back into the bowl.
7. Dredge chicken again in the flour mixture, gently shaking off excess.
8. Place the canola or corn oil into a large heavy-duty pot with high/tall sides suitable for frying (I used a high sided cast-iron pot).Note: Use enough oil to come up to 2 inches up the side of the pot. To monitor your oil temperature, a candy and deep-fry thermometer clipped to the side of the pot (with the tip submerged in the oil) is a great tool to use.
9. Heat the pot of oil over medium heat. You want an oil temperature of about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Note: I heated the oil to about 360 degrees Fahrenheit as the temperature will drop when the chicken is added.
10. Carefully place the chicken pieces into the hot oil, away from you, and cook for 3 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken pieces and continue to cook for another 3 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through (the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit when checked with an instant-read meat thermometer).Note: Depending on the thickness of the chicken, you may have to cook longer. To check the internal temperature of the chicken, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, all the way to the middle. Remove the thermometer from the chicken after checking the temperature.
11. Once cooked, carefully remove the chicken from the oil (a spider strainer works great for removing the cooked chicken).
12. If desired, place the cooked chicken burgers onto a paper towel-lined plate or on a wire rack (cooling rack) over a baking sheet to drain of any excess grease.
13. To assemble each crispy chicken burger: spread mayonnaise over the cut side of the bottom and top portion of the bun. Place chicken burger over bottom bun, then garnish with shredded lettuce. Place top bun over top to form the chicken burger. Serve and enjoy! Fan of spice? Feel free to drizzle some of your favourite hot sauce over the cooked chicken burger!