My tried and tested Crispy Chicken Burger with Honey Mustard Coleslaw is the best you're going to eat (did I tell you I worked in a fried chicken shop for many years when I was younger?). Using my secret recipe for making the perfect Crispy Chicken, served on a toasted brioche bun, with jalapenos, homemade honey-mustard coleslaw and crunchy lettuce. Way better than takeout!
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We spent Saturday at the Dartmouth Food Festival, sampling the fab food on offer and it reminded me how much I love street food.
One of my favourite make-at-home street food recipes is this crispy buttermilk chicken burger, piled high with honey mustard coleslaw.
I've perfected the coating for the buttermilk fried chicken over a number of years. It's super simple to make, REALLY tasty and I use it as a basis for this burger recipe but also some of my other fried chicken recipes, like my Korean Fried Chicken, my base recipe for Crispy Chicken Tenders and Crispy Fried Chicken pieces, as well as my Asian-inspired Chinese Crispy Chicken With Honey Garlic Sauce.
📋 What do we need?
Crispy Chicken
Honey Mustard Coleslaw
Buns and Toppings
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- First we marinade the chicken in buttermilk, salt, white pepper and garlic salt for at least a hour (up to overnight).
- Then we place all of the honey mustard coleslaw ingredients in a bowl and mix together (cover and refrigerate until ready to use).
- Once the chicken has marinaded, we coat it in my special secret mixture. Only joking, it’s not secret. Find the full mixture in the recipe card below.
Once the chicken tenders are coated then we fry in oil until you get this this delicious golden crispy chicken:
👩🍳PRO TIP You'll need to cook the chicken in a couple of batches, so keep the cooked chicken pieces warm in a low oven (on a tray, uncovered) whilst you cook the second batch.
Now you're ready to assemble your Chicken Burger.
What goes on a Chicken Burger?
To start with you have the Crispy Fried Chicken (of course), then I like to add:
- Lettuce: I use 'O' so sweet' variety but romaine or little gem work just as well.
- Cheese: You can use a nice gouda like I am here, sharp Cheddar, Swiss or American. I sometimes melt the cheese on the chicken in a warm oven, or you can simple place it on top of the chicken when assembling the burger.
- Toppings: I like fresh jalapeños and thinly sliced red onion.
- The honey mustard coleslaw (or go for my regular creamy coleslaw if you prefer)
- The bun: It has got to be a Brioche Bun for me. I love making these at home for my burgers. If you don't want to make them yourself, buy them, and then it's a good idea to toast them too (it helps them stay together better, as well as adding a little more texture and flavour)
The BEST thing about a burger is that you can be really creative. **Let us know in the comments below what you like on your burger.**
I've said it before, but I spent a fair few of my teenage years working in a fried chicken shop - so I know my way around a flippin' good chicken burger.
Although I'm not sure it can technically be classed as a burger if it's made of chunks of chicken breast? Maybe it's a Chicken Sandwich? But it's served in a bun and topped with lots of goodies, so I'm going with Chicken Burger anyway!
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Homemade Oven Chips - or try my Crispy Air Fryer Chips
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Swap out the honey mustard coleslaw for Creamy Coleslaw, BBQ Sauce or my Special Burger Sauce
- Why not try making your own Brioche Buns
🍲 More fantastic Burger or Sandwich recipes
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Crispy Chicken Burger with Honey Mustard Coleslaw
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 3 large chicken breasts - sliced into long, thick strips
- 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic salt
Crispy Chicken Coating:
- 180 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
Honey Mustard Coleslaw:
- ⅓ white cabbage
- 1 medium carrot - peeled
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- pinch black pepper
Also:
- oil - for deep frying
- 4 slices gouda cheese - I used the ready-sliced kind, or you can slice it yourself
- 4 brioche buns - toasted
- 8 pieces crunchy lettuce - - I used 'O' so sweet' variety but Romaine or Little Gem are great too
- ½ red onion - peeled and thinly sliced
- 1-2 jalapenos - sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour (up to over night)3 large chicken breasts, 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp white pepper, ¼ tsp garlic salt
- Preheat the oven to a low heat (to keep cooked chicken warm).
- Heat a large pan of cooking oil (or preheat your deep fat fryer) until hot (you can test by dropping a small cube of bread in there, if it rises immediately to the top and starts to bubble rapidly, it’s hot enough). You’ll need at least 1 litre (4 cups) of oil - but make sure your pan is no more than one third full.oil
- Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl.180 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp garlic salt, ½ tsp celery salt, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp chilli flakes
- Take the chicken out of the fridge. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture – ensuring it’s fully covered. Place on a tray and repeat until all of the chicken is coated.
- Once the oil is hot enough, add in 5 or 6 of the chicken tenders. You can add more or less depending on the size of your pan, just be sure not to overcrowd the chicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked in the middle. You can check this by cutting open a piece of chicken, if it’s no longer pink in the middle, it’s cooked.
- Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the chicken.
- Make the coleslaw by using a mandoline to julienne the cabbage and carrot (or you can slice thinly by hand). Place in a bowl with the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, lemon juice and black pepper. Stir together, then cover and refrigerate until needed.⅓ white cabbage, 1 medium carrot, 4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tsp lemon juice, pinch black pepper
- Now it's time to assemble. First, arrange the chicken tenders into four piles and place the gouda on top. Grill or place into a hot oven for a couple of minutes until just melted (this is optional - you don't have to melt the cheese if you don't want to).4 slices gouda cheese
- Place the bottom of the brioche buns on four plates. Top with the lettuce leaves and red onion slices, followed by the cheesy chicken pieces (or add the cheese after the chicken if you're not melting the cheese).4 brioche buns, 8 pieces crunchy lettuce
- Spoon on the coleslaw, then sprinkle on the jalapeno slices. Place the tops of the buns on top and serve.½ red onion, 1-2 jalapenos
Video
✎ Notes
Give it a stir before serving, as the liquid may gather at the bottom of the bowl. Making the chicken ahead If you wanted to cook the chicken ahead of time, you can do. Then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Reheat in the oven on a tray, in a single layer, uncovered, at 175C/350F for approx 10-12 minutes (or until piping hot throughout).
The chicken won't be quite as juicy, but it will still be very tasty. Prefer chicken/turkey steaks? If you'd rather have one steak-like piece of meat (instead of 3 tenders), you can use this recipe, but replace the chicken strips with four chicken sizzler steaks (or turkey steaks if you prefer). Marinade, coat and fry them in the same way as the chicken strips. You could also replace with 2 large chicken breasts if you prefer. Slice each breast horizontally, so you have four thin chicken steaks altogether. Nutrition info is approximate for one chicken burger. This info is approximate, as all of the flour may not be used up in coating the chicken (I've counted all of the flour as part of the nutritional info though). Also, I've included 1 tbsp of oil per serving to account for the oil that is absorbed during deep drying (this is an *approximate* amount, the chicken may absorb more or less).
Nutrition
This recipe was first posted in August 2017. Updated in August 2019 and then again in October 2022 with added photos, step by step process, tips, video and for general housekeeping.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Sheri says
Can I air fry this to make it healthier? Looks delicious
Lucy Chamberlain says
Love this recipe...I can't find buttermilk easily anymore so used kifer yoghurt I made worked great! Also no white cabbage so used red, still lush!
Daniel Orourke says
Excellent
Hannah says
Ah-mazing. A new favorite that I will be keeping forever. Making it for 24 people on my second go with it. This food needs to be shared.