Colm O'Gorman's gloriously messy crispy air fryer chicken burger with bacon and cheese

I am not a fan of what is often called convenience food, as it is more often than not highly processed and short on flavour. I am a huge fan, however, of food that is convenient and quick to make at home and which offer bags of flavour. That is why I love my air fryer. It is the perfect device to cook up a delicious meal in minutes, without all the faff, and the energy costs and time lost to pre-heating an oven. I use my air fryer more often than my oven these days. I would not be without it.

This crispy chicken burger is a perfect example of how you can make delicious ‘convenience’ food that is both tasty and nutritious at home. The easy singles cheese aside, this recipe uses fresh, nutritious ingredients and is infinitely tastier than the premade breaded chicken fillets you will find in the shops. I make no apology for the processed cheese; I just find it works better on burgers than cheddar.

Breading the chicken takes just minutes, time well spent for all the flavour you will get from this delicious, spiced golden crumb. Cooking it in the air fryer will give you a perfect crisp golden crust every time, but it also cooks pretty well in the oven if you do not have an air fryer. I give the method for both below.

You will find panko breadcrumbs in most supermarkets. These dried breadcrumbs are used a lot in Japanese food and I always buy mine from an Asian Supermarket as you can get a big bag of them there at a fraction of the price regular supermarkets charge.

You will find chipotle paste in most supermarkets, but if you cannot get hold of any, use some chilli sauce and a little smoked paprika instead.

Crispy chicken burger with bacon and cheese

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

These are gloriously messy to eat and you will likely need both hands to pick up the burger, so just give into it and enjoy!

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g boneless skinless chicken thighs

• 1 large egg

• 3 tbsp plain flour

• 100g panko dried breadcrumbs

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp onion powder

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp sea salt

• Olive oil spray

• 4-6 pieces streaky bacon

• 4 slices ‘easy singles’ cheese

• 4 brioche burger buns

• 1 avocado

• Little gem lettuce

• 2 tomatoes

• 2-3 spring onions

• 3 tbsp mayonnaise

• 2 tsp chipotle paste

Method

1. Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk it lightly. Put the flour in a second bowl, and combine the panko breadcrumbs, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika and sea salt in a third.

2. Line the three bowls up on your countertop, with a plate at the end.

3. Open out the chicken thighs and remove any excess fat from the meat. Just use a sharp knife to scrape any fat away, and if necessary, cut away any larger pieces. Working one chicken thigh at a time, toss each first in the flour, coating it well and shaking off any excess. Next, dip the chicken in the egg, again coating it thoroughly. Finally toss it in the breadcrumbs, gently pressing in the breadcrumbs to ensure the chicken is evenly coated. Place the breaded chicken pieces on the plate as you go. When they are all prepared, spray each on both sides with a little olive oil. You only need a little oil, two sprays on each side per piece of chicken will do it.

4. Pop the chicken into the basket of your air fryer, arranging the pieces in a single layer, taking care not to crowd the basket so that they cook evenly. Air fry at 200 Celsius for eight to ten minutes until the chicken is crisp and golden. The time needed will depend upon the size of the pieces, so check after eight minutes, and then give them an additional two minutes if necessary.

5. You can also cook the chicken in an oven if you do not have an air fryer. Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius and place the chicken on a nonstick oven tray. Cook for ten minutes, until the chicken is golden and crisp. If you have a probe meat thermometer, use that to check the internal temperature of the chicken. Once it is at 74 Celsius, it is done.

6. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the toppings. Grill the streaky bacon until it is crisp. I have a dual basket air fryer, so I just pop my bacon into the second drawer at 200 Celsius for about five minutes until it lovely and crispy.

7. You can of course do this under a conventional grill but I would advise against frying the bacon as you will not get it as crispy and delicious as it needs to be in a pan.

8. Lightly toast the burger buns. Wash the lettuce, tomatoes, and the spring onions. Slice the tomatoes and chop the spring onions. Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Peel it and then lay each half flat side down on a chopping board and cut it lengthways into slices.

9. When the chicken has about a minute left to go, lay a slice of cheese over each piece and pop it back in the air fryer or oven.

10. Combine the mayonnaise and chipotle paste in a bowl to make the burger sauce.

11. Time now to assembly your burgers. Start by laying some lettuce across the bottom halves of the toasted buns. Next, layer on the sliced avocado, followed by the bacon. Slices of tomato come next, followed by the crispy chicken smothered in melted cheese. Spoon over a dollop of burger sauce, sprinkle with chopped spring onion and top off the burgers with the other half of the toasted buns.

12. Serve immediately, with some air fried or oven chips.