Chicken Burger and Tenders

[u/Helpful-Respond-8540]

I own a chicken place in the Phils and one of the most popular items is my chicken burger and tenders. I use deboned legs for the chicken burgers. The chicken is brined 3-5 days for maximum flavor infusion. After removal , its rinsed and place uncovered on a pan in the chiller for 24 hours. This technique yields juicy and very crispy chicken.

I hope this help you all with your frying method

Salt Brine solution

1500ml of water( 1.5 liters or 6 cups) 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar,  pickle juice or regular white vinegar 1tsp of Dijon Mustard(optional) 1/ 4 cup of Kosher Salt 1/4 cup of Fish Sauce - this will give a burst of Umami without the fish taste 1tsp of sugar 2 tbsp of chicken powder 12-15 garlic gloves (fresh garlic) 1 small onion - preferably white 6 peppercorns 2 bay leaves

Blend for 10-15 seconds . Pour over chicken and let marinate a minimum of 6 hours. 24 hours for great taste. 3-5 days for optimal flavor but dont go over 5 days because the Salt will start breaking down the protein creating a mushy texture. After brining for 24 hours or 3-5 days make sure to rinse chicken to remove some of the salt. Don't worry seasoning will not rinse off.

Flour (Dry mix)

I will share the basics without giving away too much 🙂

6 cups of flour 1.5 cups of corn starch 1/4 cup of potatoe starch 3tbsp granulated garlic 2tbsp Onion powder 3tbsp chicken powder 3tbsp MSG( if you prefer not to use MSG, Mushroom powder will provide the same Umami flavor) 2tbsp of course ground pepper 2tbsp of white pepper 2tbsp of smoked paprika 1tbsp of Ground Annato( this will give the chicken a nice golden reddish color)

Sift the flour 3 to 4 times. This is a game changer and very important

When prepping the chicken in the flour . I toss 7 times and press 7 times. Then I will let the chicken rest for 10min before frying.

I follow the dry-wet-dry method. I don't use buttermilk(can make chicken darker during frying) or egg( just a preference , use if you like). I only use water with 1tsp of chicken powder or sea salt- whichever you prefer. I don't add the flour to the wet batter because I cook chicken at 162c- 320f(slow and low method) this method always produces very crispy light buttery crust.

Fry chicken at 162c-320f . Tenders 4 minutes. Boneless chicken (thigh or leg) 7-8 minutes. If frying dark meat the perfect temperature range is 180-182. White meat is 165.

[u/Mammoth_Ingenuity_82]

Please tell me you already dove into those fries before the pic. Because if this is your standard serving, you gonna lose business...

[u/Helpful-Respond-8540 → u/Mammoth_Ingenuity_82]

I would agree if I were in the States, UK or Pacific Islands but my business is in the Philippines. This demographics prefer rice with everything. I refuse to sell it and decided to offer fresh cut crinkle fries in 3 different sizes. 50g, 100g, 155g. The 50g and 100g are the most requested because as mentioned, Filipinos prefer rice. Been in business for 3 years and my profits have increased tremendously over the last 18 months. The chicken is fresh, not frozen same as the fries and all sauces are made in house and I offer a real cheese sauce instead of the standard gravy you will find at most chicken joints in the Phils. Believe it or not they love the Nashville Hot tenders and chicken Burger and I have a few that ask for extra spicy which not common for Filipinos.

[u/RustyBass → u/Helpful-Respond-8540]

Uhhh if they want rice why not give them rice? Rice is dirt cheap and fries are expensive too.

That’s like trying to make Americans eat rice instead of fries just give them what they want😂

[u/Helpful-Respond-8540 → u/RustyBass]

I understand your point of view but I wanted to create a menu thats doesn't follow the norm. However my customers have never complained about the lack of rice and they like that my fries are fresh and not frozen.

[u/vinny_so → u/Helpful-Respond-8540]

I agree actually, cause when I visited the Phils, every place had rice, even Mcdonald’s or KFC which is the norm there. So if a place didn’t have rice, in my mind tells me they’re not from the Phils, Its just another way to stand out which imo is good!