Wednesday 15 March 2017

Smoky Tandoori Chicken Burgers.



Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's one of those burgers where all the ingredients just work together so well.
We love a good burger round here as do most people but sometimes they don't have much flavour going on.
These smoky tandoori chicken burgers have all the flavour and more!
We start with burger buns which were grilled up with cheese slices. The cheese melts, the bun edges get crispy and everyone's happy.
Then, we spread on the burger sauce. This time, I whipped a sweet and sour one up with pickled jalapenos, sweet chilli sauce and mayonnaise. On their own, they can be either too sweet or too sour but together with the creamy mayonnaise, the sweet chilli and pickled jalapenos are perfection.
Finally, the star of the burger which is of course, the smoky tandoori chicken. We marinade chicken breast slices with smoky spices like tandoori masala and garam masala. Once they're cooked, we smoke them with a hot coal which is so much easier to do than it sounds. We've tried these burgers with both smoked and unsmoked chicken. The smoked version won hands down. I hope you give them a go on your next burger night!

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Smoky Tandoori Chicken:

1. Chicken Breast Slices
2. Salt
3. Red Chilli Powder
4. Lemon Juice
5. Ginger Paste
6. Garlic Paste
7. Tandoori Masala Powder
8. Garam Masala
9. Yoghurt
10. Oil

For the Sweet Chilli Burger Sauce:
1. Pickled Jalapenos
2. Sweet Chilli Sauce
3. Mayonnaise

For the Burgers:
1. Burger Buns
2. Cheese Slices
3. Salad

Bismillah, let's begin!

Let's start by marinading the chicken. I used 2 large Chicken Breasts, which I cut horizontally into slices. I find that having them thin like this makes eating them in a burger so much easier.

To the chicken, add 1/2 teaspoon Salt.

1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

And, 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice.

Remember, you can adjust the salt and red chilli powder to taste.


Give everything a good stir until the chicken is well coated.


Set the chicken aside to marinade for 15 minutes.

Then, add in the rest of the marinade ingredients. Starting with 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste.


1 teaspoon Garlic Paste


2 tablespoons Tandoori Masala Powder


1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala


3 tablespoons Yoghurt

I used a plain natural yoghurt but Greek yoghurt would work well here too.


Finally, a little oil. I used rapeseed oil but vegetable or olive would be good here too.


Add in 2 tablespoons Rapeseed Oil.


And, that's it!


Stir everything really well and set the chicken aside to marinade for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. If you're in a real rush, you can cook the chicken straight away.


When you're ready to cook, place a large pan over a high heat.


Add the chicken slices in a single layer. I managed to fit 4 at a time so cooked my chicken in batches.


Brown the chicken for 1 minute on each side over a high heat.


Then, add a small splash of Water and cover with a lid. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.


Once cooked, uncover.



And, turn the heat up to dry out any extra liquid.


Continue cooking the rest of the chicken.


To smoke the chicken, you'll need a piece of coal. I used this one! Heat the coal over a gas flame until it begins to turn white. 


Place all your cooked chicken back into the pan with the heat turned off. Put a small piece of foil into the middle.


Use a pair of tongs to put the hot coal onto the foil.


Drizzle with a little Vegetable Oil which will make the coal smoke.




Cover the pan with a lid and leave for a few minutes or until the smoke has settled.


The chicken is ready to use!


Next, let's make the burger sauce which starts with pickled jalapenos.


Into a bowl, place 1 tablespoons Pickled Jalapenos, diced and 1 tablespoon Pickled Jalapeno Juice, from the jar.


Squeeze in 2 tablespoons Sweet Chilli Sauce.


The combination of the sweet sauce and the pickled chillies is so good!


Finally, add in 3 tablespoons Mayonnaise.


Time to stir up!


And, the burger sauce is ready!



To assemble the burgers, take Burger Buns.


Slice them in half.



Pop a slice of Cheese onto one half.

Then, grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden at the edges.


Grab your burger sauce which you can double or triple, as needed.


Spread some sauce onto the toasted bun.


Then, place on some of the smoked chicken.


Look at that melted cheese!


You can keep the burgers like this ...


... add in some salad!

Which I did!


Pop the lids onto the burgers and serve!


These burgers were so good! The combination of the melted cheese, crispy bun, smoky chicken with the sweet and sour burger sauce was a hit with everyone!

Smoky Tandoori Chicken Burgers.

Prep Time: About 30 minutes + added marinading time.
Cook Time: About 20 minutes.
Serves: Makes about 5 burgers.

Ingredients

For the Smoky Tandoori Chicken
2 large Chicken Breasts, cut horizontally into slices
1/2 teaspoon Salt 
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
2 tablespoons Tandoori Masala Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
3 tablespoons Yoghurt
2 tablespoons Rapeseed Oil
1 piece of Coal, for smoking
Vegetable Oil, for smoking

For the Sweet Chilli Burger Sauce
1 tablespoon Pickled Jalapenos, diced
1 tablespoon Pickled Jalapeno Juice, from the jar
2 tablespoons Sweet Chilli Sauce
3 tablespoons Mayonnaise

For the Burgers
Burger Buns
Cheese Slices
Salad, to taste

Marinade the chicken:
Mix together the chicken slices, salt, red chilli powder and lemon juice. Set aside to marinade for 15 minutes. Then, add in the ginger paste, garlic paste, tandoori masala powder, garam masala, yoghurt and rapeseed oil. Mix well and set aside to marinade for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

Cook the chicken:
Heat a large pan over a high heat. Add in the chicken slices and brown for a minute on each side. Add a small splash of water and cover with a lid. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Dry out any excess liquid. Remove from the pan and continue cooking the rest of the chicken.

Smoke the chicken:
Place the cooked chicken slices back into the pan. Heat the piece of coal over a gas flame until it begins to turn white, turning it every now and then. Place a small piece of foil in the middle of the pan. Use a pair of tongs to place the hot coal on the foil. Drizzle on a little vegetable oil. The coal will begin to smoke so cover the pan with a lid. Let the chicken smoke for a few minutes or until the smoke settles.

Make the burger sauce:
Stir together the pickled jalapenos, pickled jalapeno juice, sweet chilli sauce and mayonnaise.

Assemble the burgers:
Slice the buns in half. Place a slice of cheese on half. Toast both bun halves under a hot grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is crispy. Spread a little burger sauce onto the toasted bun. Add in the smoked chicken and salad. Sandwich the buns together and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • You can double or triple the burger sauce as needed.
  • You don't have to smoke the chicken. It is just as tasty without being smoked.

{adapted from cook with faiza}

This Time One Year Ago:
Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your burgers!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


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