by Henry Gould – Sept 23rd, 2020

Food trends come and go with reckless abandon. In the mid to late 2000’s it was pulled pork on everything, yam fries and chipotle mayo that reigned supreme. Since then we’ve had a poke revolutions, “natural wine”, desserts with non-traditional ingredients (miso ice cream anyone?) and chefs fermenting anything that wasn’t nailed down.

It’s safe to say fried chicken sandwiches are the new hottest thing, with regional varieties like Nashville Hot Chicken getting special attention, especially at legendary Vancouver spot DL Chicken Shack on Commercial Drive.

Fried chicken is my kryptonite, but at home it’s messy and annoying to make. Instead, these chicken burgers use grilled thighs that are made extra crispy on the BBQ before being doused in hot sauce and layered on a soft sesame seed bun. It tickles the itch without going through the drive thru.

One little sesame seed bun probably won’t kill you (check out our blog on how cheat meals aren’t that big a deal) but if you want to skip it, just wrap the chicken in the iceberg lettuce.

RECIPE – Spicy Chicken Burgers w/ Japaleno Mayo

Makes 4 burgers

• 8 boneless chicken thighs
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1 jalapeno, chopped finely
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise 
• 1 tsp whole grain mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• Iceberg lettuce
• 4 sesame seed buns (Cobs Bread buns are particularly good)
• Sliced pickles
• Frank’s red hot sauce

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat your BBQ to high, then grill the thighs for 10-15 minutes, turning regularly. You want to get the thighs dark brown and crispy, but not blackened.

In the meantime, make the sauce. Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, jalapeno and a pinch of black pepper together until smooth. Set aside.

Once the thighs are very brown and crispy, take off and allow to rest for a minute. Put the thighs in a large bowl, then shake over a generous amount of hot sauce. Toss to coat.

Toast the buns, then spread on each side with the sauce. Put pickles on the bottom bun, then iceberg lettuce, then 2 chicken thighs per burger.

Devour.