Homemade Crispy Chicken Burger with homemade rolls

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade rolls ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and Knead about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.
3. 3
   Cover and Let rise about an hour in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel

   💡Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.
4. 4
   Divide the dough into 12 equal balls: cut it with a bench scraper and roll each piece under your palm into a smooth ball.

   Bench scraperKitchen scale

   💡Balls of equal weight bake in the same time: weigh the dough and divide it by weight, not by eye.
5. 5
   Place the balls on parchment paper on a baking sheet, with space between each ball.

   Baking panParchment paper

   💡Leave space between the balls: they grow as they rise and in the oven, and when crowded they stick together and bake pale at the sides.
6. 6
   Cover and Let rise another 30 minutes, until the rolls have risen.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel
7. 7
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
8. 8
   Bake 15–20 minutes, until the rolls are golden.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.

For the Crispy Coating

1. 9
   Spread the flour on a flat plate.

   💡The flour dries the surface, the egg sticks to it and holds whatever comes next. Without the flour, the coating tends to peel off during frying.
2. 10
   Beat the eggs in a wide bowl.

   Bowl

   💡Work with one "dry" hand for the dry coating and one "wet" hand for the egg, so your fingers don't get caked in layers of coating.
3. 11
   On another flat plate, mix the crumbs with the paprika, salt and black pepper.

To assemble

1. 12
   Place the cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to an even thickness of ½–1 cm.

   Meat malletPlastic wrap

   💡Even thickness is the secret: a cutlet that's thick on one side and thin on the other comes out dry at the edge and raw in the middle.

   💡Pound gently from the center outward: the goal is even thickness, not the thinnest possible cut, and torn meat dries out as it cooks.
2. 13
   Pass each cutlet through the breading stations in order, pressing well so the coating sticks.
3. 14
   Heat the oil in a deep pot to 170–180°C (340–355°F) and fry 4–5 minutes per side, until the coating is golden and crisp.

   StoveSlotted spoonCandy/oil thermometerDeep pot for frying

   💡Keep the oil at 170–180°C: too cold, and the food soaks up oil; too hot, and it browns outside before the inside cooks. Without a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden spoon in the oil: when medium bubbles form around it right away, the oil is hot enough.

   💡Don't overload the oil: every piece that goes in cools it down. Fry one piece as a test, then the rest in several batches, and transfer to paper towels.
4. 15
   Transfer to paper towels.
5. 16
   Open each bun, spread the mayonnaise inside and fill with the lettuce and tomato slices and the schnitzel.

   Knife