Crispy Chicken Burger Recipe (or Zinger Burger): Chicken breast soaked in a buttermilk marinade, spices, and hot sauce then breaded and fried before being sandwiched between two hamburger buns.
With our now, WORLD FAMOUS burger recipe, I knew we had to create more burger recipes for you, even if that meant, chicken burgers! So today, get ready because this may be your new favorite chicken sandwich, especially if you’re a fan of the Zinger burger from KFC!
Why you’ll love this fried chicken burger recipe
If you love a good fried chicken burger but you don’t own a deep fryer (and you don’t feel like ordering take out tonight), this fried chicken burger made in a skillet is going to blow your mind. This homemade version of a crispy chicken burger will give you all the crunch and all the flavor you’ve been craving!
I know the idea of frying chicken might seem intimidating, but I promise it’s not as scary as all that. Follow along below and I’ll show you how easy it can be!
Zinger burger copycat
Did you ever have the Zinger burger from KFC? Oh my goodness. That crispy chicken patty, with a little heat… was BEYOND delicious. It has since been discontinued but with this crispy chicken sandwich, topped with the optional sauce recipe below, your zinger burger lovin-heart will once again be fulfilled. This reminds me SO much of it and I can’t wait to share it with you!
Pair this crispy chicken burger recipe with our Baked Fiesta Ranch Potato Wedges and The BEST Side Salad Recipe for a dinner time your family won’t soon forget!
Jump to:
Ingredients for crispy chicken burgers
- 4 small chicken breasts, thawed & raw (or 2 large breasts, cut in half)
- 32 ounces vegetable oil
Chicken marinade ingredients
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce of your choice (our favorite is Frank’s Red Hot)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Ingredients for seasoned flour mixture to bread chicken
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Toppings
If desired of course. (Make sure to see the sauce recipe below too if that’s something you’d love to top this with!)
- 4 large hamburger buns (brioche buns are our FAVE!)
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, washed
- 8 pickle slices
How to make chicken burger
- Wrap chicken breasts in plastic wrap/cling film and place them on a cutting board. Using a mallet or other kitchen tool (like a rolling pin), pound the chicken pieces until evenly thick (about ¾ inch).
- Combine your marinade ingredients (buttermilk, hot sauce, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper) into a large bowl and whisk together.
Optional – You can add the chicken breasts to the marinade and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Then remove the chicken from the marinade (reserving marinade to use when coating chicken breasts) and allow chicken to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature before moving on with the recipe.
Marinade 
Mix marinade
- Add remaining cup of flour to the marinade and mix. Set aside.
- Add the ingredients for the seasoned flour mixture used to bread the chicken into a small bowl and whisk together. Pour this onto a large plate or into a shallow bowl.
Seasoning Whisk together.
- Add oil to a large skillet on medium heat and let it heat up. Grab one piece of chicken at a time and dip it into the marinade/flour mixture until it’s completely coated, then dredge chicken in the seasoned flour batter mixture (coat it, making sure all sides are covered). Use your hands to press firmly to ensure the batter mixture sticks.
Dip chicken Coat chicken
Repeat this process (dip in marinade, coat in batter mixture) twice for each chicken breast, gently shaking off any excess flour mixture when you are done.
Dip marinade again Coat again
- Once all breasts are thoroughly coated, place them into hot oil making sure they are not touching each other (you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your chicken and the size of your pan). Fry for 8 minutes, then flip and fry for an additional 7 minutes. The chicken patties should be golden brown when finished.
- Remove the chicken from the oil and place on a wire rack that’s sitting over a baking tray or pan (you could also place some paper towel on the baking tray/pan to catch the excess oil that drips off).
Next, make the burger sauce…
Crispy chicken burger sauce
This creamy mayonnaise-based sauce is delicious on chicken burgers (and with fries, and for dipping chicken fingers in…) and it’s SO easy to make!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce of your choice
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a small bowl, add sauce ingredients – mayo, ketchup, hot sauce, paprika, and ground pepper, then whisk until combined. And voila, your crispy chicken burger sauce is ready to go!
- Open the hamburger buns and spread the creamy mayonnaise mixture onto the top bun. Place pickle slices, fried chicken breast, and a slice of cheese onto the bottom bun, then top with tomato slices and fresh lettuce.
Sauce on bun Cheddar cheese Lettuce
Substitutions
If you are looking for a healthier version of a crispy chicken sandwich, try swapping out the hamburger bun for romaine lettuce! Lay 4-5 romaine lettuce leaves out, overlapping the edges slightly. Place your burger and toppings in the center of the lettuce and then fold the edges up around it.
It’s messy, but it’s delicious and it cuts down the calories and carbs in this recipe.
Variations
If this isn’t your first chicken breast burger recipe and you’re looking for ways to change things up, try these variations…
Instead of cheddar cheese, try a jalapeño Havarti cheese for an extra kick.
Instead of hamburger buns, try using toasted brioche buns for a more decadent experience!
Storage
Store the crispy chicken burger patties, sauce, and toppings separately in airtight, sealed containers. When you are ready to eat, warm the patties up and then assemble your chicken sandwiches as specified in the recipe.
Expert tips and FAQs
Switching up the style of bun you use can add a bit of variety to your chicken burger.
Do you like a really soft, sweet bun? Try a Hawaiian roll.
Looking for something super soft and decadent? Brioche rolls are for you!
If you’re interested in something more classic, try using a classic hamburger bun but instead of leaving them as is try toasted buns.
You sure can, but chicken tenders are smaller than a breast so your resulting chicken patty will be a bit smaller as well.
Related Recipes
If you loved this crispy chicken burger recipe, you’ll also love these Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders and these Air Fryer Chicken Legs!
More Burger Recipes
But if you’re a burger lover, you definitely don’t want to miss our stove-top burgers, donut burgers, waffle burgers, and our cheeseburger sliders. (Yeah, we’re kind of addicted to burgers around here!)
Crispy Chicken Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 small chicken breasts thawed and raw (or 2 large breasts, cut in half)
- 32 ounces vegetable oil
Chicken Marinade
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce brand of your choice (our favorite is Frank's Red hot)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Flour Mixture for Breading Chicken
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Toppings
- 4 large hamburger buns
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 2 large tomatoes sliced
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce washed
- 8 pickle slices
Crispy Chicken Burger Sauce
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce brand of your choice
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wrap chicken breasts in plastic wrap/cling film and place them on a cutting board. Using a mallet or other kitchen tool (like a rolling pin), pound the chicken pieces until evenly thick (about ¾ inch).
- Combine your marinade ingredients (buttermilk, hot sauce, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper) into a large bowl and whisk together. Optional – You can add the chicken breasts to the marinade and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Then remove the chicken from the marinade (reserving marinade to use when coating chicken breasts) and allow chicken to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature before moving on with the recipe.
- Add remaining cup of flour to the marinade and mix. Set aside.
- Add the ingredients for the batter to bread the chicken into a small bowl and whisk together. Pour this onto a large plate or into a shallow bowl.
- Add oil to a large skillet on medium heat and let it heat up. Grab one piece of chicken at a time and dip it into the marinade/flour mixture until it's completely coated, then dredge chicken in the seasoned flour batter mixture (coat it, making sure all sides are covered). Use your hands to press firmly to ensure the batter mixture sticks. Repeat this process (dip in marinade, coat in batter mixture) twice for each chicken breast, gently shaking off any excess flour mixture when you are done.
- Once all breasts are thoroughly coated, place them into hot oil making sure they are not touching each other (you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your chicken and the size of your pan). Fry for 8 minutes, then flip and fry for an additional 7 minutes. The chicken patties should be golden brown when finished.
- Remove the chicken from the oil and place on a wire rack that's sitting over a baking tray or pan (you could also place some paper towel on the baking tray/pan to catch the excess oil that drips off).
- In a small bowl, add your sauce ingredients – mayo, ketchup, hot sauce, paprika, and ground pepper, then whisk until combined.
- Open the hamburger buns and spread the creamy mayonnaise mixture onto the top bun. Place pickle slices, fried chicken breast, and a slice of cheese onto the bottom bun, then top with tomato slices and fresh lettuce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Food safety
Here are a few tips for you to keep in mind if you are relatively new to cooking…
- Cook chicken to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash your hands after touching raw meat
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds (like the vegetable oil called for in this recipe)
- Always ensure you have proper ventilation when cooking with hot oil (turn your oven fan on, open a nearby window)
You can learn more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Audra Fox says
My kids loved these burgers so much! And they were super easy to make. Thank you!
Jessica says
Yay!! There’s nothing better than a crispy chicken burger in my opinion! Haha, thank you!
Erin says
My husband is a HUGE fan of this recipe. Anything crispy and spicy he can’t resist! Thanks!
Jessica says
Woo hoo! I have to agree with your husband there. Haha! So glad that he liked the zinger burger! Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Andrea Thueson says
This crispy chicken sandwich was so goood! It tasted even better than take-out!
Jessica says
Aw yay! We think this chicken sandwich tastes better than fast food too! Thank you!
Brian says
Was looking all this for a good sauce recipe. Almost gave up hope when I came across your website. It is, by far the best recipe out there. This is the one thing holding us back from having zingers more often.
Jessica says
Ahhh!! That’s so awesome to hear Brian, thank you! I’m thrilled that you didn’t give up and you came across this recipe to try!! Woo hoo! Thanks again!