Crunch first, then juice, then a slow glow of heat: a crispy chilli burger brings together two food traditions that grew up thousands of kilometres apart. The breaded chicken comes from the American South, the jalapeño from eastern Mexico. Put them in a soft bun and every bite carries crackle, freshness and fire at the same time.
At a glance
- Name: crispy chilli burger, also known as a crispy chicken burger with jalapeños
- Origin: the fried chicken sandwich of the US South, with a chilli from Veracruz, Mexico
- Flavour: crunchy, juicy, savoury, with a bright, grassy heat
- Key ingredients: breaded chicken fillet, jalapeños, bun, lettuce, sauce
- Eat it with: something cooling, such as spiced buttermilk or yoghurt
From Southern fried chicken to the burger bun
Frying chicken in hot fat was not an American idea to begin with. The oldest written recipes for fried chicken come from Scotland, one of them dated 1747. In the American South that technique met the seasoning skills of West African cooks, and out of the two grew what the world now calls Southern fried chicken: golden and well spiced outside, soft and moist within. The phrase “fried chicken” turns up more and more often in American cookbooks through the nineteenth century.
Putting it in bread was the obvious next step for anyone who wanted to eat on the move. By the early twentieth century, small diners and delis across the United States were selling fried chicken between two slices as a quick, filling lunch. In 1964 an American fast-food chain launched a breaded chicken fillet with pickles on a soft bun, which is often credited as one of the first sandwiches of its kind sold on a large scale. Exactly who invented the chicken burger, though, is still argued over.
A proper crispy burger is ready when you can hear it crunch from the next room.
Burger or sandwich?
In the United States a whole breaded fillet in a bun is usually called a chicken sandwich, while “chicken burger” often means a patty made from minced chicken. Europe is far more relaxed about it: in Germany and Britain almost anything round served in a bun is a burger. A crispy burger, in that sense, is simply a chicken fillet sandwich with a shorter name.
The jalapeño: Mexico’s best-known chilli
The jalapeño takes its name from Xalapa, the capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city’s name comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and roughly means “spring in the sand”. Oddly enough, hardly any jalapeños are grown around Xalapa today. The city made its name in the nineteenth century as the place where people began pickling the peppers and packing them into tins. Much of Mexico’s harvest now comes from the northern state of Chihuahua.
Chillies were farmed in Mexico long before the Spanish arrived, and Aztec markets already sold smoked peppers. The chipotle we know today is nothing more than a ripe jalapeño that has been smoked and dried.
How hot is a jalapeño?
On the Scoville scale, which measures the heat of chillies, jalapeños sit at roughly 2,500 to 8,000 units, sometimes higher. That is clearly noticeable but a long way from the fiercest varieties. A serrano is around three times hotter, a poblano much milder. Most of the heat lives in the pale ribs around the seeds rather than in the flesh itself. Green jalapeños are picked unripe and taste fresher; red ones are fully ripe, a little sweeter and often hotter.
How a crispy chilli burger is made
A good crispy burger depends on a handful of parts, and every one of them has to be right.
1. The chicken fillet
Chicken breast or a thinly cut fillet is used so that it cooks evenly. The meat is seasoned before breading, classically with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic. Many Southern recipes soak it in buttermilk first, because the gentle acidity makes the meat more tender.
2. The coating
For the crust, the fillet is turned in seasoned flour and sometimes in breadcrumbs or coarse Japanese panko as well. The rougher the surface, the more little peaks and edges there are to turn crisp in the hot fat.
3. The fry
In hot oil the coating quickly sets into a golden shell. It keeps the juices inside the meat while the outside turns into that shattering crust. Then the fillet goes into the bun with lettuce, sauce and rings of jalapeño.
What does a crispy chilli burger taste like?
The first thing you notice is the sound: the crust cracks and the chicken underneath is soft and juicy. Then the jalapeño arrives, with a bright, almost grassy taste, a faint green bitterness and a heat that builds slowly rather than hitting all at once. Pickled jalapeños add a gentle sourness that cuts neatly through the richness of anything fried. The soft bun and the sauce catch it all and keep things in balance.
That contrast is the whole point: fat and crunch on one side, acidity, freshness and heat on the other. None of them would work half as well on its own.
How it compares
- Classic crispy chicken burger: the same crunchy fillet without the chilli, mild and juicy, ideal for anyone who avoids heat.
- Chilli burger with a beef patty: meatier and heavier, usually paired with chilli sauce. Chicken is lighter and leaves more room for the jalapeño to shine.
- Nashville hot chicken: here the heat sits in the crust itself, as the fried chicken is brushed with a fiery, cayenne-heavy paste.
- Katsu sando from Japan: panko-breaded meat in soft white bread, usually with a dark, fruity sauce.
What goes with a crispy chilli burger?
Even people who love heat want something to balance it. In India, spicy food is often eaten alongside dairy, and for good reason: the fat in yoghurt or buttermilk takes up the chilli’s heat and calms the palate. A glass of spiced buttermilk or a cool yoghurt dip therefore works surprisingly well next to a burger loaded with jalapeños.
Crispy chicken around the world
From the United States, crispy chicken in a bun has travelled everywhere. In Ireland the chicken fillet roll is a lunchtime staple, in Japan the katsu sando, and in Korea crispy chicken is often glazed sweet and spicy. Québec even has a “hot chicken” sandwich smothered in gravy. In the US, the chicken sandwich now appears on more menus than many classic beef burgers, and the jalapeño has long been a standard topping on burgers and nachos worldwide.
Big Crispy Chilli Burger at Masalas
Our Big Crispy Chilli Burger is a crispy chicken fillet with jalapeños, made for anyone who likes a little fire in their burger. Like all our meat, the chicken is halal.
Our kitchen is in Berlin-Köpenick: we deliver the burger to your door, or you can collect it fresh from us.
Big Crispy Chili Burger
Chicken fillet with jalapeños
Allergens: gluten, celery
Order nowGoes well with it
More variations at Masalas
Big Crispy Chilli Burger FAQ
How spicy is the Big Crispy Chilli Burger?
The heat comes from the jalapeños, which sit in the middle of the chilli range: clearly there, but far from extreme. If you would rather have no heat at all, choose our Big Crispyburger.
Where does the jalapeño get its name?
From Xalapa, the capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz, where jalapeños were first pickled and tinned on a larger scale in the nineteenth century.
Which allergens does the Big Crispy Chilli Burger contain?
The Big Crispy Chilli Burger contains gluten and celery. If you have an allergy, please call us before you order: 030 66068017.
