Garlic churrasco chicken burgers recipe

Prepare: overnight
Cook: 10 to 30 mins
Serve: Serves 2
Dietary: Egg-free Nut-free Pregnancy-friendly

Take your barbecue to the next level with these marinated chicken burgers. They are inspired by the flavours of churrasco – a barbecue beef dish popular in South America. Served with quick pickled onions and a spicy mayo.

By Brin Pirathapan

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Ingredients

For the marinated chicken

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 lemon, zest and juice
4 chicken thighs, boneless and skin removed

For the pickled onions

1 red onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lime, juice only
sprinkle salt

For the piri-piri mayo

3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 lemon, juice only

For the piri-piri salt

2 tsp salt
1 tbsp smoked paprika
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp caster sugar

For the garlic butter

1 garlic clove
30g/1oz butter, at room temperature
small handful fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped

To serve

2 brioche buns, split
lamb’s lettuce
frozen chips, cooked according to packet instructions

Recipe tips

How-to videos

Method

To marinate the chicken, mix all of the ingredients, except the chicken, together well in a large bowl. Set aside 1 tablespoon of this mixture in a small bowl.
Add the chicken to the large bowl with the marinade. Mix well and set aside. For best results, marinate overnight in the fridge.
To make the pickled onions, mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Massage the onions with your hands to speed up the pickling process. Set aside.
To make the piri-piri mayo, add the mayonnaise and lemon juice to the bowl with the reserved marinade and mix well. Set aside.
To make the piri-piri salt, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
To make the garlic butter, pound the garlic clove in a pestle and mortar to a paste and mix in the butter. Mix the parsley into the garlic butter. Spread the butter in the brioche buns and set aside.
Preheat a barbecue to hot. Place the chicken thighs on the grill and sear over direct heat until there are grill marks on both sides. Transfer to an area of indirect heat and barbecue until completely cooked through. (The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear with no trace of pink when the thickest part is pierced with a skewer. If you have a meat thermometer, make sure the temperature reaches 74C internally.)
Toast the garlic-buttered buns on the barbecue, buttered side up, in an area of indirect heat. Close the lid and cook for a couple of minutes then flip them over for about 10 seconds. Remove from the heat.
Add piri-piri mayo to the bottom of each burger bun and then add a small handful of the lettuce. Add two thighs to each bun and top with the pickled onions, another dollop of mayo and close with the top of the burger bun.
Add the piri-piri salt to the cooked chips and serve alongside the burgers.