Oven-Baked Crispy Chicken Burger

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g chicken breast (4 fillets, about 150 g each)
• 20 g plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 70 g panko breadcrumbs + 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 3 tbsp olive oil (2 for the fries, 1 for the chicken)
• 600 g sweet potatoes (2 of about 300 g each)
• 4 wholemeal burger buns
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 1 tomato (about 150 g)
• 4 gherkins (about 40 g)
• 120 g 2% Greek yoghurt + 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (for the sauce)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Baking tray + baking paper
• Oven rack
• Rolling pin
• 3 shallow bowls
• Kitchen knife
• Bowl

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1 cm thick sticks, all the same size so they cook at the same rate. Toss them on the baking tray lined with baking paper with 2 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt.
2. Spread the fries out in a single layer without overlapping, otherwise they steam and stay soft. Bake on the bottom shelf for 30 to 35 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden at the edges.
3. Meanwhile, place each chicken fillet between two sheets of baking paper and flatten with a rolling pin to an even 1.5 cm thickness: it will cook evenly without drying out. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Set up three shallow bowls: flour in the first, eggs beaten with a pinch of salt in the second, and the breadcrumbs mixed with the paprika in the third. Dip each fillet in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs, pressing firmly.
5. Place the breaded fillets on the rack, drizzle with the last tbsp of oil and slide the rack into the middle of the oven 15 minutes after the fries: the air circulates underneath so both sides crisp up. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the coating is golden and the centre is white all the way through.
6. While they cook, mix the Greek yoghurt and mustard in the bowl with a little pepper. Wash and dry the lettuce, cut the tomato into 4 thick slices and the gherkins into thin lengthways slices.
7. Split the buns and put them in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes at the end of cooking, cut side up, so they're warm and slightly crisp. A toasted bun absorbs less sauce and doesn't go soggy.
8. Assemble the burgers: spread sauce on both halves of the buns, add the lettuce, crispy chicken, tomato and gherkins, then close. Serve immediately with the sweet potato fries while they're still crisp.