Spicy Chicken Burger Meal Prep
Crispy, spiced chicken breast pieces with a tangy homemade burger sauce, built for meal prepping ahead and assembling fresh through the week. Bake or air fry, whichever you’d rather deal with.
Press the chicken firmly into the seasoned flour after the egg dip, a light dusting leaves patchy spots that won’t crisp evenly. Check for 74°C (165°F) with a thermometer rather than trusting the clock alone, breast thickness varies enough to throw off the timing.
The chicken and sauce keep separately, chicken in the fridge for 4 days or the freezer for 3 months, sauce in the fridge for 4 days. Assemble the burger fresh with bun and lettuce right before eating so nothing goes soggy.
Spicy Chicken Burger Meal Prep
CHICKEN · DINNER · MEDIUM
Fried chicken burger energy, minus the deep fryer
The double dip, egg first, then a well-packed seasoned flour coating, gives this chicken its crunch without ever touching a deep fryer. Press the coating on firmly and it holds up through baking or air frying.
A thermometer check at 74°C matters more than the clock here. Chicken breast pieces vary enough in thickness that the exact time in the oven or air fryer can shift a few minutes either way.
The sauce and seasoned chicken both hold up well ahead of time, so all that's left through the week is toasting a bun, warming the chicken, and adding lettuce right before you eat. No soggy pre-assembled burgers sitting in the fridge.
Spicy Chicken Burger Meal Prep
Ingredients
Chicken & Seasoning
- 3 Chicken Breasts Halved
- 8 g Onion Powder
- 8 g Garlic Powder
- 4 g Smoked Paprika
- 1 g Chilli Powder
- 1 g Dried Chilli Flakes Optional
- Salt & Pepper
Seasoned Flour & Egg
- 50 g Plain Flour All Purpose
- 8 g Smoked Paprika
- 2 g Celery Salt
- 2 g Garlic Salt
- 2 g Chilli Powder
- 2 g Baking Powder
- Ground White Pepper
- 2 Eggs Beaten
Burger Sauce
- 100 g Mayonnaise
- 2 g Yellow Mustard Powder
- 2 slices Dill Pickle Chopped
- 4 g Onion Powder
- 4 g Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper
Other Ingredients
- Cooking Oil
- 6 Burger Buns
- 6 Baby Romaine Lettuce Leaves Washed
Method
- Slice the chicken breasts and place into a bowl. Season with the chicken seasoning and mix to combine.
- Add all the seasoned flour ingredients, except the egg, to a bowl and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, crack and whisk the eggs.
- Dip the chicken into the egg, coating well, then transfer to the seasoned flour and coat thoroughly. Shake off any excess and place onto a lined baking tray or into an air fryer basket. Spray lightly with cooking oil.
- If baking, cook at 200°C (390°F) for 22–23 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F). If air frying, cook at 190°C (375°F) for 15–16 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through.
- In the meantime, mix all the burger sauce ingredients and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
- Toast the buns, or leave them fresh. Spread the burger sauce evenly across the top and bottom buns. Add the chicken and top with lettuce just before eating.
- Wrap tightly in food-safe paper or foil and serve.
Why check the internal temperature instead of just timing it?⌄
Chicken breast pieces aren't perfectly uniform, so thickness can vary from batch to batch. A thermometer reading of 74°C (165°F) is the only way to know for certain it's done, rather than guessing off the clock.
Can I bake these instead of air frying, or vice versa?⌄
Yes, both work well. Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 22-23 minutes or air fry at 190°C (375°F) for 15-16 minutes, flipping halfway either way, until golden and cooked through to 74°C (165°F).
Can I assemble the burgers ahead of time?⌄
Better not to. The bun and lettuce will go soggy sitting against the warm chicken in storage. Keep everything separate and build the burger fresh right before eating instead.
What can I use instead of dill pickles in the sauce?⌄
Sweet pickle relish or finely chopped gherkins both work as a swap. Just chop them small so they mix evenly through the sauce rather than sitting in chunks.
