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Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich

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Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.  #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

This is one insanely delicious sandwich. I ate two the day I made them. One was lunch and once was dinner. These chicken sandwiches taste that good! And they are super crispy, too!!

What is nasi lemak?

Nasi lemak is a popular Malaysian dish. Nasi is rice and lemak is creamy. It consists of creamy coconut milk rice, crispy fried anchovies, toasted peanuts, and cucumber. Served with hard boiled eggs and sambal, of course. I know. It sounds like such an interesting combination of flavors and textures. I would probably stop at the anchovies. Because I do not like them.

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.  #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

The key to delicious nasi lemak is the type of leaves used to cook this dish. Pandan leaves are the best, from what I’ve read. No, I’ve never made this dish. It’s on my list of things to try, though. So I’ll need to find me some pandan leaves. They have a highly fragrant and sweet aroma that is infused in the rice when steaming.

What is a nasi lemak chicken sandwich?

Well, it’s technically called a “burger” but there is no ground meat in this sandwich. So, I have a hard time calling it a burger. This “burger” is a McDonald’s creation based on the popular Malaysian dish. Though I miss the whole fried anchovies and peanuts from the burger.

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.  #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

This sandwich apparently had rave reviews and people loved it. So, McDonald’s brought it back in 2019, I think? Don’t quote me on that. But it became popular enough that many created similar recipes for the sandwich. I had plenty of images to look at for inspiration for my version of this sandwich.

This is one of those recipes where I see what’s in there and just sort of wing it. I mean, cucumber, fried egg, caramelized onions are all pretty standard. It’s the focus on the chicken patty, in this case a chicken thigh, that makes the difference. So, that’s where I focused my attentions.

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.  #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

Tempura batter in an air fryer?

I knew right off the bat that I wanted to leverage the method I used to make my oven fried fish sliders for this extra crispy chicken thigh patty. And yes, that consists of a tempura style batter. I wanted to completely coat the chicken in crispy flavor. With just a simple dredge in cornflake crumbs you wouldn’t get full coverage like that. Even with a flour, milk, and cornflake method you still don’t get a full coat of crispy goodness.

Enter the oven fried fish sliders. I created this recipe well before air fryers were a thing. I oven fried so many things trying to figure out the best way to get that fried crunch. That’s how I learned that toasted panko makes all the difference in the world for crunch. But there’s no panko in this recipe.

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.  #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

Those fish sliders were surprisingly crunchy, so I knew I had to use that method with this nasi lemak chicken sandwich to get a super crunchy patty for this sandwich. And these are SUPER crunchy!! First, you dredge the thighs in the flour mixture. This allows the tempura batter to stick to the thighs. And the tempura batter helps the cornflake crumbs stick to the thighs. It also allows for a complete coating of the chicken thighs.

I don’t know about you but I’ve oven and air fried a ton of things. I’ve tried the typical flour, milk or eggs, and breadcrumb coating for air frying. There’s still gaps in the coverage. Meaning the milk doesn’t do the best job of making sure the panko or, in this case, cornflake crumbs completely cover the chicken thigh. That’s what the tempura batter does. Allows for complete coverage of the chicken thigh and more cornflake crunch to stick to it.

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.  #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

What does the nasi lemak chicken sandwich taste like?

Well, first and foremost there’s the crunch. That’s the first thing you taste. All that crunch and sweet and spicy rub flavor. Next you taste the caramelized onions with all their sweetness. Then the rich egg and crispy cucumber. Finally, the sambal fry sauce adds a spicy and creamy kick to it all.

But then once you’ve had a bite or two you taste it. You say to yourself, “What is spicy in there?” Then you realize it’s the coconut lime sauce you marinated the chicken thighs in. Oh yes. I did the same thing. I tasted all the ingredients separately except the chicken patty. But then I tasted it by itself.

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.  #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

That spicy kick that hits you after a couple of bites is the coconut lime sauce used to marinade the chicken. I chose the coconut lime sauce because nasi lemak has coconut rice in there. And I thought the richness of the coconut lime sauce would make the chicken have that same richness. And I was right! The chicken has a tenderness and richness to it from the coconut lime marinade.

You can see all the layers of flavor that are in this sandwich. Yes. I still refuse to say burger. There’s no ground chicken in there. It’s a patty. So, it’s a sandwich to me. First there’s the sambal fry sauce. I used it on the bun to replace the mayo I normally put on there. Then you see the crisp cucumbers and sweet caramelized onions. That egg is hiding under the onions, but it’s there.

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.  #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld

Next is the star of the sandwich. And you can see how crispy and crunchy that chicken patty is. Mine is a little darker than I wanted it to be. I’ve adjusted the cooking time for the recipe so yours comes out perfect. Then I put more the sambal sauce on the bottom bun for a double whammy of sambal flavor.

I served mine on a sourdough hamburger bun. Though I didn’t taste the sourdough flavor all that much. I also made a regular chicken sandwich out of these thighs. That tasted just as amazing! I used regular mayo, lettuce, and tomato as toppings. The chicken thigh is just as rich and crunchy and tastes so delicious! Though I preferred the nasi lemak chicken sandwich with all its layers of flavors.

If you want to make these nasi lamak sandwich at home, head to the Serious Foodie site and grab your own Indonesian Sambal, Sri Lanka Coconut Lime hot sauce, and Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy rub.  Then get some chicken thighs, an air fryer, and cook them up for your family and friends!  Follow them on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter for more delicious products and recipe ideas!

Signature

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce. #SeriousFoodieRecipeChallenge #SeriousFoodie #BitesAroundTheWorld
Yield: 4

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Crispy Nasi Lemak Chicken Sandwich has so much flavor! It has a coconut lime marinated chicken thigh coated in corn cereal topped with caramelized onions, crispy cucumber, a fried egg, and delicious sambal fry sauce.

Ingredients

For the thighs:

For the coating:

  • 4 teaspoons Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy Rub
  • 1 1/2 cups cornflake crumbs
  • 1 cup flour, divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 large egg white
  • 2/3 cup cold seltzer water

For the toppings:

Instructions

For the thighs:

  1. Combine the Sri Lanka Coconut Lime Hot Sauce with the heavy cream in a zip top plastic bag.
  2. Add the chicken thighs and marinate overnight.
  3. Take the thighs out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.

For the coating:

  1. Combine 1/2 cup of flour with 2 teaspoons of the Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy Rub in a shallow dish and stir to combine.
  2. Place the cornflake crumbs in another shallow dish and sprinkle with the remaining Asian Fusion Sweet/Spicy Rub. Stir to combine.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining flour with the black pepper, salt, and cornstarch. Stir with a whisk to combine.
  4. Add the egg white and the seltzer water to the mixture and stir with a whisk until smooth.
  5. Dip the thighs in the flour and rub mixture first.
  6. Then dip them into the tempura batter.
  7. Finally, dredge them in the cornflake crumb mixture.
  8. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  9. Arrange the chicken thighs on the rack of your air fryer.
  10. Spray liberally with cooking spray.
  11. Set your cooker to Bake and cook the thighs at 370 for 10 minutes. If your cooker doesn’t have a Bake or Roast option, then Air Fry at 360 for 10 minutes.
  12. Change the setting to Air Fry and cook at 400 for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

For the toppings:

  1. While the thighs are cooking, combine the mayonnaise with the sambal sauce and set aside.
  2. Toast the hamburger buns lightly before spready 1 tablespoon of the sambal sauce on the bun.
  3. Top the bun with a chicken thigh, caramelized onions, thinly sliced cucumber, and a fried egg.
  4. Place the toasted top bun on top and serve with fries and the sambal fry sauce.

Did you make this recipe?

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