There’s no need to resort to takeaway to indulge in a Portuguese chicken burger at home. Served with hand-cut, oven-baked chips and a sense of satisfaction, these fresh and fiery buns are delightfully simple to make yourself.
Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced. Cut potatoes into 2cm-thick chips. Shred lettuce and crush garlic. Zest and juice lemon. Combine sweet chilli sauce, garlic, lemon juice and zest and paprika in a bowl and stir to combine. Divide sauce between one large bowl (big enough to hold the chicken) and a smaller bowl.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread potato chips out in a single layer. Drizzle with 20ml (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil and season with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove chips, but leave the oven on to grill the chicken. While chips are baking, continue with step 3.
Slice chicken breast in half horizontally to yield 2 pieces of chicken. Slice each of these in half again. Place chicken in the large bowl of marinade and toss to coat. Set aside for 10 minutes at room temperature to marinate.
Place flour and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Dust chicken well in flour. Heat remaining vegetable oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Cook chicken, in batches, for 4–5 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through.
Place chicken on a baking tray and scatter with cheese. Place in the oven and grill for 2–3 minutes or until cheese has just started to melt. Meanwhile, heat a frypan over medium-high heat and toast buns, cut-side down, for 1–2 minutes or until golden.
Spread mayonnaise over top and base of burger buns. Top each bun with lettuce and top with chicken pieces. Drizzle with reserved sauce and sandwich with bun tops. Serve immediately with chips.