Craving a burger that’s crunchy and juicy? This crispy Doritos chicken burger delivers. With spicy mayo and a fantastic Doritos crust, it’s a flavour-packed showstopper that’ll have your friends lining up at the grill.
This recipe makes two hefty chicken burgers, but once you’ve eaten them, you’ll wish you’d doubled the recipe.
Chicken breast doesn’t have a ton of flavour on its own because it’s so lean. That’s precisely why it’s perfect for marinating or seasoning. In this case, we’re using a dry rub to enhance the flavour. We score one side of the breast so the spices can penetrate deeply and quickly.
Then we brush the rubbed chicken with spicy mayo before pressing it into a crushed Doritos coating. Ensure that you cover the entire surface. Use any flavour of Doritos you like. We went with paprika.
We’re cooking this chicken indirectly on a Weber Lumin. It’s an electric grill, don’t shoot us. On the left side, we placed a smoke tray filled with a few wood chips. The grate is placed on top, and the chicken is put on top of the grate.
What you want is a thin, almost transparent stream of smoke. Thick, billowy smoke has too much soot, which clings to the meat and adds a bitter flavour. The real smoky taste comes from the gases in the smoke, not the smoke itself.
It’s better to toss in a few extra chips later for a longer smoke session than to dump in the whole bag and turn your backyard into a fog bank in five minutes.
Once the chicken hits an internal temperature of 70 °C (160 °F), it’s done. That’s the most important trick to remember when grilling chicken breast. Chicken breast is lean and tends to dry out quickly. So, the moment it reaches that safe temperature, pull it off. That’s when chicken breast is at its juiciest.
And this is our crispy Doritos chicken burger. We used tiger buns for extra crunch, slathered on more of that spicy mayo, then added lettuce, tomato, and pickles. It’s dangerously close to being the perfect sandwich.
Planning to make this burger yourself? Show it off. Because if you didn’t share it, did you even grill? Post a photo on your socials and tag @bbqhelden so we can check out your version.
Ingredients
(for 2 burgers; double as needed)
- 2 chicken breasts (or chicken cutlets)
- 1 bag of Doritos (any nacho-style flavour)
- Iceberg lettuce
- 2 tiger buns or burger buns
- Tomato slices
- Pickle slices
For the dry rub
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp granulated onion
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt
For the spicy mayo
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sriracha
Instructions
- Mix mayo and sriracha and set aside.
- Combine all dry‑rub ingredients in a bowl. Slice the chicken breasts crosswise (don’t cut through) to help flavour penetration. Apply a generous layer of dry rub inside and out.
- Brush each breast with about 1 tbsp of the spicy mayo.
- Crush Doritos by hand or with a rolling pin into coarse crumbs. Press enough onto each chicken breast to fully cover.
- Prepare your BBQ for indirect heat at 180 °C (around 355 °F). Place some smoke wood if you can. Some cherry wood works best.
- Grill the chicken, covered, until it reaches an internal temperature of 70°C (160°F). Then remove it from the grill and let it rest for a couple of minutes.
- Build your burger by spreading spicy mayo on each bun, layering it with lettuce, the chicken, tomato, and some pickles.
