Veterans of the Sydney burger scene, Chur Burger, are spreading their wings and branching out into the fried chicken game, launching their new “Chur-ken” menu at this year’s Night Noodle Markets.
Alongside their regular bun-based items, they’ll be dishing up wings in Asian-inflected flavours such as sweet and spicy Korean gochujang, honey soy garlic, and Szechuan salt and pepper.
William Love-Hill, owner of the Chur Burger food truck, says he and Warren Turnbull, owner of the bricks-and-mortar stores, came around to the idea by accident.
“We were playing around in the kitchen with some fried chicken recipes for the burgers and really loving the results, so we thought why not give it a crack?” he said.
It’s a bold move given the quality deep fried chook available in Sydney already. From Belle’s to Butter to the raft of authentic Korean fried chicken joints throughout the city, it’s been a long time since the colonel was your best bet for a greasy wing. But Love-Hill is confident that they’ve got something new to bring to the table.
“We’re both proper chefs – Warren’s been in the two-hat game, so we’ve got a chef-y approach to flavour combinations, and we’ve been playing around with different brines, flours, salts and seasonings to come up with the best recipe possible”, he says.
The result is buttermilk-brined chicken that gets twice-fried and is a mix between Southern and Korean styles.
Photograph: supplied
Plans for a permanent fried chicken menu as part of the Chur Burger stores and truck are yet to be announced, so for now the only way to get your fingers around a Chur-ken wing is by paying the boys a visit at the Night Noodle Markets from October 5-22.
Chur Burger will be open at the Night Noodle Markets running October 5-22, Mon-Fri 5pm-late; Sat-Sun 4pm-late at Hyde Park.
Crispy, marinated, brined and glazed, these are our picks for the best fried chicken in Sydney.