Classic Chicken & Caramelised Onion Burger with Fries

Ingredients

• 500g chicken breast
• 6 potatoes — staple
• 2 tsp dried rosemary — staple
• 1 onion
• classic roast seasoning (replaces sachet): 2 tsp paprika + 1 tsp garlic powder + 1 tsp onion powder + 1 tsp dried thyme + salt — staple
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (caramelised onion) — staple
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 brioche burger buns
• dill & parsley mayo: 6 tbsp mayo + 1 tsp dried dill + 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 jar sliced beetroot
• 1 head cos lettuce, washed — leaves for the buns, the rest torn for the salad
• 1 telegraph cucumber, sliced
• 3 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 carrot, grated
• olive oil + vinegar, to dress — staple

Method

1. Fries: air fryer 200°C in two batches (or oven 240°C across TWO trays) with dried rosemary, oil, salt — 20-25 min; hold the first batch warm in a low oven.
2. Slice the whole onion; cook in oil 6-8 min. Add brown sugar, balsamic, splash of water; cook dark and sticky 4-5 min.
3. Slice each breast into two thin steaks (4 steaks, one per bun); coat with roast seasoning + oil. Pan-fry in two batches, 3-5 min/side.
4. Side salad: tear the remaining cos and toss with cucumber, tomato and grated carrot, dressed with oil + vinegar.
5. Warm buns. Build: mayo base, chicken, beetroot, caramelised onion, a whole cos leaf and a slice of tomato. Fries and salad on the side.

Notes

Serves 4 (cook once, eat two days). Meat ~500g per recipe per house rule (~125g/serve). Marked SPECIAL: burger-night indulgence, est ~935cal/46g protein per serve (original HF 974cal/54.5g). The special slot caps it at once a week. Veg sweep: the mixed salad leaf bags are replaced by the house Side salad built from a cos lettuce, cucumber, tomato and grated carrot (the whole cos leaves also go in the buns), ~160g veg/serve; calories +20. Fresh rosemary swapped for dried from the cupboard, the onion and balsamic lost their staple markers, and the dill & parsley mayo carries a pregnancy-safe alternative.