Buttermilk Chicken and Waffles
Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner
Ingredients
Fried Chicken
2 Chicken breasts
1 C Buttermilk
1/4 C Hot Sauce (Franks, Louisiana, etc.)
1/4 C Pickle Juice
2 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1 C All Purpose Flour
1 C Corn Starch
Fry Oil (e.g. vegetable, canola, peanut) - enough to fill frying pot halfway
Waffles
1 C All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Cornmeal
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Large Egg (separated into yolk and white)
1 C Buttermilk
2 Tbsp Melted Butter
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Spiced Honey Syrup
1 C Maple Syrup
1/4 C Honey
2 Tbsp Hot Sauce
1 Tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper (Or more if you really want it spicy)
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Salt
Preparation
Crunchy, sweet, salty, spicy! This hits on all levels. Makes about 6 tenders and 3 waffles. **Use caution when frying! See this site for safety tips.
Cut chicken breasts into strips (about 3-4 per breast).
In a large container with a lid or gallon zip-lock baggie, combine the buttermilk, hot sauce, pickle juice and 1 Tbsp salt. Stir to combine and add chicken strips. Seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24.
While the chicken is marinading, make the syrup. This can be stored in the fridge and warmed prior to use. To do so, add all the ingredients to a sauce pan, stir, and bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes. Allow to cool before storing.
Prior to breading and frying the chicken, make the waffles. I like to make them ahead of time and pop them in the toaster to re-heat in this case. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, and mix the buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and egg yolk in a separate bowl. Slowly pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients, folding it in as you go. Don’t over mix, lumps are good!
Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until they hold a firm peak. Then add them to the batter by carefully folding them in. Again do not over mix! Cook the waffles according to your waffle iron instructions.
When you are ready to bread and fry the chicken, remove chicken from the refrigerator and begin heating your oil in a large heavy bottom pot to 375 degrees F. Never fill your pot more than 1/2-2/3 of the way full!
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch, 1 Tbsp salt, cayenne, garlic powder, and black pepper. Then drizzle 1/4 C of the buttermilk marinade into the dry ingredients and mix. This creates little pieces that will stick to your chicken and give it a rough exterior that gets really crunchy! THIS IS THE GOOD STUFF.
Drip off any excess marinade and place chicken in flour and make sure each piece is thoroughly coated. Shake off any excess flour, then carefully place chicken into your hot fry oil and fry until golden brown (about 5-10 minutes depending on temperature of oil and how many pieces you fry at 1 time). Once, they are done, place on a wire rack above a cookie sheet and immediately sprinkle with a little salt. Allow them to cool for about 5 minutes.
Top a waffle with the chicken and drizzle with syrup. Enjoy!