Chicken & Waffles

 

This is another time my recipe will sway a bit from the classic. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good traditional bone-in fried chicken, however I am often cooking for specific clients and sometimes I alter items to their liking. So, here is my recipe for “boneless chicken and waffles”.  It’s a little lighter (pan, not deep fried) and a little easier to eat (fork and knife ready). Personally, I enjoy working for my food and don’t mind getting a little messy, but not everyone feels this way. This is a hit with those that enjoy rustic comfort food, but prefer to get through a meal with only one napkin if at all possible.

You can also use bone-in skin-on pieces with this same recipe but by only pan frying, the breading will typically burn before the chicken is cooked through. You may need to finish in a 350 oven after browned to cook to an internal temp of 165 if you go with bone-in chicken.

This recipe prepares more waffles than chicken, but they freeze very well and who doesn’t like to snack on a waffle or two every now and then?

Boneless Chicken & Waffles

Yield: 4 servings +more waffles

Fried Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 C flour

1 T cornstarch

1 t salt

½ t pepper

2 C buttermilk

2 T hot sauce

½ cup cooking oil

Waffles

2 C All purpose flour

1 t baking powder

½ t baking soda

3 T sugar

1 t salt

3 eggs

2 C buttermilk

5 T butter, melted

Non-stick cooking spray

Real Maple syrup, Hot Sauce, and/or your favorite country gravy for serving

 

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.

Dredge chicken thighs in flour mixture then soak in buttermilk for at least 30 minutes (this can be done up to 3 days in advance, but you’ll need to discard and make another flour mixture when you are ready to cook the chicken)

When ready to cook, heat oil over medium high heat in a straight sided pan.

Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and coat in the flour mixture.

Pan fry the chicken until browned on each side, flipping once. The chicken should be cooked through at this point, but if you have bigger thighs and would like to check, the thickest part of the thigh should be at least 165. If not and the chicken is already browned, you can finish in a 350 oven until it is cooked through.

Drain the chicken on a rack over a sheet pan and keep warm while you prepare the waffles.

Whisk together the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Then mix the wet into the dry until combined. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.

Heat a waffle iron until at desired temp. Grease both sides using cooking spray and cook waffles to desired crispiness. (amount of batter and heat setting will vary based on iron model and  waffle preference)

Place warm chicken on top of the waffle, garnish with your favorite sauces, and enjoy!