Chicken and Waffles

This chicken and waffles recipe is a little late to the table, we made it over this past sugar season, and ate it as a brunch during a pause in the sap run. Everyone was satisfied with the results and has been asking when we plan to serve it again. We combined our Nashville Hot Chicken and Belgian Waffle recipes, with a few tweaks and variations to bring this recipe to the finish line. Don’t worry, if spicy isn’t your thing, just skip the hot chicken sauce.

Where did chicken and waffles originate?

It’s been well established that chicken and waffles originated from the Wells Supper Club in Harlem, NY, when they opened in 1938. As a hotspot for jazz musicians, Wells served chicken and waffles late into the night and morning hours for musicians finishing their sets. It’s no surprise that chicken and waffles firmly established themselves as a perfect stand-in for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

When I think about chicken and waffles and their origin, I think it probably has a history much earlier than the 1930s. I haven’t been to every country on Earth, but everyone I’ve visited has their version of fried chicken, as well as a version of waffles or pancakes. For that reason, I don’t think it’s a stretch of the imagination to think that some intrepid chef in far-off history put together their region’s version of a pancake or waffle with their variation of fried chicken. Chicken and waffles are international, this is but one take on the recipe (though a good one!).

How to eat chicken and waffles?

We don’t like to tell people how to handle their business, but if you’re asking, we recommend boneless chicken and using a fork and knife. Once you drizzle your favorite grade of maple syrup over the top, things trend toward the sticky end, and a knife and fork make for a clean experience. If you opt for the spicy Nashville hot chicken sauce, the maple syrup cuts some of the heat and brings balance to the dish.

What to serve with chicken and waffles?

No one ever mistook chicken and waffles for light fare. When we served it at lunchtime in the sugarhouse, we opted for some greenery to offset the heavy carbs with a tossed salad. My mom has a great maple balsamic vinaigrette recipe she’s kept in the rotation for years. It’s been our family's staple and again didn’t disappoint! We didn’t overthink the salad ingredients, we just used what was on hand and everyone was happy.

How to make chicken and waffles?

The day prior, or at least a few hours beforehand, prepare your brine by adding the buttermilk, cayenne, paprika, garlic, and onion powder with salt and pepper. I’ve added recommended quantities of each ingredient, but feel free to tweak them to your preferred taste. The goal with the brine is to have enough to cover the chicken. Once together, store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bread the chicken.

For the waffles, I recommend preparing your ingredients beforehand so that while the chicken is resting you can mix them and have them fresh from the iron, or better yet, this job is perfect for an extra set of hands as you don’t want to burn your chicken. In order of importance, I would rank fresh warm waffles just below cooking the chicken to the proper internal temperature.

Up to an hour before you start frying the chicken, gather your breading ingredients in a bowl and set up a wire rack so they don’t get soggy from sitting on a plate or baking sheet. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have a wire rack, but it improves your chances of achieving 360 degrees of crispy breading coverage. Dredge your chicken in the mixture to coat and set aside on the wire rack, refrigerate for 30-40 minutes for even better results. For our meal, we double breaded the chicken by putting the breaded piece of chicken back in the buttermilk brine and sending it back through the breading, this will give you a beautiful crust when it’s finished frying.

While your freshly breaded chicken is resting in the refrigerator, preheat your oil to 325F. If you have decided to make Nashville chicken hot sauce, now is a good time to prep for that as well (follow the link for more detail on how to prepare that sauce, it’s very easy). There are also a lot of choices at the local grocery.

Add the chicken to your fryer, be careful not to overcrowd and cool the oil too quickly. Allow the chicken to cook for 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness and remove upon reaching an internal temperature of 160-165F for breast meat and 170-175F for dark meat. Remember, the chicken will continue to cook about 5 degrees more while resting.

For your waffles, sift your dry ingredients. Following this, add your liquids (minus the egg whites). Very carefully incorporate and do not over stir. While you’re doing this, have your mixer (or a helper) beat your egg whites into stiff peaks. Our blog dedicated to Belgian waffles explains this process in more detail, it’s not as difficult as it sounds. Fold in the egg whites. Following the directions of your waffle iron, start processing the waffles.

Once your waffles are done, plate a waffle and place a piece or two of the now-cooled-off chicken on top. Generously pour your maple syrup of choice over the top, I recommend Amber Rich Taste.  Cut it up and get a forkful of chicken, waffle, and syrup for every bite. Enjoy!

Waffle Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• ¼ cup of maple syrup (recommend Amber Rich Taste)
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• ½ tsp of salt
• 1 ½ cup of milk
• 1 tbsp of vanilla
• 4 large egg whites
• 2 egg yolks
• 8 tbsp of melted butter

Chicken Brine Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup of buttermilk
• 1 tbsp of cayenne powder
• 1 tbsp of paprika powder
• 1 tbsp of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp of onion powder
• 1 tbsp of salt
• 1 tbsp of pepper

Chicken Breading Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 3 tbsp of salt
• 3 tbsp of pepper
• 2 tbsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp of onion powder
• 2 tsp of cayenne powder
• 2 tsp of paprika powder

Directions:

1. The day prior or at a minimum a few hours before cooking the chicken, combine all the brine ingredients and add the chicken (cut to your ideal size), cover or seal, and set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Set up the breading station by mixing all the ingredients for the chicken breading.
3. Prep a wire rack, Dredge the chicken pieces in the breadimg. Set on the wire rack. Double dip and bread the chicken for a crispier breading. Place in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes for best results (crispy chicken!).
4. Heat cooking oil to 325F. Gently add the chicken to the oil being careful not to overcrowd the vessel.
5. Heat your store-bought Nashville Hot Chicken sauce in a saucepan over low heat. You can also make your own (find that recipe here!).
6. Fry the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness until you reach an internal temperature of 160-165F for white meat, and 170-175F for dark meat. If you’re by yourself, now is a good time to get your stand mixer ready to beat your egg whites to fold into the waffle mix.
7. Once your chicken is done, remove it from the oil, coat it in the Nashville Hot Chicken sauce (if you chose to go this route), and let them rest.
8. Incorporate the liquid waffle ingredients (minus the egg whites) into sifted dry ingredients and mix, being careful not to over-stir.
9. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks if you haven't already. (About 5 minutes or so).
10. Fold the egg whites into the batter a third at a time while being careful not to over-stir again.
11. Following your waffle iron directions, cook the waffles.
12. Plate a waffle and place the chicken on top followed by a healthy drizzle of maple syrup.
13. Comment on this blog telling us how it went!