It’s sinful. That is the only way I know how to describe this. It’s something that is so comforting and warm and also quite beautiful to look at. Seriously, what a pretty plate of food this is! I never really had chicken and waffles until moving to the south. I of course had fried chicken and waffles, but always separately. Whoever combined the two and called it a meal is a genius in my mind. There is something so right about salty crunchy chicken and dense sweet waffles. You can call this meal breakfast, brunch, or dinner. We had it for dinner the other night and I’m planning on doing leftovers for lunch this week. We’re obsessed.
The only thing that I recommend you need for this recipe is a waffle iron. You don’t have to get an expensive machine. They come in all shapes and sizes and different prices as well. I’ve linked the one I used below.
Other than a waffle iron, I also recommend a Dutch oven for frying the chicken! I love my Le Creuset Dutch oven my mother in law got me as a gift. I use is all the time for soups or for frying things like this chicken! It’s a great thing to invest in since it’ll last a lifetime if taken care of properly. I linked the one a I use below.
Although I used bone-in chicken for the recipe, you certainly do not have to. You can use boneless skin on thighs or legs. It’ll work great both ways. But the cook time will be slightly shorter with boneless chicken.
FRIED CHICKEN & WAFFLES WITH BOURBON MAPLE SYRUP
FRIED CHICKEN MARINADE
Prep time: 2 minutes
Total time: 24 hours
INGREDIENTS:
4 chicken legs, bone in – skin on
4 chicken thighs, bone in – skin on
1 quart buttermilk
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tbsp Tony’s creole seasoning (or seasoning salt of choice)
DIRECTIONS:
Place buttermilk, creole seasoning and cayenne in a large bowl or sealable bag. Mix together and then add chicken. Let marinate for 24 hours.
FRIED CHICKEN
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp paprika
1.5 tbsp Tony’s creole seasoning (or seasoning salt of choice)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup buttermilk (used with soaking the chicken)
Canola or vegetable oil for frying, about 5-6 cups
DIRECTIONS:
Fill a large tall sided pot with enough canola oil to completely submerge the chicken. Be careful not to fill it too high, so that it doesn’t spill over the side when the chicken gets cooked. Heat the oil to 360 degrees. Use a cooking thermometer to gage the temperature.
Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
Get together a baking sheet and a drying rack. Place the drying rack in top of the baking sheet. This will be used when you transfer the chicken to the oven. The drying rack is so that the chicken stays mores crisp when put into the oven.
Whisk together flour, paprika, creole seasoning, cayenne, white pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl. Drizzle in the 1/3 cup buttermilk used in the marinade. Mix in the buttermilk with a fork. This will make the mixture a bit chunky and create more crust for the chicken
One by one, take the chicken out of the buttermilk and submerge into the flour mixture. Coat every inch of the chicken making sure no spot is left empty. Use your hands to press the flour into the chicken.
After you’ve coated the chicken you then carefully drop the chicken, one piece at a time, into the oil. Fry 2-3 pieces at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Fry the chicken for about 5 minutes till golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the oil and place on the baking sheet with the drying rack. Once all chicken is out of the oil, then transfer it to the preheated oven.
Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. The chicken should be at about 160 degrees when cooked through. You can measure this with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken. Or you can also check if it’s cooked by making a small cut in the chicken and seeing if the juices run clear. If they are pink in color, the chicken needs to cook longer.
WAFFLES:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1.5 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 tbsp butter, melted
Cooking spray
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat waffle iron to medium high.
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk together. Add in vanilla extract, eggs, milk and melted butter. Whisk together till smooth in texture.
Cook waffles till golden and crispy on the edges.
BOURBON MAPLE SYRUP
Total time: 8 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp bourbon
5 tbsp salted butter
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Combine maple syrup and bourbon in a small pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add in butter and cayenne pepper and whisk to combine. Serve warm.