Chicken and Waffles
Serves: 4
Hands On Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Total Time: 7 hours and 30 minutes
Ingredients
Fried Chicken
4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup hot sauce
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
8 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup garlic powder
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
Vegetable shortening or peanut oil, for frying
Buttermilk Waffles
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
Nonstick oil spray
Maple syrup, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving (see note)
Instructions
To make the fried chicken: In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce. Add the chicken pieces and submerge in the buttermilk. Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate for at least 6 hours.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, line two baking sheets with wire cooling racks.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne, Old Bay, paprika and onion powder. Transfer to a large, heavy-duty paper bag.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, allowing any excess to drain off. Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the flour. Clasp the bag at the top and vigorously shake the bag to completely coat the chicken with the flour. Remove the chicken from the bag, tap off excess flour, and transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets. Let rest for 15 minutes.
As the chicken is resting, fill a large cast iron skillet one third of the way up the sides with melted shortening or peanut oil. Place the pot over medium to medium-high heat and bring the oil to 325 degrees. Monitor the oil’s temperature using a fryer or candy thermometer.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 250 degrees.
When the oil is hot, add the legs and thighs of the chicken first, placing them around the sides of the skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the breasts and the wings. Cover the skillet with a wire splatter screen to prevent excess grease from adhering to your kitchen surfaces. Fry, flipping occasionally, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes.
When the chicken has finished cooking, transfer to the second prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while preparing the waffles.
To make the buttermilk waffles: Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and place in the oven.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda until combined.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until smooth, then add the buttermilk and melted butter, and whisk to combine. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is just brought together; some lumps are okay. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions and spray thoroughly with oil spray. Scoop 1/2 to 1 cup of batter (depending on the size of the waffle iron) into the center of the waffle iron. Cover and cook until golden brown and slightly crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Transfer to a plate and serve with the fried chicken, maple syrup and hot sauce.
About the recipe
What’s better than homemade waffles? Homemade waffles topped with crisp cast iron fried chicken, of course. This Southern comfort classic will take some time, of course, but your effort will be well worth when it comes time for serving. We like to serve this dish with maple syrup and Texas Pete hot sauce.