Fried Chicken and Waffles

The exact origins of the dish are unknown, but living here in San Diego I have always heard of the famed Roscoe’s up in Los Angeles. It has an almost cult following of chicken and waffle patrons and is always recommended. I have had it at several upscale restaurants in various forms and sizes, too. Wether it came from the post-Civil War era after the migration North of African Americans is unclear, but it has been traced back to be a Baltimore, Maryland custom. I also read that in the 1790s, after Thomas Jefferson purchased a waffle iron from France on a trip, it was introduced into our country’s cuisine.

Whatever Fried Chicken and Waffles’ origins, I find it to be a delicious and satisfying meal. I really enjoy the sweet and savory combination. The crunchy, salty piece of chicken mixed with the sweet, crispy outside but soft on the inside waffle.

In these I added rendered, crisp bacon and the waffle batter was cornmeal based. So good, it’s amazing and all served with fried chicken on top of a waffle with melted butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. The waffle recipe is an adaption from Tara Duggan’s wonderful book, “Waffles Sweet & Savory Recipes for Every Meal” that has so many great recipes and ideas for the not always for breakfast treat.

Fried Chicken and Waffles

These Fried Chicken and Waffles have a buttermilk brine and cornmeal waffle batter. Lightly breaded chicken are pan fried and sit on top of the waffles with a drizzle of hot honey.  

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Breakfast, Dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 1064kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

Chicken

Brine

• 8 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tbsp Tabasco or Franks hot sauce
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Coating/Dredge

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Frying

• 4 tbsp butter
• vegetable oil

Waffles

Dry ingredients

• 3/4 cup all -purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Wet ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter melted

Hot Honey (optional)

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tbsp Tabaco or Franks hot sauce

Instructions

Chicken

• Add chicken to bowl or sealable plastic bag and cover with buttermilk. Marinate for 1 hour (the lactic acids tenderize the chicken), but no longer than 4 hours.
• Mix the flours, poultry seasoning, salt and black pepper together in a bowl. Shake excess buttermilk from chicken and dredge each piece in the seasoned flour to coat well on both sides. Set aside on tray. Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Add enough oil to a Dutch oven or deep skillet to measure 2 inches. Add butter and heat oil until it almost shimmers. Place the 4 pieces of chicken per batch in the butter and oil and fry for 8-9 minutes. Check internal temperature is 165°F or cook longer (See Note 1-4). Drain on paper towels, cover loosely with foil or place in warm oven while making the waffles.

Waffles

• Preheat waffle maker and coat with nonstick oil spray. 
• Whisk together the Dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• In another bowl whisk Wet ingredients and pour into the Dry ingredients. Whisk until you have a smooth batter.
• Pour about 2/3 cup batter into each waffle mold, then cook according to waffle maker directions. Serve waffles immediately with hot fried chicken, maple syrup or hot honey.

Hot Honey

• In a small saucepan melt the butter with the honey and hot sauce. whisk until combined and keep warm until serving.

Notes

1. Allow your chicken to come to room temperature before dropping it right into the hot oil. Cold, from the refrigerator, chicken will drastically alter the oil temp quickly.
2. Get the oil temperature up to 350°-375°F before adding chicken. The temperature will drop when chicken goes in. Fry and keep it at a continuous 320-325°F.
3. Don't over crowd your frying pan, you want to fry the chicken, not steam it! Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internal temperature. 
4. Remove from hot oil and place on wire rack to cool. Season with salt if you like.
5. Hot Honey is NOT included in the Nutrition count as it's optional.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.

Nutrition

Calories: 1064kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 273mg | Sodium: 1001mg | Potassium: 1261mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 1750IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 523mg | Iron: 4mg

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!