Fried Chicken and Buttermilk Waffles
Fried Chicken and Buttermilk Waffles
2 lbs. chicken breast tenders*
3 cups all-purpose flour**
5 cups peanut or canola oil
In a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag or Tupperware of similar capacity, mix buttermilk, Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add chicken pieces. Seal bag and squeeze out air. Turn bag to coat chicken evenly. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 2 days, turning plastic bag occasionally.
Stir flour, baking powder, garlic powder, remaining 1 tablespoon onion powder, 4 teaspoons salt, 3 teaspoons dry mustard, 3 teaspoons cayenne and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass dish. Take out half of the flour mixture and put it into a bowl. Spread the flour mixture in the glass container evenly around the dish Without shaking off the marinade, place chicken on top of the flour in the glass dish. Sprinkle on the rest of the flour mixture from the bowl over the chicken pieces. Let chicken sit in flour mixture for an hour at room temperature and turn chicken in flour mixture if it requires further coating.
Pour oil to depth of 1 1/4 inches into deep 10- to 11-inch-diameter pot. Attach deep-fry thermometer. Heat oil over medium-high heat to 350°F. Add 4-6 pieces of chicken to oil. It is important not to overcrowd the pot. The cold chicken will tank the temperature of the hot oil. Reduce heat to medium-low and fry 5 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain oil temperature between 280°F and 300°F (oil should bubble constantly around chicken). Using wooden spoons, turn chicken over. Fry another 2 to 3 minutes or until breading is golden brown and crispy. Remove chicken with wooden spoons and place on paper towels.
Reheat oil to 350°F. Repeat frying with remaining pieces of chicken. Serve chicken warm or at room temperature within 2 hours, or chill up to 1 day and serve cold.
*If you happen to have bacon fat from a recent cooking adventure, add that to your cooking oil to make chicken a little bacon-y.
2 cups all-purpose flour**
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
¾ stick (6 tbsp.) unsalted butter
vegetable oil for waffle iron
Put oven rack in middle position and put a large metal cooling rack directly on it. Preheat oven to 250°F. This will serve to keep finished waffles warm while you cook the rest.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs in another bowl, then whisk the wet mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Do not overmix or your waffles will be tough.
Brush hot waffle iron lightly with vegetable oil and pour a slightly rounded 1/2 cup of batter into each waffle mold. Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer cooked waffles to rack in oven to keep warm, keeping waffles in 1 layer to stay crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.
Place two or three strips of fried chicken on a waffle and drizzle maple syrup or sweet mustard over. Serve with favorite dark green veggie. (so you don’t feel as bad about the fried chicken and waffles)
*You can use other chicken parts like drumsticks or even start with a whole chicken, cut apart. Cooking times will vary.
**Gluten free version: Just replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour mix.