Chicken and Waffles Recipe: Buttermilk Fried, Southern

Give the thighs two hours in buttermilk spiked with hot sauce. You can cut that short, and you will taste it. The buttermilk leaves the surface just tacky enough that the seasoned flour has something to hold, and the flour is where the smoked paprika, garlic powder and cayenne go. Six to seven minutes a side at 350°F and the crust shatters. Use thighs, not breasts. They forgive you if the timing slips.

The waffle has a job to do here, which is to stay crisp under a piece of fried chicken. A limp one goes soggy and takes the plate with it, so there is melted butter in the batter and enough sugar for the edges to go golden. Then the thigh goes on top and you hit it with maple syrup and hot sauce. Both. Sweet, salty, spicy and rich arriving at once is the entire idea. We have made this on more Sundays than we can count.

Marinate the Chicken in Buttermilk

Combine buttermilk and hot sauce in a bowl or zip-top bag. Add the chicken thighs, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. The buttermilk tenderizes the chicken and creates a tacky surface for the flour to adhere to. This step is essential for juicy, well-seasoned fried chicken.

Fry at the Correct Temperature

Heat oil in a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the sweet spot for frying chicken. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Too cool and the chicken absorbs oil and turns greasy. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature and adjust the heat as needed. Fry the chicken in batches for 6 to 7 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through.

Make Crispy Waffles to Hold Up Under the Chicken

Cook the waffles in a preheated waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions until golden and crispy. A limp waffle under fried chicken collapses into mush. If your waffle iron does not make crispy waffles, toast them briefly after cooking. Serve each waffle topped with 2 pieces of fried chicken. Drizzle generously with maple syrup and a dash of hot sauce.

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Southern Chicken and Waffles

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  Author: Susan Benton
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  Total Time: 180 minutes
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  Yield: 4 servings

Description

Chicken and waffles is one of those combinations that sounds wrong until you try it, and then you wonder why every meal is not built this way. Crispy fried chicken on a fluffy waffle, drizzled with maple syrup and maybe a dab of hot sauce — the sweet, salty, crunchy, and soft hitting every note at once. It is brunch food, dinner food, and late-night food, and it has been a staple of the American South and Harlem soul food joints for generations.

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Instructions

1. Combine buttermilk and hot sauce. Add chicken thighs, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Make the waffle batter: whisk 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Combine wet and dry ingredients, stirring until just mixed. Do not overmix — lumps are fine.
3. Mix the remaining 2 cups flour with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.
4. Remove chicken from buttermilk, letting excess drip off. Dredge in the seasoned flour, pressing firmly to coat.
5. Heat oil in a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven to 350°F. Fry the chicken in batches for 6 to 7 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through. Drain on a wire rack.
6. While the chicken fries, cook the waffles in a preheated waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions until golden and crispy.
7. Serve each waffle topped with 2 pieces of fried chicken. Drizzle generously with maple syrup and a dash of hot sauce.

Notes

• The buttermilk marinade is doing double duty — tenderizing the chicken and creating a tacky surface for the flour to adhere to.
• Frying at 350°F is the sweet spot. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Too cool and the chicken absorbs oil and turns greasy.
• Crispy waffles are critical. A limp waffle under fried chicken collapses into mush. If your waffle iron does not make crispy waffles, toast them briefly after cooking.

• Prep Time: 150 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Southern

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 780
• Sugar: 18
• Sodium: 900
• Fat: 38
• Carbohydrates: 62
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 48
• Cholesterol: 195

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