Waffled Chicken With Spicy Syrup Food

SWEET HOT FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

Steps:

• For the glaze: Combine the honey, maple syrup, chili powder, paprika, black pepper, vinegar, cayenne and salt in a small saucepot. Bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes, then strain into a clean container.
• For the waffles: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Place a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack in the oven.
• Whisk together the flour, Cheddar, sugar, baking powder, hot sauce, scallion whites and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• In another large bowl, whisk the eggs and a pinch of salt until just broken up, then add the milk and whisk. Pour in the melted butter and whisk until combined.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until the flour is just incorporated and no streaks remain (the batter may have a few lumps).
• Preheat a Belgian waffle iron to medium heat according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spray with nonstick cooking spray, add some batter, close the lid, and cook until the steam starts to diminish (open the top and peek for doneness after a few minutes). Transfer the waffle to the wire rack in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 8 waffles.
• For the chicken: Pour 5-inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 360 degrees F.
• Place the chicken thighs and buttermilk in a bowl. In a separate bowl, add the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper and salt, and mix to combine. Dredge each thigh in the flour mix, then shake off any excess flour and carefully place in the oil. Fry until golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken to a paper bag or paper towels to drain excess grease and immediately season with salt.
• Place each piece of fried chicken on top of a waffle and top each with some glaze and scallion greens to serve.

SPICY GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN AND CHEDDAR WAFFLES WITH BLACKBERRY-MAPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• Muddle 4 blackberries in the bottom of a microwave-safe glass serving jar. Add chile powder and red pepper flakes, then maple syrup; stir syrup briskly until well combined.
• Place chicken in a large, shallow baking dish. Drizzle with orange juice and season liberally with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed. Whisk orange zest with coconut flour, almond flour, garlic, and paprika. Set dredging mixture aside.
• Mix gluten-free flour, baking powder, rosemary, thyme, and sea salt together in another bowl to start the waffle batter.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions and spray with cooking spray.
• Beat butter and maple syrup together in a bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs 1 at a time. Gradually add the gluten-free flour mixture and milk in 3 alternating batches. Stir in Cheddar cheese just until combined. Pour batter into the preheated waffle iron. Cook until crisp and deeply brown, 6 to 8 minutes per waffle. Place waffles on a baking sheet and keep warm in the preheating oven while preparing chicken.
• Line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently shake excess orange juice off each chicken tender and press all sides into the reserved coconut flour mixture. Place coated chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Remove waffles from oven and keep warm.
• Bake chicken in the preheated oven, flipping halfway, until browned on both sides, about 20 minutes total. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Microwave syrup until warm, about 1 minute. Top each waffle with a warm chicken tender or two and a handful of blackberries. Drizzle with the warmed spicy maple syrup.

CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

Steps:

• Special equipment: a deep-fry thermometer
• For the fried chicken: Thoroughly rinse the chicken, then cover all the pieces with 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk. Soak in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours.
• When you're ready to fry the chicken, remove the bowl from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes to take off the chill.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 360 degrees F and mix the breading. Put the flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, thyme and cayenne (extra cayenne if you like heat) in a very large bowl and stir together well.
• In a small bowl, combine the milk and remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk. Pour into the flour mixture and, with a fork, gradually mix until there are little lumps throughout. This will adhere to the chicken and make for a crispier breading. If necessary, add a little more flour or milk to the bowl in order to make it slightly lumpy.
• Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 365 degrees F. Lower the heat slightly, if necessary, to keep the oil from getting hotter.
• Working in batches, thoroughly coat each chicken piece with the breading, pressing extra breading onto the chicken if necessary. Place the breaded pieces on a plate.
• Add the chicken to the oil 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Make sure they aren't sticking together, then cover the skillet and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown. Turn the pieces over, cover again and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. All the while, monitor the temperature of the oil to make sure the chicken doesn't burn. Transfer the fried chicken pieces to a baking sheet (they will not be completely cooked through) and continue frying the rest of the chicken.
• Bake the thighs for 15 minutes to finish the cooking process. Sometimes I'll cut into the thicker part of one of the larger pieces, just to make sure the chicken is cooked through. (If any pink juice or meat is visible, the chicken needs to continue cooking in the oven.) Cover and keep warm.
• For the waffles: Preheat the waffle iron to the regular setting. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla and 2 egg yolks. Pour over the dry ingredients and very gently stir until halfway combined. Pour in the melted butter and chopped jalapenos and continue mixing very gently until combined.
• In a separate bowl (or using a mixer), beat the 4 egg whites with a whisk until stiff. Slowly fold them into the batter, stopping short of mixing them all the way through.
• Scoop the batter into your waffle iron in batches and cook according to the manufacturer's directions (lean toward being a little deep golden and crisp!). Keep warm.
• For the sauce: Pour the pancake syrup and bourbon in a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, then the cayenne.
• To serve: Place 2 chicken thighs on top of a waffle. Pour the warm sauce over everything and serve immediately.