The chicken and waffle craze has been going on for a while now, but initially, I just couldn’t get into it. It’s not that it sounded bad, but it just didn’t sound GOOD. It wasn’t until I thought about how as a kid, I would dip my chicken in honey that I realized the concept was brilliant and I had to try it — it also helped that my boyfriend had tried it at iHop and was seriously impressed/wouldn’t shut up about it until I made some at home. So here we are!
I bake A LOT more than I cook, and I’ve never really fried chicken beyond chicken cutlets before, so I was a little concerned that this would be a tough recipe for me, but it really wasn’t! Way easier than I could ever imagine, and so, so good.
You will need
For th chicken tenders:
2 tsp each – black pepper, garlic salt, onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
5 medium-size chicken breasts, rinsed, patted dry, and sliced into tenders
3 cups buttermilk (although regular milk would likely work well, too)
3/4 cup hot sauce (I used Texas Pete, my favorite!)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp black pepper
2 tsp dry dill
Vegetable oil, for frying
For the buttermilk waffles:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
4 tbsp butter, melted
Maple syrup and hot sauce (If desired) to top it all off — I know the hot sauce may sound strange, but seriously guys, don’t question this one. It makes for the most perfect flavor combination!
Combine spices and sprinkle liberally over chicken. Whisk buttermilk and hot sauce together in another bowl, and pour over chicken. Stick this in the fridge and let it marinate for anywhere between 2 hours and overnight.
Once your chicken is ready, put a generous amount of vegetable oil in a frying pan (ideally cast iron, however I don’t have one and my chicken still turned out awesome). Heat oil on a medium-high heat.
Combine the flour with the salt/pepper/dill mix and set aside. Remove chicken from fridge and coat each piece the in the flour, then knock off as much of it as possible. I double coated mine, so I dipped each tender back in the hot sauce/buttermilk, and floured jr again– not necessary, but i think it makes for a crispier, thicker coating 
Gently place the chicken in the oil. The chicken will cause the temperature to drop, so adjust the burner to keep it hot if needed. Depending on the thickness of your tenders, 8 minutes should be about long enough, flipping the tenders a few times to ensure even cooking. Best bet if you think your chicken is done is to cut into the center of one– you should have no pink in the center, and the juices should run clear. If they don’t, cook for 2 or 3 more minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. And repeat as necessary.
Gently place the chicken in the oil. The chicken will cause the temperature to drop, so adjust the burner to keep it hot if needed. Depending on the thickness of your tenders, 8 minutes should be about long enough, flipping the tenders a few times to ensure even cooking. Best bet if you think your chicken is done is to cut into the center of one– you should have no pink in the center, and the juices should run clear. If they don’t, cook for 2 or 3 more minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. And repeat as necessary. While your chicken is frying, you can get your waffles together. Start pre-heating your waffle iron as needed. Beat your eggs, butter, and buttermilk together until fully combined. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and combine completely. Scoop the batter into your waffle iron and cook as directed– it’s tough for me to give waffle iron instructions because they’re all different, but it’s not too hard to know when your waffles are done
Once your chicken and waffles are done, place chicken on top of waffle, cover with syrup, drizzle on some hot sauce, and enjoy a seriously amazing combination of deliciousness!
Today I’m sharing the most buttery, delicious Butterscotch Chip Cookies; also great if you add chocolate chips to the mix, but really perfect on their own. Something simple to throw together on the weekend!
