Chicken & Waffles

I kept hearing about chicken and waffles.  My special fella raved about it.  The internet was abuzz over the trend.  It started popping up on more restaurant menus.  But... I wasn't convinced.

All of that breading?  And waffles?  All topped with maple syrup?  It made me rather queazy to think about it, though I was curious.  I must admit, however, that it took watching Mildred Pierce, Kate Winslet, and all of the splendid 30's glamour to convince me to give it a try myself.

And hey, if Mildred could whip up enough to start and empire, surely I could make it for two?

I scoured the internet for some frying know-how, (I'd never given frying much of a try: it seemed a dangerous path to trot down), and for a good buttermilk waffle recipe.  Emeril proved to be a good starting point here.  To make things easier, I used boneless chicken thighs.  And really, it wasn't as difficult as I thought.

Ingredients:
For Waffles (about 6)
- 1 c. flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp melted butter (unsalted)
- 3/4 c. buttermilk

For chicken (easily adjusted for any amount with common sense)
- Buttermilk
- Chicken thighs
- Flour
- Salt, pepper, paprika, thyme
- Vegetable oil

Directions:
- Place chicken in a bowl/pan/sealable bag and add enough buttermilk to cover it.  Let it soak for a minimum of two hours-- overnight is great if preparing for brunch.
- In a shallow bowl, combine flour with dashes of salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and dredge it through the flour.  Set aside.
- Add vegetable oil to a deep cast iron skillet.  You want a solid 1/2-1" depending on your chicken.  Using the flatter boneless pieces allows you to get away with using less oil.
- Heat the oil to a steady 350 degrees.  Thermometers are important here.
- Gently place the chicken in the oil.  It my sputter a bit so step back or have a splatter screen handy.
- Cook until deeply golden on each side, only turning once.  Again, using boneless pieces makes it take a fraction of the time and greatly lessens the anxiety for frying novices.
- Remove and set on paper towels to drain.

- For the waffles whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter.
- Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Add the wet to the dry and stir until fully combined.
- Make your waffles according to your waffle maker's instructions.

Despite some rather pale waffles due to our less-than-stellar waffle maker, (what can you expect when you found it abandoned by a previous resident?), this was pretty tasty stuff.  Yes, I can officially call myself a chicken and waffles convert.  I certainly won't be making it all the time but I'm glad I did it.  And yeah, it's good with the maple syrup.

Enjoy!  (and make sure to go for a long walk after this one...)