It’s not quick and easy, but if you want to do something special for a weekend brunch, this will knock it out of the park. This will give you the lightest, crispiest and crunchiest crag to your chicken.
Chicken & Waffles: A Perfect Blend of Sweet and Savoury
Chicken & Waffles is an iconic dish that combines two beloved comfort foods—crispy fried chicken and fluffy waffles. While the origins of Chicken & Waffles have been debated, its place as a favorite on brunch menus and comfort food tables is undeniable. The dish embodies the perfect balance of savoury and sweet, with tender fried chicken resting atop golden waffles, often drizzled with maple syrup or honey for an extra layer of indulgence. Whether served for brunch or dinner, Chicken & Waffles has become a beloved classic that never fails to satisfy.
Why Chicken & Waffles Works So Well
The magic behind Chicken & Waffles lies in the contrast of textures and flavours. The crispy, juicy fried chicken provides a savoury crunch, while the soft, fluffy waffle adds a touch of sweetness. The addition of syrup or honey ties everything together, making every bite a deliciously complex experience. This interplay of flavours is why the dish has become a staple in American cuisine and remains a must-try for food lovers.
How to Make Chicken & Waffles at Home
With its rich history and irresistible combination of flavours, Chicken & Waffles might seem like a complicated dish to make at home, but with our chef-led recipe, you’ll be able to recreate this comfort food classic with ease. Our step-by-step instructions ensure that you can achieve the perfect balance of crispy, seasoned chicken and fluffy, golden waffles in your own kitchen.
PrintChicken & Waffles
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Malted Waffles
- 70g melted butter
- 370ml milk
- 8.4g fresh yeast
- 210g T55 flour
- 30g malt powder
- 2.2g salt
- 1.2 baking powder
- 60g whole egg
For the Fried Chicken
4 chicken breasts
Chicken Salt
- 12.5g Szechuan
- 100g chicken stock powder
- 25g salt
- 25g MSG
- 5g black pepper
- 5g cumin seeds
- 5g paprika
- 5g onion powder
- 5g garlic powder
- 1g dried oregano
Marinade
- 40g dashi
- 40g chicken salt
- 60g sriracha
- 60g water
- 100g dry dredge
Dry dredge
- 600g plain flour
- 200g each of corn and tapioca flour
- 25g each of baking powder, onion powder, garlic powder, MSG
Wet dredge
- 80g buttermilk
- 30g water
- 60g fresh egg whites
- 25g plain flour
- 10g cornflour
- 20g Sriracha
Instructions
Malted Waffles
- Place the milk and fresh yeast in a bowl, whisk and leave to bloom for 10 minutes. Put all the dry ingredients in a separate, large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the egg to the yeast and milk mixture and whisk thoroughly.
- Slowly pour in the yeasted milk and egg mix to the dry ingredients. Whisk as you go until there are no visible lumps.
- Once you have a smooth batter, drizzle in the melted butter, whisking again until fully combined.
- Place the mix into a deep gastro leaving enough space for the batter to rise.
- Leave for an hour to become frothy while you go back to bed / buy the newspaper.
- Preheat your waffle iron until it reaches 190°c.
- Depending on the size of your waffle iron, ladle on about a quarter of the batter onto the iron and cook for about 7-8 minutes until the waffle is golden and risen.
For the fried chicken
- Make the chicken salt: toast the Szechuan and black peppercorns and cumin seeds in an hot frying pan until fragrant. Allow to cool then into a spice grinder to blend them to a fine powder. Add to the other ingredients and mix together.
- Prep the chicken by cutting the breasts into flattish pieces. About 3 or 4 per breast.
- Mix together the marinade ingredients using your chicken salt and stir in the chicken pieces to coat. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.
- Meanwhile mix together all the ingredients for the dry dredge in one large bowl and the wet dredge in another large bowl.
- Heat some oil for deep frying.
- Take 100g of the mixed dry dredge and stir it into the chicken and marinade.
- Now put the chicken pieces into the remaining dry dredge and toss 60, yes sixty times.
- Carefully tap off any excess dry dredge from each of the chicken pieces and drop them into the wet dredge and straight out again, tapping off the excess liquid.
- As each piece is removed from the wet dredge, drop it straight back into the dry dredge bowl. Turn the chicken pieces another 60 times.
- When the oil has reached 170 degrees fry the chicken for 8-9 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Drain the chicken on kitchen paper and dust with chicken salt.
Serve the chicken and waffles liberally drizzled with maple syrup.
