Sweet And Savory Crispy Buttermilk Chicken And Waffles Recipe

Chicken and waffles may seem like an odd coupling to some, but what's not to love about crunchy, juicy fried chicken atop crisp and fluffy waffles? This recipe for sweet and savory crispy buttermilk fried chicken and waffles — courtesy of recipe developer Julie Kinnaird  – uses buttermilk as both a tenderizing brine for the chicken and the flavorful component for savory, herb-infused, crispy waffles. 

Kinnaird uses boneless, skinless thighs for this recipe and brines them overnight with a mix of sriracha hot sauce and fresh herbs in the buttermilk. The extra juicy chicken is dredged in a mix of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, a touch of baking powder for lift, and a potent spice blend containing smoked paprika, garlic and onion powders, salt, and black pepper. Fried in avocado oil, this chicken is so crispy and juicy, and it's perfect to set atop the savory, chive-laden waffles. The crowning glory is a spicy honey mustard sauce with a touch of Kewpie mayo for a sweet and savory breakfast, brunch, or dinner of your dreams!

Start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Kinnaird cuts the thighs into halves so that they are roughly the size of a deck of cards. This makes them perfect to set atop a 5-inch waffle. The boneless thighs stay juicy and are easy to cut. Plus, the thighs become extra tender after they marinate in a brine made from buttermilk, sriracha hot sauce, fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and a seasoning mix made from smoked paprika, kosher salt, garlic and onion powders, and freshly cracked black pepper. 

The remainder of the seasoning mix gets tossed with all-purpose flour, corn starch, and baking powder for dredging the brined chicken before frying. Kinnaird uses avocado oil for frying, but you may choose your favorite high-smoke-point oil to get the job done. For the waffles, you will make a savory batter from all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, black pepper, more buttermilk, unsalted butter, and chopped fresh chives. The dish is finished off with a spicy honey mustard sauce that's made from honey, whole grain mustard, Kewpie mayo, a bit more sriracha, lemon juice, and a touch of salt.

Combine all of the spice mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

In a separate container, mix together the buttermilk, sriracha, rosemary, sage, and thyme for the brine. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the spice mix.

Add the chicken and brine to a large plastic bag, sealing it tightly.

Refrigerate the chicken for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.

Make the spicy honey mustard sauce by whisking together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (this may be made in advance, along with the chicken in brine).

For the waffles, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and pepper in a large bowl.

Add the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg yolks, whisking until smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff.

Carefully fold the beaten whites into the batter.

Fold in the chopped chives.

Preheat a 5-inch waffle iron.

Preheat the oven to 250 F. 

Add ¼ cup batter to the hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown and crisp (adjust the amount for different-sized irons).

Continue making waffles until all of the batter is used, transferring them to a parchment-lined baking sheet as they are cooked.

Keep the waffles warm in the oven.

To fry the chicken, combine the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder with the remaining spice mix in a large baking dish.

Remove the chicken from the brine and place it on a separate dish or plate.

Heat the oil to 325 F in a deep skillet or pot.

When the oil is hot, dredge the chicken a few pieces at a time in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.

Add the chicken to the pan and cook on both sides until deep golden brown and crispy (6–8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken).

Place the cooked the chicken on a rack set over a parchment-lined pan.

Continue dredging and cooking the remaining chicken, adjusting the oil temperature as needed.

To serve, arrange the warm waffles on a platter or individual plates, top with the chicken pieces, and drizzle on some of the spicy honey mustard sauce.

Garnish with more chopped fresh chives, and enjoy immediately.

When many people think of chicken and waffles, they assume that it is a Southern dish. The exact culinary origins are a bit trickier to pinpoint, and some southerners do not want to lay claim to the dish. The modern-day chicken and waffles we know and love most likely evolved from an intermixing of two culinary traditions — the food traditions of German and Dutch immigrants and African-American cuisine, specifically that stemming from plantation cooking. 

The dish became popular in restaurants on both coasts: first with Wells House of Chicken in Harlem, then later at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles. While neither of these establishments created the dish, they certainly made it more visible for mainstream diners. A big part of the popularity with chicken and waffles is that it works at any time of day, being a mash-up of breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, and can be presented in all manner of sweet and savory forms.

The best fried chicken has a juicy and tender interior with a crackling crunch on the outside. But, with the intense heat of frying, the meat can easily dry out, making it stringy and flavorless. A good overnight wet brine will infuse your chicken with moisture and flavor, making it less prone to being dry and tough. 

Buttermilk, in particular, makes for an ideal brine as it not only adds extra fat and succulent flavor to the meat, but the acid in the buttermilk helps tenderize the muscle fibers. Allowing your chicken to sit in the rich buttermilk brine for at least 8 hours gives the acids time to break down the tissues. This drives extra moisture below the surface and brings plenty of flavor. Adding spices and herbs to the brine fully flavors the meat for your juiciest and most flavorful fried chicken every time.