Fried Chicken And Cornbread Waffles With Maple Hot Sauce Recipes

MAPLE BRINED FRIED CHICKEN WITH CORNBREAD WAFFLES

Steps:

• For the brine, add all ingredients except the chicken to a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat to steep for 30 minutes. Remove lid and let cool completely. Strain the liquid and pour into a gallon sized plastic bag. Add drumsticks. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, up to 36.
• When ready to fry, remove chicken from brine and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken in a bowl and pour 2 cups buttermilk over it to soak.
• Heat enough canola oil in a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven to be about 2 inches deep. Over medium high heat, bring the oil to 325-350 degrees. Be careful to keep it in this range throughout the entire frying process.
• Shake excess buttermilk off chicken and add to hot oil. Do not overcrowd the skillet, fry in batches if needed. Keep an eye on the temperature throughout the frying process to make sure it doesn't exceed 350 degrees.
• Fry drumsticks for 10 minutes, then flip over and fry for another 10. Remove to a cooling rack set over a sheet pan when done frying.
• While the chicken is frying, add syrup, jalapeno, and cinnamon stick to a small saucepan. Set to medium low heat to steep. Strain before serving.
• Preheat your waffle iron. Whisk together all ingredients for waffles. For Belgian waffles, this will yield two waffles. Prepare waffles according to the instructions for your waffle iron.
• To assemble, top half of a waffle (if Belgian) with two fried drumsticks. Pour a generous amount of maple syrup over the top.

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.