Nashville Hot Chicken Cornbread Waffles Lodge Cast Iron Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toss chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Transfer chicken to a bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Whisk buttermilk, pickle brine, hot sauce, and egg together in a mixing bowl. Pour marinade over chicken and stir to ensure each piece is thoroughly coated. Cover and let chicken marinate in refrigerator 2 to 4 hours.
• Mix flour and salt together in a shallow flat dish. Remove chicken from marinade and blot with paper towels. Reserve marinade. Toss chicken in flour until thoroughly coated. Return chicken to marinade, coating all sides; remove chicken from marinade allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Coat the chicken once again in flour mixture. Place on a rack. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Allow to sit out about 15 minutes to allow coating to dry out a bit.
• Place butter and lard in a large pot. Add cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. Place over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until fats melt. Remove from heat; keep sauce warm.
• Fill cast iron skillet about 1/3 of the way with vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Carefully place chicken into hot oil, skin side down. Maintain an oil temperature of 325 degrees F, adjusting heat as need. Fry until instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees F, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
• Transfer chicken to a rack to drain. Brush with the sauce on both sides.

NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN AND WAFFLE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Begin preparing chicken: place chicken thighs in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk and hot sauce and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
• Prepare waffles: combine waffle mix, water, egg, and oil in a medium bowl; whisk until well combined.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Preheat a mini waffle maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Spray waffle maker with cooking spray. Cook waffles one at a time until golden brown. Place cooked waffles on a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
• Finish preparing chicken: heat 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven.
• While oil heats, combine flour, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish.
• Remove chicken thighs from the buttermilk mixture one at a time and allow excess to drip off. Coat chicken lightly in flour mixture and shake off any excess. Repeat the process once more, dipping chicken back in the buttermilk mixture and flour mixture, and shaking off any excess. Place chicken on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat to coat remaining chicken.
• Fry 2 chicken thighs at a time in the hot oil until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 170 degrees F (77 degrees F), turning 2 to 3 times, about 8 minutes per batch. Drain chicken on a clean wire rack set inside a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
• Combine remaining paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper with cayenne pepper and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Carefully whisk in 1 cup of the hot frying oil. Brush each fried chicken thigh with the spicy oil mixture.
• Stir maple syrup into the remaining spice mixture.
• Place 1 piece of chicken on a waffle and top with 1/4 cup coleslaw. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the spicy maple mixture and place a second waffle on top. Repeat with remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN & CORNBREAD WAFFLES | LODGE CAST IRON

Steps:

• Prepare brine by adding salt and sugar to hot water. Allow to cool, then add chicken tenders. Cover and keep at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 6 hours. (Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.)
• Combine cornbread mix, cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and molasses or maple syrup in a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Fold in ⅓ cup of scallions and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Heat ½ cup of canola oil in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute, then add cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic, salt, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
• In a blender or small food processor, combine all creamy maple jalapeño sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth, then set aside.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat a Lodge Pro-Grid Reversible Grill/Griddle over medium heat, then spray with nonstick spray. Spoon cornbread waffle batter onto grill pan with a ¼-cup scoop to form 4-inch waffles. Flip with a fork when beginning to brown around the edges, 2 minutes. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to baking sheet and keep warm in preheated oven until ready to serve.
• Preheat 12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet over medium heat, then add ½ inch of canola oil. Remove chicken from brine. Pat dry with paper towels. Combine dredge ingredients in a shallow bowl. Mix eggs and 1 tablespoon buttermilk in a separate shallow bowl. Coat chicken tenders in flour and cornmeal mixture. Shake off excess, then transfer to egg mixture and coat. Transfer chicken back to flour and cornmeal mixture, coat again, then shake off excess. Fry chicken in hot oil, cooking 3-4 minutes per side.
• When chicken tenders are golden brown, remove chicken from skillet, then transfer to bowl with spicy coating, and turn chicken in mixture to coat completely.
• To serve, stack 2 waffles on a plate, top with 1-2 spicy chicken tenders, drizzle with creamy sauce, and sprinkle with chopped scallions. Enjoy!