Chicken & Waffles

Last Tuesday while I was chatting it up with Julie on WTIP, we decided that I needed a food challenge of sorts. Julie picked three ingredients and I was to make something epic. Julie had a strong start with her ingredient list. First she chose chicken. Then it was mushrooms. I was thinking to myself, "EASY". Then for the third ingredient, she chose blueberries. Chicken, mushrooms, and blueberries. While I'm glad the third ingredient wasn't hotdogs, I will admit that I was a little stumped trying to pull all of those ingredients together. Then it came to me. Chicken and waffles. It came to me as I was quizzing my fiance about the whys of chicken and waffles. Why would someone put fried chicken with waffles? Where do you drizzle the syrup? Are there any vegetables anywhere in this dish? Don't you think there should be at least some collards? Jeremy knows about my limited knowledge of things like chicken and waffles, and he is always there to help me out. Why would you not pair fried chicken and waffles? You drizzle the syrup everywhere. Chicken and waffles is not about eating your vegetables. Good to know.

Let's start with the first ingredient, chicken. I deep fried it in my small kitchen, and it resulted in the entire house smelling like a fried chicken shack for about three days. I was reminded why I prefer to deep fry things in an industrial kitchen, not at home. It had to be done however, and it was well worth it.

The waffles were the carrier of the blueberries. I made a multi-grain waffle with whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, and cornmeal. I used dried blueberries, which seemed to really flavor the waffles throughout with a great blueberry flavor. They also re hydrated a bit in the batter, so they were tender and not chewy.

The mushrooms ended up as a side car of gravy. Something about deep frying chicken made me instantly think about gravy. When I envision myself eating chicken and waffles somewhere south of the Mason Dixon line, I envision involvement of gravy. Who doesn't love gravy?


Ingredients:

The CHICKEN:
1 (3 1/2 pound) fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2/3 cup all- purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 Tbls Creole seasoning (Tony Chacheres works well)

Heat enough vegetable oil to come about 1 inch up the sides of a large, deep cast iron skillet to 350 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken under cold running water and do not dry, leave wet. In a large sealable bag, combine the flour, cornmeal and creole seasoning. Add the chicken pieces one at a time, seal, and shake to coat evenly. Remove and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. After the chicken has sat, I suggest repeating shaking the chicken in the flour mixture. I like lots of crunchy bits with my fried chicken.

Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil and fry, turning once until golden brown and the meat is cooked through, about 15 minutes. I had to do the chicken in batches as my pan was not so big, but it worked out. Remove and drain on paper towels. Remove the pan from the heat.

The WAFFLES:
1/2 cup all- purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbls sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
4 Tbls butter, melted
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/3 cup dried blueberries

Preheat the waffle iron and lightly grease. I do this by rubbing the iron down with olive oil and a clean towel.

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients.

In another large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the butter and buttermilk and beat to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until combined

Pour the batter into the hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown and lightly crisp.

The GRAVY:
4 Tbls butter
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbls flour
1/2 tsp thyme
1 Tbls tamri or soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
2 cups milk
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a pan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and saute about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute a few minutes more. Add the flour and thyme to the mushrooms and garlic and stir to combine. Allow the flour to cook a few minutes. Then add the sherry and tamari and allow to simmer until slightly reduced, all the while scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium low and add the milk, chicken stock, and cream. Allow the gravy to simmer on low, stirring occasionally until it has thickened, about 8 minutes. If the gravy seems too thick, add a splash more cream. 

To assemble this chicken and waffle experience, place a warm waffle on the plate and slather with butter. Top with fried chicken. Pour yourself a side dish of gravy.  Drizzle everything with maple syrup and just dive right in. There's crispy chicken skin, warm buttery waffles, the sweetness from the syrup, and delicious gravy. I really am sure that chicken and waffles exist everywhere except Minnesota. It's probably for the best. My coworker just confided that Lays potato chips has just introduced a chicken and waffle flavored potato chip. The first person to get a bag of those in my hands will win me cooking you dinner. Belly up!!