Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles with Spiced Maple Butter
An American Southern brunch on a Belgian base: buttermilk-marinated crispy fried chicken thighs on fresh waffles, topped with melting maple butter spiked with black pepper and cayenne.
Method
Cut each chicken thigh into 2 or 3 pieces and trim off large bits of fat. In a bowl, mix the buttermilk with part of the salt, half the paprika and the garlic powder, add the chicken, coat well, cover and refrigerate for (overnight is fine). Wash your hands and board straight after handling raw chicken.
Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 300 gButtermilk (or milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice, left for 5 minutes) 150 mlSalt ¾ tspSmoked paprika ½ tspGarlic powder ½ tsp
Maple butter: mash the softened butter with the maple syrup, black pepper and cayenne with a fork until smooth.
Add in this stepButter for the maple butter, softened 30 gMaple syrup 2 tbspCoarsely ground black pepper ½ tspCayenne pepper 1 pinch
Waffle batter: whisk the waffle flour, baking powder, sugar and a little of the salt in a bowl. In another bowl mix the egg, milk and melted butter, pour into the dry ingredients and stir only until no dry flour is visible. Small lumps are fine; overmixing makes the waffles tough.
Add in this stepPlain flour (for the waffles) 120 gBaking powder 1 tspSugar 10 gSalt ¼ tspEggs 1Milk 180 mlButter for the waffles, melted 40 g
Dredge: on a wide plate, mix the dredging flour, cornflour and the rest of the salt and paprika. Lift the chicken pieces out one at a time, let the excess buttermilk drip off, then press them firmly into the flour so a craggy coating forms; those craggy bits are what make it crunchy. Set them on a rack for so the coating sets and does not fall off in the oil.
Add in this stepPlain flour (for dredging) 80 gCornflour (cornstarch) 20 gSalt ½ tspSmoked paprika ½ tsp
Meanwhile preheat the waffle iron, brush it lightly with oil and bake the batter for per batch, until deep golden. Total batches: 2. Keep the waffles warm on a rack in a 100 °C oven.
Pour the frying oil into a deep 20 cm pot, at least 3 cm deep but no more than one third full, and heat over medium-high heat for to 170 °C. No thermometer? A pinch of the flour mixture should sizzle and float at once. Keep wet utensils away, turn the handle inwards and keep a lid within reach. If the oil smokes, turn off the heat.
Add in this stepNeutral oil for frying 950 ml
medium-high heatLower the chicken in gently, away from you, frying only 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Total batches: 1. Fry each batch over medium heat for , turning once or twice, and adjust the heat so the oil stays at 160 to 170 °C. Lift out when deep golden and crisp and the thickest part reaches 75 °C (or the juices run clear with no pink when cut), and drain on a rack.
medium heatTop each warm waffle with fried chicken and a spoonful of maple butter to melt over it. A little extra maple syrup or a few drops of hot sauce are excellent too. Let the used oil cool completely before straining or discarding it.
Cook's tip
Thighs stay juicier than breast and are far more forgiving. For an extra-craggy crust, drizzle 1 tbsp of the buttermilk into the dredge and rub it with your fingers into little clumps. Fry the chicken after the waffles are done so it does not go soft while waiting.
Cooking it at camp
Marinate the chicken at home in a zip bag with the buttermilk and carry it in the cooler. Instead of deep-frying, shallow-fry in 1 cm of oil in a cast-iron pan over medium heat, turning the pieces; it is safer outdoors. Bake the waffles in a stovetop cast-iron waffle iron and take the cooled oil home in a bottle.