Chicken and Waffles

So it probably comes as no suprise, but I am a HUGE Top Chef fan. In fact every season they have on DVD, I own. That is how much I love this show. Alex even enjoys it. What's not to love?? Professional chefs compete to make specific themed or ingredient dishes....but they are completely complex. Sometimes they baffle my brains! But I still adore the show. Well this is a recipe from a dish I saw on the DC season of Top Chef. The challenge was to make a gourmet bite of food that would fit onto a toothpick. They all had some good and interesting looking things, but the one that caught my eye was the chicken and waffles take.

Let me take this moment to interject that I have made chicken and waffles in the past and absolutely love it! And don't knock it until you have tried it. Its fabulous!! You get the mild neutral waffle with your crispy fried chicken, sweet syrup with the salty gravy. It has just about everything you need. And now you've gone and gotten scared on me!! Dont be! People eat sweet with salty and soft with crunchy all the time. They even eat it all together too, not always in this form. Ever had sweet and sour chicken from an Asian restaurant? Ever had peanut butter and jelly with crunchy peanut butter? Ever put fruit in your savory salads and your tangy dressings? See! It's not such a foreign concept is it? So do not be afraid. I will not lead you astray on purpose. But normally I use frozen waffles, chicken tenders fried, regular syrup and a simple white gravy. Tonight is different!!

So back to Top Chef real quick. The recipe I saw was a homemade cheddar waffle, buttermilk fried chicken, and a maple white gravy. So that is kind of what mine is going to be. I have different types of cheddar, because I couldn't decide in the store on white or yellow, sharp or mild. Then I am going to take chicken tenders and dip in a hot sauce egg mixture and flour and fry til crispy. Then I am going to make the white gravy but use real maple syrup in the gravy instead of having 2 sauce to drizzle over your final plate. And you know what?? I am so excited I can barely contain myself!! I woke up craving it and have eaten just enough to get by today because I knew I was gonna pig out on dinner!!

White Cheddar Waffle:
2 eggs, beaten
2c all-purpose flour
1 3/4c milk (I used buttemilk)
1/2c vegetable oil
1T sugar
4t baking powder
1/4t salt
1c cheese (I used white cheddar)

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix until blended. You can put in the fridge at this point and keep for several hours or for a day or two. Just make sure to stir before using. Ladle onto waffle iron and cook until iron instructions advise to take off.

For the chicken, just season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl mix 2 eggs and hot sauce until mixed. In a seperate bowl place some all-purpose flour. Heat a large skillet on medium. Add about an inch of canola or vegetable oil. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then into flour. Place immediatetly into hot oil and fry until golden brown.

For the sauce:

3T butter

1 scallion, sliced

3T flour

1-2c milk (I generally eyeball here until its thick enough)

2T maple syrup

Heat butter in skillet over medium until melted. Add flour and cook a minute to get rid of raw flour taste. Add scallions and cook another minute. Add milk and whisk until it comes together. Bring to a boil and simmer gently. If it is too thick, add some milk. Add syrup and mix. Once the right consistency turn off heat. If you have some flour glumpies, pass through a sieve to get the sauce smooth.

To assmeble, place waffle on plate. Add 2-3 pieces of chicken. Drizzle sauce over chicken and waffle. If it is not sweet enough and you cannot add syrup to sauce, drizzle over chicken and waffle. Top with some sliced scallions.

This turned out terrific!! The waffle wasn't as cheesy as I would have liked. So I might use a stronger cheese next time. But it was still wonderful. The chicken was perfectly cooked and flavorful. The sauce was sweet and salty perfection. Beautiful.....just beautiful! Don't knock it until you try it is all I gotta say!! Wonderful things come when you least expect it!! And if you do try it....make sure and let me know if it was good or not!!