Southern Fried Chicken and Waffle bites with Bourbon maple syrup
The Kentucky Derby is here. To celebrate, we present Southern Fried Chicken and Waffle bites with Bourbon maple syrup. We are serving this as an appetizer by making bite sized pieces of the ingredients, because, this is not a sit down affair. But, you can adapt the recipe to be a full sized meal. We use boneless skinless chicken breast here. You can easily use a whole chicken, cut up. But, you will need to scale the marinade and coating to cover the volume.
The buttermilk marinade makes this a truly flavorful comfort food. The cultures and enzymes interact with the other ingredients to tenderize and open up the flavors. As for the coating, we made it easy by using a Cajun seasoning. Play with the seasonings. If you have a full set of spices, you can create an 11 spice mix just like the colonel. You will need onion, garlic, and mustard powder for starters. paprika and cayenne pepper are a must as well. See what you can come up with.
The waffle recipe here is more than you will need for the appetizers. But, who doesn’t love waffles? You can either make them in the morning and eat the extra for breakfast. Or, you can make extras and freeze them for future use. Waffles are always in demand. You never know when there’s going to be a run on them.
These are our 3 favorite food groups: chicken, waffle, and bourbon… and maple… Our 4, yes, 4 favorite things. We’re going to need the soft cushions after this… because, nobody expects the Spanish inquisition.
Southern Fried Chicken and Waffle Bites with Bourbon Maple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 pt buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp chopped fresh garlic
- 1 tsp chopped green onion
- 2 Tbsp Cajun Spice blend
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For coating:
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp Poultry seasoning or rubbed sage
- 2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Oil to fry
- For the waffles:
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1 Tbsp Baking powder
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups Buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- For syrup
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 each cinnamon stick
- 2 cups Maple syrup
- 1 each mini chili
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Whisk an egg, add in buttermilk and seasonings. Cut the chicken into equal size 3/4 inch cubes. Put in the buttermilk mix. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- make the waffles: Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk and vanilla, continue whisking. Add the dry ingredients and oil. Set aside batter to rest for 20 minutes.
- Mix flour and spices for coating and set aside.
- make the Bourbon maple syrup: Heat all ingredients on a stove over low heat about 15 minutes until all flavors have blended. remove the cinnamon and chili. Put in a squeeze bottle or a bowl to serve on the side. This canbe done in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Heat a waffle iron to medium high. Open and spray with pan spray. Ladle the waffle batter directly into the middle of the waffle iron. Allow it to spread evenly across the plate. Close the iron and flip. Follow the directions on your particular waffle maker. When cooked, cut them into individual cubes.
- Set up a frying station, either use a fryer or a heavy pot over medium high heat. Heat oil to about 350 degrees.
- Strain the chicken from its marinade. Toss it in the flour coating mix. Fry until golden brown. Make sure it is cooked all the way through.
- Skewer the chicken with the waffles, and heat in a 350 degree oven until warmed throughout. Servee drizzled with bourbon maple syrup.