Chicken And Waffles

People. Chicken and cheddar waffles. It's our new obsession. Things that look like they shouldn't go together but absolutely do. Good grief do they ever go together. We love it so much that we've even thought of a BYOWIP. Bring Your Own Waffle Iron Party. Clever, no?

Do you see the little bits of cheddar all melted through the waffle? The stuff dreams are made of.

When my sisters and I went to Buttermilk Channel a few months ago, I tried my first chicken and waffles ever. I wasn't quite sure what to expect or whether I'd like it, but because people kept raving about it, I dove right in. And then almost forgot to come back up for air. SO. GOOD.

They serve theirs with a balsamic maple syrup but I didn't have that on hand so we've tried it with maple syrup, BBQ sauce and balsamic glaze so far (we take our obsessions seriously), and I think the last one's my favourite. I was going to try to find balsamic maple in stores or try to make it, but I think the glaze is quite perfect, so why bother?

The chicken was something I kind of winged (Har har har geddit? Winged? Chicken? Oh shut it...). I sliced up some chicken breasts into strips, put them in buttermilk then tossed them in seasoned flour before frying. And then let them sit on paper towels while the waffles cook. And for me, the cheddar in the waffles is key because I like my savoury with a bit of savoury.

Because I love you all, here's the recipe...

Cheddar Waffles (adapted from this recipe):
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup rye flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp Dijon
3/4 grated cheddar cheese (you can go ahead and add a bit more heehee)

- In a larger bowl, mix the two flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then stir in the buttermilk, butter and Dijon.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, and stir till just combined. Add the cheddar and stir to combine.
- Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes, until you see a few bubbles appear on top.
- In the meantime, preheat your waffle iron.
- Use approximately 1/3 to 1/2 cup batter for each waffle and cook according to the waffle iron instructions. Mine took about 8-10 minutes each.

And this might help... the cooking timeline that works best for me...
1. Make the waffle batter,
2a. Cut up the chicken and prep for frying,
2b. Preheat waffle iron,
3a. Cook your chicken;
3b. Start cooking waffles once iron is heated.

You're welcome. I like to be thanked in fabric. Or money. Either way, it becomes fabric.