FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

INGREDIENTS

Vegetable Oil, for deep frying

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

BUTTERMILK BRINE

2 cups (480 mL) buttermilk OR soured whole milk* (see notes)

1 tbsp kosher salt

½ tbsp garlic powder

½ tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp hot sauce or chili powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

SEASONED FLOUR CRUST

3 cups (384 g) all-purpose flour

⅓ cup (43 g) cornstarch

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

SPICY HONEY BUTTER SAUCE

¼ cup (85 g) honey (you can sub maple syrup)

½ tsp chili powder (or more if you like a lot of spice)

4 tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter

½ tsp kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the buttermilk or soured milk, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, and smoked paprika together in a large mixing bowl.

Add the boneless, skinless chicken thigh to the bowl, making sure every thigh is covered in the brine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the buttermilk brine from 1 hour to overnight in the fridge.

In a dutch oven pot, heat up about half the pot’s worth of vegetable oil. Allow the oil to reach 350 degrees F (180 degrees C/ 160 degrees C if using a fan-forced oven).

While the oil is heating up, in a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and seasonings. Take each chicken thigh from the brine and dredge into the seasoned flour. Thoroughly coat the chicken all over, then let rest on a plate for five minutes before frying.

Fry the chicken in the hot oil (no more than about 4 thighs per batch) until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through completely, about 8-9 minutes.

Carefully take the chicken out of the oil and place them on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and let cool slightly before serving. Repeat until all the chicken thighs are fried.

Make the Belgian Waffles and serve the chicken on top of the waffles, then drizzle generously with spicy honey butter sauce or maple syrup.

SPICY HONEY BUTTER SAUCE

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat with honey, chili powder, and kosher salt. Whisk well until the mixture is incorporated and homogenized.

Lower the temperature to ‘warm/low’ heat and keep for serving.