Chicken and Waffles

Fried Chicken and Waffles.  Does the sound of this dish and thinking about crispy fried chicken and buttery Belgian waffles drizzled with warm maple syrup make your knees weak?  Well, it should!  Who knew that two simple dishes topped with a little syrup could taste so incredible together?!  I am now a believer!

The problem is…how do you make them at the same time and keep both of them hot and crispy?  That is the problem I wanted  to tackle when I had the opportunity to review and use the Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster.  I could talk about how much fun it is to watch your bread toast to the perfect doneness (and by the way, it is), but I needed something far more serious to discuss.  Fried Chicken and Waffles is definitely serious business in the south and something you don’t want to mess up!

I always make a large batch of waffles when I bring out the waffle maker because it’s a bit of a mess.  If it’s just the two of us, that usually means that we are left with waffles that need to be frozen and reheated.  Keeping waffles hot and crispy while the rest of them are cooking has always been a challenge, especially when you have a crowd to feed all at once.  Yes, I have used the oven to keep them warm, but they don’t stay crisp.  Inevitably, someone is going to get a squishy waffle. 🙁

Make these buttery Belgian Waffles ahead of serving time

Combine waffle making with frying chicken and not overcooking either one of them and you have a perfect situation to try out that new Vision Toaster!  I was able to make the waffles ahead of time, browning them just a bit less than usual.  I let them cool on wire racks over baking sheets and then wrapped them carefully in aluminum foil and refrigerated them.

When it was time for dinner, I could focus on frying the chicken.  I took the waffles out of the refrigerator and put them in the Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster while I pulled my chicken out of the fryer to drain.  I watched the waffles to make sure they didn’t get too brown in the toaster (because you can) and was able to serve them both hot and crispy with some warm maple syrup.  Oh. My. Goodness.

You need to keep your eye on the chicken because it browns quickly

I used a poisson (Poulet Rouge) from our friends at Plow Point Farms to make the fried chicken.  Robert said those chickens make a mean fried chicken and he wasn’t lyin’!  They are smaller, more flavorful and really tender.  A spicy double-dipped buttermilk batter and an overnight marinade made for a moist and perfect fried chicken.

One of the features that I really like about the Magimix Vision Toaster is the bagel toasting option.   You can toast one side of the bagel so you don’t end up with an overly crisp bagel that nearly breaks your jaw when chewing it.  I always opt out of toasted bagels at restaurants for that reason.  With this toasting feature, you can have slightly toasted bagels on one side and still have them chewy on the other.

You can toast your bagels on just one side keeping them chewy on the other

We like our bagels with homemade strawberry cream cheese

The other feature I have used quite a bit and enjoy is the defrosting option.  I was able to take the leftover waffles and freeze them (there are only 2 of us, so I tend to have lots of leftovers) and then first defrost them in the toaster.  I followed that up with a quick toast and was able to enjoy crisp Belgian waffles for breakfast without the mess of the waffle maker!

Save the leftovers, freeze, defrost and toast for a quick breakfast

I never knew that I could get this excited about a toaster, but I must say that I have really enjoyed using the Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster.  No two slices of bread ever toast in the same amount of time, so I like being able to watch my bread toast (who knew?!) and stop the process when I see that the bread is toasted just right.  The bagel and defrosting options are now something that I use on a regular basis.  We freeze bread quite a bit with all of our travels, so I can pull slices from the freezer as needed and defrost them.

Thanks to the folks at Magimix by Robot-Coupe, I am able to host this giveaway for one of their Vision Toasters.  I know this would be a great addition to your kitchen, too.  Good luck in the giveaway!  You might also want to ask for one of these from Santa if you don’t win…Christmas is just around the corner! 🙂

Here is how you enter:

***THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED***

* Regretfully, due to the weight and contents, this package can only be shipped to a winner in the Continental U.S.  I apologize to my readers that live outside of that area.

Leave me a comment telling me what dishes you are most excited to prepare now that it is fall!

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1. Follow @bunkycooks on Twitter. Leave a comment here indicating that you are now a follower. If you are already a follower, you can leave a comment saying you are.

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** You can have a total of 5 entries, however, each comment needs to be left separately to count as one entry each. **

This giveaway ends at 5 pm EST on Sunday October 2nd, 2011.

I will notify the winner by email. Please get back to me with your shipping information within 48 hours or I will have to choose another winner.

Good luck and enjoy your weekend!

Make this dish over the weekend!

Disclosure – I was given this Magimix by Robot-Coupe Vision Toaster for my use and review.  The company is also giving one of their Vision Toasters to the winner of this giveaway.

Print Recipe

Double DIpped Fried Chicken and Buttermilk Begian Waffles

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 3 hours (minimum)

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes

The recipe for Buttermilk Belgian Waffles is from Sugarcrafter.com. The recipe originated from the All Clad Waffle Maker recipe booklet. The waffles are buttery and rich and perfect with the spicy fried chicken. The recipe for fried chicken is a double dipped fried chicken recipe from Chef Tyler Florence at foodnetwork.com. It was spicy, but I would still add a bit more heat and salt next time. Be sure to let your chicken marinate in the buttermilk batter for as long as possible to infuse the flavors and add tenderness. I marinated my chicken overnight. My chicken was smaller (a poisson), so I had to adjust the cooking time.

Ingredients:

For Buttermilk Belgian Waffles:
3 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour (I use King Arthur unbleached, all-purpose)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar

For Double Dipped Fried Chicken:
3 1/2 pound frying chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons red pepper sauce
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I would use more, to taste)
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne (I would use more, to taste)
4 cups peanut oil, for frying

Warm maple syrup, for serving

Directions:

For Buttermilk Belgian Waffles:
1. Preheat the waffle maker to medium-high heat, and preheat your oven to 200 degrees (for keeping the cooked waffles warm). In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla until well-blended.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and whisk until smooth. In another medium bowl, whisk the egg white until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

3. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each well of the waffle maker and close the lid. Cook until brown and crisp (follow your manufacturer's directions for approximate cooking times). Repeat with the remaining batter. Transfer the finished waffles to a baking sheet. Serve immediately while hot.

* If you are making them ahead, undercook them slightly. Transfer to a baking sheet. Once they are cool, wrap them in aluminum foil and refrigerate them until you are ready to use. To reheat, place in the toaster and toast until warm and crisp.

For Double Dipped Fried Chicken:
1. Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. In a shallow platter, combine the buttermilk, water, and red pepper sauce. Soak the chicken pieces, turn to coat, then cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If time allows, marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours because the buttermilk promotes tenderness. (I marinated mine overnight.)

2. Place flour in a shallow platter. Season it by mixing in salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, paprika, and cayenne. Roll the marinated chicken pieces in the flour, a few at a time, until well coated. Then, dip chicken in the buttermilk bath again followed by another coat of seasoned flour. Allow the chicken to sit in the flour and dry out while preparing the oil, this will help the coating stay on better. The buttermilk will keep absorbing the seasoned flour, which then fries up to form a crunchy crust.

3. Heat oil in a large electric skillet to 350 degrees F. There should be about 1-inch of fat in the pan. Carefully add the chicken pieces in a single layer, skin side down. Do not crowd the pan or the temperature will plummet; make sure the fat continues to bubble around the chicken. Fry for 5 minutes, then turn the pieces over and fry the other side 5 minutes. Turn again, frying a total of 15 minutes. The turning will produce a golden-crisp skin with even color.

4. Remove chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Do not put hot chicken directly in a bowl or container, the air can not circulate and the steam will cause the crust to fall off. Serve immediately.

Assembly:
Place hot and crisp waffles on a serving plate and top with a piece or two of crisp fried chicken. Serve immediately with warm maple syrup.

Buttermilk Belgian Waffles adapted from Sugarcrafter.com
Double Dipped Fried Chicken adapted from Chef Tyler Florence, Foodnetwork.com