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Chicken and Waffles

Crisp buttermilk-brined chicken and light, golden waffles meet with warm maple syrup or a soft honey-butter topping.

Golden fried chicken thighs and crisp-edged waffles are served with a small pitcher of warm maple syrup.

The timing works by letting the chicken brine while the frying station and waffle ingredients are staged. Once the chicken is crisp, it rests on a rack as the batter comes together.

A short, cool brine

Buttermilk seasons the thighs and gives the flour coating something to cling to. Keeping the brine cold and draining excess before dredging helps the crust turn craggy instead of pasty.

Control the fry

A steady oil temperature is as important as the coating: crowded batches cool the oil and can turn the crust heavy. Fry in small batches, let the oil recover, and check each thigh at its thickest point before serving.

A brined chicken thigh is coated in seasoned flour beside a thermometer and a rack for draining. — Seasoned thighs are pressed into a craggy flour coating beside the thermometer-monitored frying station.

Mix a tender waffle batter

The waffle batter only needs a few strokes; small lumps are fine, and overmixing can make the centers tough. Melted butter enriches the batter while the leaveners lift it quickly on a hot iron.

Hold the crisp edges

A low oven holds finished waffles on a wire rack, with space around each one for steam to escape. Serve them with warm maple syrup, or choose the honey-butter branch for a softer, richer finish.

Craggy golden chicken crust sits beside a browned waffle topped with soft honey butter. — The finished plate pairs a deeply golden chicken crust with a tender waffle and warm topping.

Chicken and Waffles

4 servings

60 minutes total

Ingredients

• 3 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tbsp kosher salt for brine
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour for chicken
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder for chicken coating
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt for coating
• 6 cups peanut oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour for waffles
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder for waffles
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt for waffles
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk for waffles
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp neutral oil for waffle iron
•

Method

Brine the chicken
Whisk the buttermilk, brine salt, and hot sauce in a bowl, add the chicken thighs, turn to coat, and refrigerate for 20 minutes while you set up the other ingredients.
Look for: The thighs are coated on all sides and the bowl stays chilled during the brief brine.
Set up the frying station
Set a rack over a rimmed sheet pan and preheat the oven to 200 F. Put the peanut oil in a heavy Dutch oven or deep skillet, never more than halfway up the vessel; clip on a thermometer and heat to 350 F, keeping the handle turned inward and the area dry.
Look for: The oil reads 350 F, the pot has ample headroom, and the rack is ready beside the stove.
Season the coating
In a wide shallow dish, whisk the flour for chicken with the cornstarch, chicken-coating baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and coating salt. Lift each thigh from the brine, let excess drip off, and press it firmly into the seasoned flour on all sides.
Look for: Every thigh has a dry, craggy coating with no wet patches showing through.
Fry in small batches
Lower a few coated thighs into the 350 F oil away from your body, without splashing or crowding the pot. Fry, turning once, until deeply golden and at least 165 F at the thickest point; let the oil return to 350 F between batches, then move each piece to the rack.
Look for: The crust is deep gold, the oil bubbles steadily without overflowing, and every thigh reaches 165 F.
Rest chicken and mix batter
Move the chicken rack to the 200 F oven and leave the pieces uncovered. While they rest, whisk the waffle flour, sugar, waffle baking powder, baking soda, and waffle salt in a bowl; in another bowl whisk the eggs, waffle buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla, then fold wet into dry just until combined.
Look for: The batter is just mixed with a few small lumps, and the chicken stays uncovered on its rack.
Cook the waffles
Heat the waffle iron, brush it lightly with neutral oil, and add batter without filling past the manufacturer's mark. Cook until the waffles are golden and the escaping steam slows; hold finished waffles in one layer on a second rack in the 200 F oven, uncovered so they stay crisp rather than steaming.
Look for: Waffles release cleanly with browned edges, and held waffles remain separated on the rack.
Warm the topping
Warm the maple syrup gently in a small pan until fluid. For the honey-butter branch instead, stir the softened butter and honey together until smooth, then warm briefly until spoonable; choose one topping branch rather than combining them.
Look for: The chosen topping is warm and pourable or soft enough to spoon without melting into a puddle.
Serve hot
Plate a waffle with crisp chicken and pass the warm maple syrup or honey butter at the table. Serve promptly while the chicken coating is crisp and the waffle centers are tender.
Look for: The chicken and waffles are hot, crisp at the edges, and paired with the selected topping.