Back in the day when we were living in Snoqualmie, going on three years ago now, I made my first attempt at making chicken and waffles. Knowing that we didn't have a waffle iron at the time, I picked one up at Target for $10, maybe less. I had seen a recipe on the Internet for using the pancake mix as the primary component for breading the chicken. It was kind of a disaster.
I tried again at some point after moving to Orlando but before moving into the new house, and it was better. My BFF came over for dinner tonight, so I decided I would try and cook again, and decided the time was right to try chicken and waffles again. Based mostly on advice from Diana, this time it was an enormous success.
First off, she did her classic marinade, for which I don't even know the components, but added a healthy dose of Chipotle and Berbere seasoning from Penzey's. If you are unfamiliar with these masters of seasoning, and you don't have a cupboard full of their stuff, leave this blog and look it up right now. They're amazing.
Then I did a three-step coating. The first was flour with more of the two seasonings, plus a splash of hot curry powder (because I love how it smells). Then into the egg, though I actually used "beaters" instead. Finally into panko bread crumbs, though I added a little shredded cheddar cheese for fun. I think next time I would rather use some finely grated stuff instead, maybe even parmesan for a saltier flavor.
Into the oven it went for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees. We have a fantastic waffle iron (I tossed the shitty cheap one from Target years ago), which was rated tops by one of the organizations that rates such things. All told, it was a slam dunk. It was hot, too... but had really outstanding flavor. The only thing I didn't like about it was the color. The panko doesn't really brown when you bake it, so that's slightly unfortunate. Otherwise, it was the tits, and I can't wait to make it again.
No comments yet.