Chicken and Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter

Chicken and Waffles with two scoops of Maple-Cinnamon Butter on a white plate over a red and white striped towel

Chicken and Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, dinner, Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: African American, American, Soul Food

Keyword: chicken, waffles

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 15

marinating time: 3

Total Time: 3 45

Servings:

Calories: 2463kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

Southern chicken and waffles are a sweet and savory dish of flavorfully crispy fried chicken and my sweet cream fluffy Belgian waffles, topped with scoops of honey-cinnamon butter. This classic Southern dish is perfect for breakfast, Sunday brunch, dinner, or just because.

Print Recipe

Equipment

5qt Dutch Oven
waffle iron
electric hand mixer

Ingredients

Buttermilk Chicken Marinade (begin at least 3 hours ahead)

1 tablespoon (18 grams) kosher salt
2 teaspoons (2 grams) onion powder
2 teaspoons (2 grams) granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry sage
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
2 1/2 pounds (1 kilogram) chicken wings (or 8 each)
2 cups (500 milliliters) buttermilk

To Fry the Chicken

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 grams) cornstarch
vegetable oil for frying

For the Honey-Cinnamon Butter (may be made 2 weeks ahead)

1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) salted honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground vanilla or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

For the Sweet Cream Waffles

1 3/4 cups (230g) cake flour
1 tablespoon (12g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3g) kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (375ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter melted
4 tablespoons (60g) granulated sugar divided
2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) vanilla extract optional
3 large eggs whites separated from yolks

Optional Additions

maple syrup
powdered sugar

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken (begin at least 3 hours ahead)

In a mixing bowl, stir together the kosher salt, onion powder, granulated garlic powder, dry sage, black pepper, ground cumin, paprika, dried thyme, ground coriander, and cayenne pepper until they're evenly mixed.
Remove two tablespoons of the spice blend to later season the flour. Sprinkle the rest of the spice blend over the chicken wings in an even layer on both sides.
Add the seasoned chicken pieces to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them ensuring all the pieces are submerged and the buttermilk is touching them.
Cover the bowl and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.

Make the Honey-Cinnamon Butter While the Chicken Marinates

Add the butter, honey, ground cinnamon, and vanilla to a medium mixing bowl.
Use an electric hand mixer set on low to blend the ingredients for 30 seconds or until combined.
Increase the speed to high once the cinnamon and vanilla are blended in, and whip until the butter is light and fluffy.
If you're using the honey-cinnamon butter right away, you can store it, covered, at room temperature.
If not, cover the bowl and store it in the refrigerator. Remove the bowl from the fridge 20 minutes before scooping to allow it to soften slightly.

Bread, Then Fry the Chicken

Preheat frying oil to 365°F (185°C) in a large cast iron dutch oven, frying pan, or deep skillet.
Set up two wire cooling racks over sheetpans to dry out the breaded chicken and one to drain the chicken after frying it. You can also dry the breaded chicken on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Preheat your oven to 170°F (76°C) for keeping the fried chicken warm.
Combine the remaining spice rub with the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a large bowl.
Remove the chicken wings, one at a time, from the buttermilk- allowing excess buttermilk to drip back into the marinating bowl- and place them, 2 or 3 at a time in the seasoned flour.
Toss the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour to coat them evenly and thoroughly.
Shake off any excess flour from the chicken pieces and lay them on the wire rack for 10-15 minutes to allow the breading to set while the oil heats.
Carefully add the wings to the pot of hot oil once it reaches 365°F (185°C) and allow them to fry for one minute.
Flip them over after a minute. Flip the chicken back to the first side after 3 minutes and finish frying for 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
*It takes 9 minutes to fry chicken wings. Other parts of the chicken will take 12 minutes to fry.*

Drain the Chicken and Keep Warm

Use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken from the oil and transfer them the prepared draining station.
Keep the chicken warm in a 170°F oven while you fry the rest of the pieces.

Mix the Waffle Batter

Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl three times. Set this bowl aside.
In a separate bowl, use a whisk to combine the melted butter, cream, 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of the sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolks thoroughly. Set this bowl aside.
Using a hand mixer on low speed, whip the egg whites in a medium bowl for 1 minutes, or until they look foamy.
Once the whites look foamy, gradually sprinkle in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of sugar.
Increase the mixing speed to high once the sugar has been added.
Continue whipping on high speed for another 2-3 minutes or until the egg whites stand straight out from the beaters when they're lifted from the mixture in the bowl. The whites should look glossy and wet.
Add the wet ingredients (minus the egg whites) to the flour mixture and fold just until no flour is visible.
Gently fold the egg whites into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Do your best to avoid deflating the egg whites as you fold them in.
Fold just until you can no longer see streaks of white from the whipped eggs. The batter will be thick and appear spongy.

Make the Waffles and Assemble the Chicken and Waffles

Generously grease a waffle iron and preheat it to medium heat.
Scoop 3/4 cup of waffle batter and bake to your preferred doneness.
Once the waffle is done baking, transfer it to a sheetpan and keep the waffles warm in the oven while you make the rest.
Arrange a waffle on the plate, then top the waffle with two pieces of crispy buttermilk chicken.
Scoop the honey-cinnamon butter onto the hot chicken or put it directly onto the waffle.
Pour maple syrup over the chicken and waffles, top it with a few shakes of powdered sugar or serve them as is.
Enjoy while hot.

Notes

Additions, Swaps, and Substitutions:

Use my Chicken Seasoning Blend and add 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for an easy seasoning blend.
Replace the paprika with hot paprika for spicy chicken.
A cup of sour cream stirred together with a cup of water or 2 cups of plain kefir are good substitutes for buttermilk.
If you like spicy chicken, add a tablespoon of hot sauce to the marinade.
You can use regular honey in place of salted honey.
Use salted butter if you're using plain honey.

Tips and Techniques:

If you're using a whole, cut-up chicken, increase your all-purpose flour to 3 cups to ensure you have enough breading. All other ingredients will stay the same.
You can make buttermilk at home by stirring together 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of skim or 2% milk. Allow the acid to curdle the milk for 15 minutes. Double this for this particular recipe to get 2 cups.
You should marinate chicken for Southern fried chicken at least 3 hours before frying, but overnight is best.
Don't marinate the chicken longer than 24 hours since the acidity of the buttermilk will make the meat mushy.
Leftover honey-cinnamon butter makes a great topping for bagels, pancakes, or toast.
Allowing the breaded chicken to rest on a cooling rack before frying gives the breading a chance to nestle into the surface of the chicken, which means it's less likely to fall off during frying.
Avoid draining fried chicken on paper towels because they trap excess oil against the chicken, making it soggy instead of crispy.
This waffle recipe makes 4 waffles exactly. You can double the recipe if you want more waffles.
Fat inhibits the egg whites from whipping to their fullest potential, so make sure the bowl is squeaky clean.

Storage Instructions:

You can store the honey-cinnamon butter in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Cover the bowl, or transfer the whipped butter to a storage container to free up the bowl.
Store leftover waffles at room temperature in a covered container or food storage bag for 1 day. Avoid storing waffles in the refrigerator since cold air causes them to go stale faster.
To reheat waffles, break them in half and toast them for 30 seconds to a minute in the toaster on one of the lower settings. Alternatively, you can reheat waffles in a 250°F oven until warmed through.
Fried chicken can be stored in the fridge for 3 days in a covered container. Reheat the chicken in a 350°F (177°C) oven until warm.

Freezing Instructions:

You can freeze the honey-cinnamon butter in a freezer-safe container for 2 months.
Chicken and waffles can be frozen separately for up to 3 months:
1. Allow the chicken and waffles to cool, then transfer them to freezer storage bags.
2. Thaw the chicken in the fridge and the waffles at room temperature when ready to eat and reheat as instructed above.

Nutrition