Fried Chicken Bacon Cheddar Green Onion Waffle Sandwiches

  • 4
  • 10 mins
  • 25 mins

Ingredients

  • Bacon Cheddar Green Onion Waffles:
  • 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup (55 grams) light-brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (8 grams) baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon (4 grams) salt
  • 2 teaspoons (14 grams) freshly cracked black pepper
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 cups (484 grams) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 cup (100 grams) cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 5 scallions (green onions) thinly sliced
  • cooking spray, for waffle iron
  • Fried Chicken:
  • 1 pound chicken breast cutlets, cut in half
  • 1 1/2 cups (363 grams) buttermilk
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) hot sauce, optional
  • 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
  • 1 teaspoon (6 grams) cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon (6 grams) garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon (6 grams) black pepper
  • canola oil for frying
  • 1/4 cup (50 ml) real maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) yellow mustard
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) spicy brown mustard or dijon mustard

Preparation

Step 1

Waffles:

Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and black pepper. Make a well in the center of the bowl and set aside.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk together. Pour into the center of the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter and buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon, stir the waffle batter until just combined. It should be sightly lumpy. If the batter appears to be too thick, add a splash of buttermilk and stir until pouring consistency is reached. Fold in the cooked chopped bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and sliced green onions.

Lightly grease the waffle iron with cooking spray or melted butter. Pour in about ½ cup batter in each waffle cavity, more or less depending on size of waffle iron. Cook until the waffles are golden brown and crispy. Mine were about 4 to 6 minutes. Place the cooked waffles on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Place in a 200° F oven to keep the waffles warm until ready to eat. Continue cooking until all the batter is used up. Serve warm with maple syrup or maple mustard sauce (recipe follows). Or make them into fried chicken and waffle sandwiches (recipe follows). Waffles will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. To rewarm, place the waffles on a baking sheet in a 300° F oven for about 5 minutes until crispy. Enjoy!

Chicken:

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Cover with buttermilk and add the hot sauce, if using. Toss together until evenly mixed and all the chicken is submerged in the buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. If you don't have the time, this step is not crucial but it will help make the chicken tender and juicy.

In a shallow dish combine the flour, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and black pepper. To coat the chicken, grab a piece from the buttermilk bowl, slightly drain off, and throw into the flour. Pat the flour into the chicken, on both sides. Return to the buttermilk bowl (with the rest of the chicken) and coat both sides. Place the chicken back into the flour, once more, and coat both sides. We're double dipping the chicken. Lay the coated chicken on a rack placed over a baking sheet. Repeat in this manner until all the chicken is coated. Allow the coated chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes, this will allow the fry to dry a bit and stick to the chicken.

In the meantime, heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy duty pan, such as a cast iron skillet. Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken in batches. Cook for about 5 minutes on the first side, turn over once golden brown and crispy, continue to cook for another 4 minutes on the other side. Drain the chicken and place on a separate rack set over a baking sheet. You can keep the cooked chicken warm in a 200°F oven until all the chicken is fried and you're ready to serve. Make into fried chicken and waffle sandwiches with bacon cheddar green onion waffles (recipe above) and layer with lettuce, sliced tomato, avocado, and maple mustard sauce (recipe follows). Enjoy!