Classic Chicken And Waffles With Bourbon-Maple Syrup Recipe

For some, brunch is a weekly tradition. It can also be pricey and stressful, especially when your local hotspot is packed to the gills with hangry, hungover people. One easy way to avoid all that? Making brunch at home. Sure, you'll have dishes to do, but the end result will be more satisfying than any overpriced plate of eggs. Chicken and waffles is a sweet-and-savory brunch showstopper that will surely wow any friends and loved ones you serve it to. It's filling, flavorful, and unique.

"To make these homemade chicken and waffles you just need three elements: perfectly juicy fried chicken strips, fluffy and crispy waffles, and a delicious boozy syrup," recipe developer Jess Case says. 

That may sound simple at first, but it's important to note that this recipe is a bit of a project, as you'll be making every component from scratch. "This recipe has a lot of steps and requires time management, but is so worth it," Case adds. "The waffles are so big, fluffy and crispy. Dress it up with some delicious hot Bourbon-maple syrup and serve with fresh squeezed orange juice or Mimosas."

Yes, this recipe has a long ingredient list, but don't be scared, as most of these are pantry staples or easy-to-find items. You'll need chicken, specifically, sliced boneless chicken breasts, but the grocery store cut called "chicken tenders" should work fine too. You'll need vegetable oil for frying, plus flour, salt, buttermilk, paprika, onion powder, pepper, and chili powder for the brine. The waffles need flour, baking soda, vanilla, separated egg whites and egg yolks, sugar, salt, milk, and salted butter. 

Finally, the Bourbon-maple syrup is made from, unsurprisingly, maple syrup, Bourbon, plus salted butter. You can optionally add some cinnamon and cayenne, as well. 

Your first step here is brining your meat. Mix together some flour, salt, onion powder, paprika, pepper, chili powder, and buttermilk, then submerge the chicken pieces in the mixture. Cover it and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight if you can. When it's ready, prepare a bowl of seasoned flour and cover each chicken piece with it.

It's frying time! Heat half your oil in a Dutch oven until it's hot enough to fry, then pop a few chicken pieces in at a time. Don't crowd the pan as too many pieces of chicken will make the oil drop in temperature. Flip the chicken over after about five minutes and keep it in the oil until crisp and golden. 

Take the meat out and put it on a wire rack-lined baking sheet to drain. Voila — the chicken portion of the recipe is done. Case notes that you can make the chicken the day before if you're the type to plan in advance.

Your chicken is done, now onto the waffles. Make sure your waffle iron is heating up, then combine the sugar, salt, flour, and baking powder in a bowl. In a different bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, and vanilla, and add that to the dry ingredients. Only stir this mixture a couple of times, since you're not done yet. 

Next, use a hand mixer to whip your egg whites until the mixture forms firm peaks on the whisk attachments. Slowly incorporate this into your main mixture, and you've officially made waffle batter.

Coat your waffle iron in the nonstick spray of your choice, then transform that batter into delicious, golden waffles. While that's happening, make your syrup: Bring the maple syrup and Bourbon to a boil in a small saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer until it starts to look syrupy, then add your remaining butter. Add a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne, if you prefer. Is your mouth watering yet?

At long last, you've done it. You've made chicken, waffles, and Bourbon-maple syrup. Place a waffle on your plate and top it with two pieces of crispy chicken. Drizzle that warm Bourbon-maple syrup all over and dig in. If one of your brunch guests is a no-show and you end up with extras, no worries. "Just reheat the chicken, it would still taste delicious! The waffles are best as soon as they are cooked, but you can still toast them for leftovers to get them to crisp up again," Case says.