Chicken and Waffles!

Alright, I know it might sound strange, but chicken and waffles are amazing! The mixture of crunchy, soft, sweet and savory is just delicious. You can have them many different ways, some people like it just drizzled in syrup, but personally I like to add a bit of a bite to it. When I was in Disney world with my husband last, we had this amazing chicken and waffle sandwich there, and this is my attempt to at least sort of recreate it. If you don't like spicy, feel free to change the sauce to your tastes, or go with something completely different. If you haven't had chicken and waffles before, don't be afraid to try it! It really is quite good, and sort of fun, but if you don't want to, the waffle and chicken recipes separately are really good as well. Also I decided to try making collard greens as well, as chicken and waffles is sort of a southern thing, and I wanted to add a southern veggie to the meal as well. Collard greens can be a bit bitter, but this recipe really was quite good, with some nice flavors, and the broth cut the bitterness really nicely.

Alton Brown's Basic Waffles

• 4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 cup
• 4 3/4 ounces whole-wheat flour, approximately 1 cup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted (Not margarine! Using actual butter is very important when you're baking)
• 16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
• Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

(Most of his measurements are in ounces, but if you don't have a scale, just do around a cup of each of the flours, 2 cups of buttermilk, and a half of a stick of butter, it will turn out fine)
 

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl beat together eggs and melted butter, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the iron according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Close iron top and cook until the waffle is golden on both sides and is easily removed from iron. I found that these take a bit longer than your usual out of the box waffle batter to crisp up and brown. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.


Double Crunch Chicken Breasts

• 4  large boneless chicken breasts  
• 2 cup flour
• 4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 eggs
• 8 tbsp water

Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of saran wrap and pound flat, or to help have thinner chicken breasts, or if you don't have anything decent to pound them flat with, you can butterfly them first. Sift together the dry ingredients in one dish, and beat the eggs and water together in another to make an egg wash.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact.

 Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat worked well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the sauce or serving. For my sauce, I simply took a cup of honey, added some siracha chile sauce to it until it was the right spice level for my tastes, and then added a teaspoon of garlic powder, but if you'd prefer a less spicy option I do have another.

 

 (My absolute favorite way to have chicken and waffles is with some creamy coleslaw on top. The recipe is in last weeks blog post, and sadly I didn't get a picture of the chicken and waffles with the coleslaw, but go ahead and try it if you'd like! It goes awesomely with it)

 

 

Honey Garlic Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup honey
¼ cup soya sauce (low sodium soya sauce is best)
1 tsp ground black pepper

 

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the garlic. Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown, should only take 30 seconds or so. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

 

 

Sauteed Collard Greens

 

 

2 bunches collard or kale greens, about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, whole
2 quarts chicken broth
1 tablespoon vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the greens: cut away the tough stalks and stems from the collards and discard any leaves that are bruised or yellow. Fill the sink with water and salt, the salt helps to remove any impurities. Wash the collards thoroughly to remove the grit, 2 or 3 times, until the water runs clear. Dry thoroughly. Stack up several leaves and roll up lengthwise in a bundle, cut them into 1-inch ribbons. Repeat until all the leaves are shredded. Or you can use the pre washed and cut collard greens, just make sure to dry them very well or your pan will explode when you add them!
Heat a large deep skillet over medium flame and coat with the oil. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes to soften. Add the greens and toss well with the oil and garlic. Pour in the chicken broth and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the greens are wilted and tender; You can cook them for a bit less if you prefer a bit of a crunch to them as I do. Season with salt and pepper and serve.