chicken and waffles

Chicken and waffles:

If there is one meal that says I am from the south and I'm proud of it, it would have to be chicken and waffles. As far as my fried chicken is concerned, I wish I could say that I had an old family recipe but I sadly, I don't. What I do have is Alton Brown's fried chicken rub and buttermilk. And that makes for some of the best yardbird you have ever had.

What you need:

1) Chicken Legs, thighs and breasts. About a 1lb per person
2) 1 carton of buttermilk
3) Alton Browns fried chicken rub
4) flour
5) Crisco or other vegetable shortening
6) waffle mix

Alton Brown's Fried chicken rub:

2 tbls of kosher salt
2 tbls of smoked paprika
2 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
Put this mix into a shaker of some sort for easy coating, I use a Parmesan shaker from a pizza place.



Here's how I made the chicken:

1) Soak your chicken overnight in buttermilk! This is the most important step do not cheat on it. The buttermilk gives the meat a certain tangy flavor and gives the rub and flour something to stick to. After 24 hrs drain the chicken in a colander.

2) Get your fry station set up. If you do this all ahead of time it makes frying chicken pretty easy. If you skip it, you will make a huge mess any possibly give yourself and others food poisoning from cross contamination. Make sure you have a clear path to go from strainer-to sink-to dredge-to pan-to cooling rack. Use separate tongs for raw and cooked chicken.

3) Ok now get your cast iron skillet ready. Put about 7 or 8 scoops of vegetable shortening in the pan and heat to 340.

4) The dredge. Season the meat liberally with the rub then place the meat in the flour and coat. Place on a rack to give dredge time to stick to the meat. Repeat with all pieces of chicken.

4) Finally we fry! Place chickens in the pan and cook for 8-10 mins on each side. They are done when they hit between 160-180 on a thermometer.

5) Place on a cooling rack and let them cool for a least 15 mins. Fried Chicken is best served warm not hot.

Now let's talk about waffles. I usually loath pre-mixed anything, however I have never been able to make a waffle taste as good as the people at Stonewall kitchen. So I buy their mix. It really is amazing stuff. Just follow the directions on the back for prefect waffles every time.

There you have it, chicken and waffles. Make sure to get your maple syrup on both the waffle and the chicken, otherwise you are just cheating yourself.