Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and Waffles is a classic Southern Style recipe thart is perfect forserving up as brunch, lunch or dinner.

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American, southern

Prep Time 4 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 4 30

Servings servings

Calories 695kcal

Start preparing the chicken thighs by rinsing the chicken and patting them dry. Then cover all the pieces with 2 cups of buttermilk. Soak in the refrigerator for 4- 24 hrs.
30 mins prior to cooking, move chicken from fridge to the counter to warm up to room temp.
Prepare the breading. Put the flour and all seasonings in a medium bowl and pour in the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk. Mix with a fork until slightly lumpy.
Take 4 pieces of chicken thighs at a time and thoroughly coat each piece with the breading on both sides then set aside on a plate.
Preheat air fryer to 400F / 200C.
Place breaded chicken in an Air Fryer basket, making sure they don’t touch. Lightly spray with oil.
Cook for 10-16 mins depending on the size of the chicken. Mine took 14 mins. I recommend shooting for 12 mins and ensuring that your chicken is done by using a meat thermometer and checking that the internal temperarture has reached 165F / 74C.
Halfway through cooking, spray the chicken with oil to cover the flour spots and flip the chicken to cook both sides evenly.

Complete steps 1-4 from the Air Fryer section.
Place breaded chicken on a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350F/177C.
Cook for 15 mins in the oven or until chicken is golden and cooked thoroughly according to the meat thermometer.

Complete steps 1-4 from the Air Fryer instructions.
Preheat the oven to 350F/177C.
Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil and 5 Tbsp butter in a deep skillet over medium-high heat.
Add 4 pieces of chicken at a time to the oil, fry for 3 mins each side, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown. Note – they will NOT be thoroughly cooked yet.
Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 mins or until the internal temperature reaches 165F/74C.

Preheat the waffle iron.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Pour in the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and melted butter into the dry ingredients bowl. Stir until well combined.
Pour the waffle mix into the preheated waffle iron. The amount of batter needed varies based on each waffle iron. Scoop the batter into your waffle iron in batches and cook according to the manufacturer's directions.
Keep finished waffles warm while cooking the rest of the batch.

Coat your chicken with the breading on both sides and then quickly get it in the Air Fryer, Oven or in the Skillet. Drenching them in the coating for a long time will make them soggy.
If frying in the Air Fryer, use parchment paper in the bottom of the basket to help prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the fryer. Poke holes in the paper to allow air to continue to circulate around and properly crisp up the chicken. This also helps catch breading that will fall off the chicken as it cooks.
Spray the Fried Chicken in an Air Fryer with spray oil halfway through when you flip them over to cover the dried flour spots. I recommend using Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil for the best flavor. This also helps them crisp up and become that gorgeous golden brown color.
Check your chicken with a meat thermometer no matter how you cook it to make sure your chicken is safe to eat (165 F/74 C).
Lightly oil or spray the waffle iron with cooking spray before cooking each batch.
Want even crispier waffles? Turn the heat up on the waffle iron. Don’t worry you won’t burn them.
Do NOT open the waffle maker half way through cooking at the risk of breaking the waffles.
Do NOT over mix the waffle mix. This will make them turn out too dense.
You may need to keep the waffles warm in the oven (200F / 94C) on a wire rack on a baking sheet while the chicken cooks.