Take your waffle-making skills up a notch with these two recipes from Chef Melissa Aust. Crispy fried chicken is a no-brainer here, so there’s just two questions to ask yourself: Do you go for traditional Belgian-style waffles topped with a spicy honey sauce? Or savory potato leek waffles smothered in smoked jalapeño gravy? Hard to decide, but neither are hard to make.
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Polenta Crusted Chicken with Spicy Honey Sauce on Belgian Waffles
In a small bowl, mix the chicken, buttermilk, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Marinate for 10 minutes. In a separate shallow bowl, combine polenta, flour, Parmesan, basil, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Taking one chicken breast at a time, lay the chicken in the polenta, cover the top of the chicken with polenta mix and press the chicken into the mix on both sides. Set coated chicken aside on a plate.
Heat 1-inch of oil in a high-sided skillet until it reaches 350°F on a thermometer. Add chicken and fry, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat up the honey and chili flake. Steep for a few minutes, but don’t let it come to a boil.
Preheat waffle maker per instructions. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
In a second bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and combine until well incorporated. Spray waffle iron with non-stick spray or brush with melted butter before cooking waffles. Use approximately ½ to 1 cup batter for each waffle and cook according to your waffle maker’s instructions.
Place one waffle onto a large plate and top with two fried chicken breasts. Drizzle the spicy honey mixture, garnish with fresh parsley.