Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles

Close up of a honey dipper drizzling hot honey over a stack of crispy buttermilk fried chicken thighs on Belgian waffles garnished with fresh thyme on a pink surface

4.65 from 399 votes

Southern Fried Chicken and Waffles

If you've been sleeping on homemade Southern chicken and waffles, this is your wake up call! When I really want to show out with no stress, these crispy buttermilk fried chicken thighs, fluffy Belgian waffles, and spicy hot honey butter come together hot, crispy, ready on the table all at once. Yes, really!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Brining Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Brunch and Breakfast Recipes

Cuisine: African American

Servings: generous servings

Calories: 828kcal

Author: Eden Westbrook

Ingredients

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Vegetable Oil for deep frying

Buttermilk Brine

2 cups whole buttermilk OR soured whole milk* (see notes)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ tablespoon garlic powder
½ tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon hot sauce or chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Seasoned Flour Crust

3 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Spicy Honey Butter Sauce

¼ cup honey you can substitute maple syrup
½ teaspoon chili powder or cayenne pepper or more if you like a lot of spice
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Best Belgian Waffles Recipe click the link for the full waffle recipe, makes 8 waffles

Instructions

Brine the Chicken

Whisk the buttermilk or soured milk, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, and smoked paprika together in a large mixing bowl.
2 cups whole buttermilk , 1 tablespoon kosher salt, ½ tablespoon garlic powder, ½ tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon hot sauce or chili powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Add the boneless, skinless chicken thigh to the bowl, making sure every thigh is covered in the brine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the buttermilk brine from 1 hour to overnight in the fridge.
8 boneless

Dredge the Chicken

While the oil is heating up, in a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and seasonings. Take each chicken thigh from the brine and dredge into the seasoned flour. Thoroughly coat the chicken all over, gently shake off the excess, then let rest on a plate for five minutes before frying. Chef's Tip: add a couple tablespoons of the buttermilk brine to the flour mixture and give it a little stir. These lumps make the crust extra craggy!
3 cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup cornstarch, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoon onion powder, 2 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Fry the Chicken and Make the Waffles

In a 4 qt dutch oven pot, heat up about half the pot's worth of vegetable oil. Allow the oil to reach 350ºF (180ºC), and while it's coming to temperature, make the waffle batter.
Vegetable Oil
Fry the chicken in the hot oil (no more than about 4 thighs per batch) until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through completely, about 8-9 minutes. (While these are frying, cook the waffles in their iron).
Best Belgian Waffles Recipe
Carefully take each piece of chicken out of the oil with tongs and place them on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and let cool slightly before serving. Repeat until all the chicken thighs are fried.
Place each cooked waffle on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place them into a warm oven (no more than 200ºF) so they stay warm.

Make the Spicy Honey Butter

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat with honey, chili powder, and kosher salt. Whisk well until the mixture is incorporated and homogenized.
¼ cup honey , ½ teaspoon chili powder or cayenne pepper, 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Lower the temperature to 'warm/low' heat and keep for serving.

Serve the Chicken and Waffles

I like to cut the chicken into four pieces (2 thighs per serving) and serve them piled on a stack of 2 waffles per person. Generously drizzle the honey butter all over the top of the chicken and waffles and serve warm!

Notes

This recipe can make 8 servings (1 waffle, 1 chicken thigh) or 4 generous servings (2 thighs, 2 waffles).

Nutrition information is estimated per serving and will vary based on oil absorption during frying and your specific waffle recipe.

Buttermilk substitute

Whenever I can't find or don't have buttermilk, souring the milk I have with lemon juice (about ½ a lemon per cup of milk) and letting it sit for 3-5 minutes always does the trick.

Nutrition