Ok can we talk? This is chicken and waffles. But this is not your every day chicken and waffles. This is my new "TBH" Glazed Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles with Twisted Candied Bacon! And if you are wondering what "TBH" stands for? TABASCO BOURBON HONEY! The flavors. The flavors. THE FLAVORS! (It's ok, you can drool a little bit. I won't tell.) And just because it is comfort food does not mean that it cannot or should not look gorgeous on a plate!
So let me take you back to the beginning. It all started the night before when I made a homemade pickle brine for the chicken tenders. The brine is just sugar, salt, pickling spices, bay leaves, vinegar, and water heated to a boil, and then poured over a bowl of ice to instantly bring down the temperature. I added the chicken tenders, covered the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerated it overnight.
The next morning, I drained the liquid and patted the chicken tenders dry while I preheated several inches of vegetable oil. I dipped the chicken tenders into a buttermilk-Tabasco mixture, then into heavily seasoned flour (cayenne, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika), back into the buttermilk, and finally a second dip in the seasoned flour.
The sound when the chicken meets the oil is one of my favorite sounds!
I drained the chicken on a rack over a paper towel lined sheet pan, seasoned with salt, and popped the pan into a warming oven while I made the glaze and waffles.
The glaze was simply Tabasco, butter, bourbon, honey, cayenne, smoked paprika, and salt, cooked down until it thickened into a syrup.
The waffle batter started with my wet ingredients which consisted of eggs, buttermilk, mashed sweet potatoes (that I roasted the day before to get a head start). melted butter, and sugar. The dry ingredients included flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
Once mixed, I used my Belgian waffle iron to test the first batch for proper batter amounts, and then I made the rest.
The Twisted Candied Bacon is exactly what it sounds like. Strips of bacon twisted (but not stretched) and sprinkled with a mixture of brown sugar, maple sugar, and black pepper. I baked it at 350 degrees until it was browned, around thirty minutes.
Assembling the plate was easy. Waffle, chicken, bacon, butter, parsley, sliced grapes, and a few more drops of Tabasco. And each plate was also served with a small jar of warm maple syrup. Restaurant worthy food and happy guests! That's what I call a kitchen success!
Comments