We want you to help us create the best chicken & waffles that have ever been made. Up to the task?
Dear Reader,
This one requires your help.
Our purpose at Entree Dallas has always been, and will continue to be, to help advance the culinary culture of our city and its suburbs. To that end, we have talked to the chefs and owners, fawned over sardines, cupped coffee, and even worked in a few of the chefs’ own kitchens.
And now it’s time for some practical applications from your kitchen. We’re going to Build A Better Dish.
Using your advice, knowledge, feedback and insights, we’re going to build a recipe from the ground up – every detail is in play, no idea too far-fetched. We’ll discuss the aims and goals of the recipe, what the ideal end result should be, and what interpretations can be made on it. Modernist, fusion, traditional – everything is fair game. We want all your ideas and thoughts, and we want to apply them in our kitchen. In one month, we’ll come back with the recipe and the result. Ideally, we’ll come back a photo and a description for the best Chicken & Waffles we’ve ever tasted.
But it’s all up to you. We’ll give you some general questions to consider, but don’t limit yourself to those. Thoughts and ponderances on fried chicken, waffles, their role together, textural aspects, spice or sweetness, flavor contrasts – the possibilities are endless.
And that’s it. Now it’s up to you. What should we try in order to make the best Chicken & Waffles Ever Made?
Breaking with the typical fried chicken, how about a maple glazed grilled/smoked chicken?
@chuck – sorry, I only just saw this. Yes, this is in keeping with my new theory. Maple and brown sugar glaze utilizes typical breakfast ingredients, but in an unnexpected way!
I have very definite opinions about C&W: basically, the chicken must be salty and *not greasy*; the waffle must be sweet, airy, and crispy. This juxtaposition creates the beautiful harmony in our mouf, and is what you are craving.
To start, I recommend that whether you like white or dark meat, de-bone it first. Those boney pieces are tough to maneuver on a regular-sized plate and often render so little meat for the work. No one wants to work that hard to enjoy breakfast (particularly hung over, which is when C&W sounds like a great idea).
I highly recommend taking a cue from @Villa o with a bread-free fried chicken. Their parmesan crust keeps it salty but crisp.
Waffles should be sweet in and of themseves, not just from the syrup. I like sweet cream or ricotta cheese in the batter, sometimes honey. @Oddfellowsdoes it right. Sometimes I add a bit of orange zest or a touch of lemon for an acid to bookend the flavor profile; however, if you’re more of a savory person than sweet, add bacon.
Honey butter those waffles. Syrup must not drown the waffle. Syrup MUST be actual 100% maple syrup, not that cornsyrup crap. I like @303 Bar and Grill’s take, adding a bit of Jack Daniels to it to give some heft.
Most importantly, chicken must be served *on top of the waffles* for authenticity. A side of white gravy (started from a roux) with sausage bits and vanilla whipped cream should be provided to sweeten or savory-ize each bite, according to your mood.
@Lee – that’s what we’re looking for! Sweetening the batter will be key; any other additions to it? And what techniques do you think work best? How would you best aerate the batter? Whisk? KitchenAid? Vitamix? Thermowhip?
The de-boning point is a good one; curious to see readers’ response to that. And it brings up another issue – does the presence of the waffles make Chicken and Waffles a breakfasty-brunch dish, or is it equally appropriate for a dinner? Does the philosophical approach to the dish affect its versatility regarding with what meal it should be served?
We all probably have the same basic ingredients in the batter to at varying amounts: egg yolks, whites, flour, salt (to taste), oil (some swear by olive), baking powder, water and/ or milk (some people say the milk makes it denser – I tend to split the difference between each). Then, for the sweetness, I really do like these – add to your preferred sweetness/ consistency (ricotta, buttermilk, honey, vanilla, squeezed section of lemon) and (1/4 cup of orange zest OR candied bacon) best.
As for aeration, you’ve gotta let batter sit for at least 30 minutes. Adding a little extra baking powder or, if you choose to add a little yeast, letting it overnight usually does the trick; however, if you let it sit at all – even just during food prep – add a few teaspoons of h20 and re-blend just before pouring the mixture onto the iron. I’ve made them with sparkling water once, too, and some people swear it helps!
During the process, you have to 1. Spoon mix all wet ingredients together 2. Spoon mix all the dry ingredients together BUT 3. Make sure to separate the egg whites out and beat them separately with an electric mixer, until still peaks form (like they do in the beginning when you are making meringue or macaroons). Spoon mix the wet ingredients (minus the whites) into the dry ingredients, just until everything is wet. Then, fold the whites into the batter. Spoon mix only until everything appears wet. Do not overmix! It should be lumpy. If you overmix, it turns into cement and will come out dense and heavy. Cook until the waffle iron stops releasing steam.
Absolutely, C&W transcends any specific meal time classification; however, in DFW, they are mostly only on the menu for breakfast or brunch. ;o/
Sorry – stiff peaks, not still!
Also, hey – what if you did something totally unexpected and reversed the predetermined roles of the foods? Like, what if the waffle was savory and the chicken was sweet?
You could do sauteed mushrooms and leeks and bit of parmesan in the waffle batter. The chicken could be glazed in honey and brown sugar (with a wee bit of chili powder to make it interesting)…
How do you keep the batter from falling off the chicken? Should the waffle have some sweetness to it?