My god, is there anything tastier than fried chicken and waffles?? If you share my passion for this sweet and salty dish, I’m certain you and I are gonna be fast friends. This is my version of Chicken and Waffles, with Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken and Cheddar-Scallion Waffles. I like to serve it up with plenty of hot sauce, butter, maple syrup, and a sprinkling of scallions.
Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken Recipe
Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken
Pressed for time? Follow this recipe without the sweet tea brine and you'll still have some incredible fried chicken! This recipe makes a lot of chicken because it is a lot of work. It always feels more worth the trouble to me to make extra!
Servings: 6 Servings
Ingredients
For The Brine:
- 3 plain tea bags I use Red Rose Tea
- 1 pinch baking soda
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp kosher salt
- 20 whole black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 large smashed garlic cloves
- 1 + 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 + 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3 cups cold water
For The Fried Chicken:
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 4 cups flour
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 + 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 lbs chicken breast cut into 3/4 inch nuggets
- canola oil or other neutral high smoke point oil
Instructions
Make The Sweet Tea Brine:
- Place the tea bags, sugar, and baking soda in a very large heatproof bowl or pot. Pour the boiling water over the top, cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and discard. Stir in the salt, peppercorns, lemon juice, garlic cloves, oregano, thyme, and cold water and allow the brine to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add the chicken pieces, cover, and refrigerate 12 hours.
Dredge + Fry The Chicken:
- Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl. In a second large bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, paprika, thyme, kosher salt, and black pepper. Drain the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Dredge the chicken by coating first in the flour mixture, then in the buttermilk, and once again in the flour mixture. I like to dredge multiple chicken pieces at a time for efficiency. (Don’t worry about buttermilk getting in the flour-- those little chunks that are formed make the fried chicken extra crispy!)
- Heat 1 inch of oil in a dutch oven (or cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet) to 350F. Fry the chicken in batches for 8-10 minutes, stirring initially to keep pieces from sticking together, then stirring occasionally. Fry until dark golden brown and crispy, and the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165F. Drain on a wire rack and keep warm in a 200F oven while you fry the remaining chicken. Remember to allow the oil to come back up to temperature between batches. Enjoy!
Cheddar-Scallion Waffles Recipe
Savory Cheddar-Scallion Waffles
Servings: 12 Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 + 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter melted and cooled slightly
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 cup packed grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 scallions thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- neutral oil for greasing the waffle iron
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and flour until well combined. Stir in the cheese and scallions. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold until just moistened through.
- Heat a classic, non-belgian waffle iron and brush with neutral oil. Add about 1/2 a cup of waffle batter (I use an ice cream scoop with a release lever to make things easy) to the waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Keep finished waffles warm on a wire rack in a 200F oven while the remaining waffles cook. Enjoy right away, or freeze and reheat in a 350F oven later!
Tell me what you think in the comments below!
