Chicken and Waffles

I never truly understood the whole "chicken and waffle" combination, which seems to have a foodie-religious following in the South. But I figured I would try it and finally say, "I've had chicken and waffles!" Unfortunately, there are not very many good soul food restaurants here in San Diego--actually there are just a handful of them. I'm a big fan of Church's chicken, which I know is fast food, but their fried chicken is pretty close to soul food, I think.

I did find a restaurant called Bonnie Jean's Soul Food and their food is quite good and tasty, although the neighborhood is somewhat questionable and the restaurant is clean, but a bit run down. Nevertheless, their chicken and waffles was quite delish. I enjoyed eating it, but it wasn't as an incredible meal as I thought it would be. Perhaps I just over-excited myself. Anyway, my favorite part is the fried chicken. I just love it. Below is a very easy fried chicken recipe and you can make (or omit) the waffles. It's up to you. A nice side of collard greens or even fried okra would go wonderful with this meal. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

CHICKEN

• 1 (3 1/2 pound) fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces, giblets reserved and chopped
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasosing, or your favorite seasoning/rub mix
• Vegetable oil, for frying

WAFFLES

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs

DIRECTIONS

FRIED CHICKEN:

1. Heat enough vegetable oil to come about 1-inch up the sides of a large, deep cast iron skillet to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and do not dry; leave wet. In a large sealable bag, combine the flour with the poultry seasoning. Add the chicken pieces 1 at a time, seal, and shake to coat evenly. Remove and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown and the meat is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes (the thighs and legs will take longest to cook).
4. Remove and drain on paper towels. Remove the pan from the heat and with a slotted spoon, scoop out any browned bits remaining in the pan and drain on paper towels.

WAFFLES: Special equipment: a waffle iron

1. Sift together the flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs. Combine the wet ingredients, dry ingredients to form waffle batter.
3. Ladle the batter into the waffle iron, following the manufacturer's instructions. While the waffle iron is closed, trim any overflow with the back of a knife. Cook until golden.
4. Serve waffles hot, topped with hot Fried Chicken and sides of hot, melted butter, good maple syrup and hot sauce!