Buttermilk Fried Chicken With Cheesy Polenta Waffles Recipes

FRIED CHICKEN AND BUTTERMILK WAFFLES

Steps:

• Chicken: Heat enough vegetable oil to come about 1-inch up the sides of a large, deep cast iron skillet to 350 degrees F.
• Rinse the chicken under cold running water and do not dry; leave wet. In a large sealable bag, combine the flour with the Essence. 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.
• 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). 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: Preheat a waffle iron and lightly grease. Into a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
• In a clean bowl, beat the eggs. Add the butter and buttermilk and beat to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix well.
• Pour the batter into the hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown and lightly crisp. Remove and if desired, top with a slice of butter, and serve with the chicken and maple syrup.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN WITH CHEESY POLENTA WAFFLES

Steps:

• Make the brine: Place all brine ingredients in a large saucepan and add 16 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat; boil until salt is dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Cover and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, up to 3 days.
• Make the chicken: Place chicken pieces in chilled brine. Cover and transfer to refrigerator for 12 hours.
• Remove chicken from brine and rinse under cold running water; remove any herbs or spices sticking to skin. Pat dry with paper towels and let stand at room temperature until chicken comes to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Fill a large, deep pot 2 inches high with oil. Place over medium-high heat; heat until oil reaches 320 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet; line a second baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Divide evenly between two large bowls. Add buttermilk to a third large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Coat chicken pieces first in flour mixture, then in buttermilk, and finally in second bowl of flour mixture; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Carefully add legs and thighs to hot oil; cook, turning and monitoring oil temperature, until deep golden brown, 11 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to prepared rack skin-side up; season with sea salt. Increase oil temperature to 340 degrees. Add wings and breast pieces to hot oil; cook, turning and monitoring oil temperature, until deep golden brown, 6 minutes for the wings, 7 minutes for the breast pieces. Transfer to prepared rack and sprinkle with sea salt.
• Remove oil from heat and immediately add rosemary and thyme sprigs; cook until crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve chicken with Cheesy Polenta Waffles and maple syrup. Garnish with fried herbs.

BUTTERMILK WAFFLES WITH BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN TENDERS

Steps:

• For the waffles: Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
• In a second bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth, then whisk in the buttermilk and butter until combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until the batter comes together; there will be lumps. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Set a baking rack over baking sheet and place on the center rack. Preheat a waffle maker according to manufacturer's instructions and brush with melted butter.
• For each waffle, ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the iron. Cover and cook until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes; the waffles will be a little misshapen--not perfectly square, with rounded corners. As you go, transfer the cooked waffles to the baking rack in the oven and hold there while you fry the chicken.
• For the fried chicken: While the waffle batter rests, place the chicken tenders in a resealable plastic bag. Add 1 cup of the buttermilk and the hot sauce, then seal the bag and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the garlic powder, onion powder, chile de arbol, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Transfer half of the flour mixture to a second bowl. In a third bowl, put the remaining 1 cup buttermilk.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a high-sided skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat until it registers 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, dredge the chicken in the first dish of seasoned flour, then dip in the buttermilk, letting excess drain off, and finally dredge in the second bowl of seasoned flour, tapping off excess. Fry until golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and season with salt.
• To serve, put two waffles on each of four plates. Top them with three tenders and drizzle all with hot sauce, if desired, and honey.

SUNNY'S SPICY BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN AND WAFFLES

Steps:

• For the chicken: In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, gochujang and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour into a resealable plastic bag and add the chicken. Seal and massage the bag to coat the chicken; refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Remove the marinated chicken from the bag and shake off the excess marinade. Drop all of the chicken into the flour mixture and toss to coat. Let rest, refrigerated, for 1 hour. Toss again, then rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, followed by 30 minutes at room temperature.
• In a cast-iron pan or deep fryer, add about 2 inches peanut oil and heat to 375 degrees F. Toss the chicken one last time, then shake off the excess flour. In batches, add the chicken gently to the oil and fry until cooked through and the juices run clear, 12 to 16 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
• For the waffles: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth, then add the milk, vegetable oil and almond extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the liquid ingredients and gently stir the batter with a wooden spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the batter.
• Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Lightly coat the top and bottom of the iron with cooking spray.
• Pour about 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup batter into the waffle iron. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes depending on the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the waffles warm with the fried chicken and maple syrup.

CHEF JOHN'S BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Toss together chicken pieces, black pepper, salt, paprika, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, white pepper, and cayenne in a large bowl to coat.
• Stir in buttermilk until chicken is coated. Refrigerate for 6 hours.
• Combine flour, salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, white pepper, and onion powder in a large shallow dish.
• Remove chicken from the buttermilk and dredge each piece in the seasoned flour. Shake off any excess and transfer to a plate.
• Heat peanut oil in a large Dutch oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Add all the chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
• Turn chicken pieces and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the oil and transfer to a cooling rack set over a paper towel lined baking sheet. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

BASIC BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large bowl and fill with cold salted water. Cover and transfer to refrigerator and let soak overnight.
• Remove chicken from ice water and arrange snugly in a large shallow bowl or baking dish (or divide between two dishes). Whisk together the buttermilk and seasonings and pour over the chicken, making sure the parts are completely submerged. Alternatively, divide the chicken and marinade evenly among large re-sealable bags; rest the bags on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any leaks. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
• About an hour before you plan to cook the chicken, remove the pieces from the marinade and allow them to drain on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. This allows the excess marinade to drip off and the remaining marinade to lose some of its moisture and become slightly tacky, so the coating will adhere better and produce a crisper crust. The chicken will also come to room temperature, allowing it to cook more quickly and evenly. Meanwhile, in a large clean brown paper bag or a shallow bowl or pie plate, shake or whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and seasonings, and spread in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
• When you are ready to begin frying, pour just under 3/4 inch oil in a large cast-iron skillet, and bring the oil to 375 degrees over medium heat. If you don't have a thermometer, try this test: drop a cube of white crust less bread into the oil; it should turn golden brown within 1 minute. While the oil is heating, use tongs to dredge the chicken pieces. Make sure they are thoroughly coated, shaking off the excess flour for a nice, even, lump-free crust. Set the dredged pieces on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack as you work.
• Heat oven to 200 degrees.
• Before beginning, set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and set several layers of paper towels on top of the rack for draining the chicken. Working in batches, arrange the chicken pieces skin side down in the pan in a single layer, beginning with the dark meat. Remember to add enough pieces to fill the pan, without touching. After placing the chicken in the pan, the temperature of the oil will drop dramatically. Make sure to adjust the heat as needed to maintain a steady temperature of between 330 and 340 degrees during frying as this will help the parts cook evenly, inside and out.
• Cover the skillet during frying to help the chicken cook through evenly and reduce spattering, peeking inside to check on the progress. Using a probe-style thermometer allows you to monitor the temperature of the oil without lifting the lid. Once the first side is crisp and golden, after 4 to 5 minutes, carefully turn the pieces. Be sure not to turn them too soon or the crust will tear; they should release easily from the pan. Then cover the pan again and continue frying until the other side is crisp and the meat is cooked through (it should register 160 for breasts, 165 for thighs on an instant-read thermometer). This should take another 4 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces. Check each piece in the batch and remove it as soon as it is ready. Wings, drumsticks, and thinner breast pieces cook faster than the thighs and thicker breast pieces, so remove these first. Transfer to rack on prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Return the oil to 375 before adding the next batch.