Monday 13 October 2014

Cheddar Waffles with Fried Chicken and Gravy

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Have you ever heard of or tried chicken and waffles? 



When I finally bought a waffle maker, the first recipe on my mind was chicken and waffles. I love anything savoury so Cheddar waffles seemed the way forward. 
On the plate we have, crispy, cheesy fresh waffles, fried chicken, homemade gravy and pickled jalapeno slices.
You don't have to make the fried chicken and gravy. These waffles are so moreish - they would be good as they are, or even as breakfast, topped with fluffy scrambled eggs and Sriracha!
I am so excited to try many other waffle recipes. How about sweet, Belgian or chocolate? And plenty of other things too.


A Simple List of Ingredients:

1. Plain Flour
2. Baking Powder
3. Red Chilli Powder
4. Salt and Pepper
5. Eggs
6. Whole Milk
7. Butter
8. Cheddar Cheese
9. Chicken Breast
10. Buttermilk
11. Chilli Sauce
12. Onion Powder
13. Paprika
14. Garlic Powder
15. Vegetable Oil
16. Water
17. Spring Onions
18. Pickled Jalapeno Slices

Bismillah, let's begin!


First, soak the fried chicken. Into a bowl, place 2 Chicken Breasts, cut into slices.


Then, in a jug, pour 1 cup (250ml) Buttermilk. I didn't have any buttermilk in the fridge so I mixed together equal parts of plain yoghurt and water to make 250ml.


Squeeze in Chilli Sauce, to taste.


Mix well.


Pour the mixture into the chicken pieces.


Mix and leave for 30 minutes to marinade.


After 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the marinade.


In a shallow plate, mix together:
1 cup (8 ounces or 250 grams) Plain Flour
1/2 tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper, to taste


Dredge each chicken piece in the flour mixture. Place on a wire rack and leave for 15 minutes.
Don't throw away the leftover flour - we will use it for the gravy later.


When it's time, heat up a splash of Vegetable Oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.


Fry the chicken in batches ....



... until crispy, golden brown and cooked through.


Leave to drain on paper towels for a few minutes and then place onto a wire rack. This will ensure that the chicken stays crispy.


The original recipe that I used for the fried chicken can be found here. 

To make the waffles, take a large bowl and put in 453 grams Plain Flour.

Add in 2 teaspoons Baking Powder and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Salt.

Whisk all these dry ingredients together.


In a small pan, melt 100 grams Unsalted Butter.

Then, into a jug, crack in 2 large Eggs.

Whisk the eggs together.

Pour in 500ml Milk into the jug with the beaten eggs.

Whisk again.

Slowly, pour in the melted butter to the liquid jug.

Whisk together again.


Grate up 200 grams Mature Cheddar Cheese. Try not to use the pre-grated stuff, it's not that good.

Add in the grated cheese.

And, you guessed it! Whisk again.

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture.

And, for the final time, whisk everything to form a lovely batter.

Oh, I forgot, if you want, add Red Chilli Powder, to taste!


Once the batter is ready, preheat your waffle iron.



You can get waffle irons online really easily these days. Some are quite expensive and others very cheap - they all do the job though, and I can assure you that you'll use it time and time again.
To buy a waffle iron, have a look here.

Heat according to manufacturer's instructions.

Lightly grease it, and then add a ladle full of the batter.

Pop it shut and then wait. 

Ours takes about 4-5 minutes but it's best to set a timer.

Then, slowly open up ...

... to reveal a perfectly cooked and crispy Cheddar waffle.

Let the waffles cool on a wire rack rather than stack them all up - this will keep them crispy underneath too!

Pretty soon you'll have a production line going. Keep the waffles warm by either placing in a low oven or covering with foil.

Finally, to make the gravy. Take the pan that you fried the chicken in. Empty out all the oil and leave only 3 tablespoons behind. Or you could use a fresh pan, and melt in 3 tablespoons Butter.

Heat on a medium heat and add 3 tablespoons Plain Flour. If you have leftover flour from coating the chicken, use that - it has plenty of seasoning in it.

Stir around and cook for a few minutes.

If it looks too dry, add a little more oil.

Stir in 2 Spring Onions, thinly sliced.

Mix well and then begin to pour in Water or Stock a little at a time. Turn the heat up and bring it to the boil until you have the consistency that you like. Taste for seasoning, and adjust, if needed.

When it's time to serve, grab the waffles and fried chicken. Sprinkle over more sliced spring onion.

Add as much gravy as you want, along with Pickled Jalapeno Slices.

For extra spice, drizzle over Sriracha or any chilli sauce you prefer, and dig in!

Full Written Recipe:


Cheddar Waffles with Fried Chicken and Gravy

Adapted from Chow and Laura in the Kitchen

Ingredients – serves approx 6 people

For the Cheddar Waffles
2 cups (16 ounces or 453 grams) Plain Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder (optional)
1 and ½ teaspoons Salt
2 large Eggs
2 cups (500ml) Whole Milk
4 ounces (100 grams) Unsalted Butter, melted
1 cup (8 ounces or 200 grams) Cheddar Cheese, grated

For the Fried Chicken
2 Chicken Breast, cut into slices
1 cup (250ml) Buttermilk (equal parts yoghurt mixed with water)
Chilli Sauce, to taste
1 cup (8 ounces or 250 grams) Plain Flour
½ tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Vegetable Oil, to fry

For the Gravy
3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil or Butter
3 tablespoons Plain Flour (use leftover seasoned flour from chicken)
2 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
Water or Stock, to thicken, as needed

To Serve
Spring Onions, thinly sliced
Pickled Jalapeno Slices

Method

First, to marinade the chicken. Mix the chicken pieces in a bowl with the buttermilk and chilli sauce. Leave, covered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the bowl.

In a separate shallow plate or tray, whisk together the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

Dredge each chicken piece in the flour mixture on both sides. Place on a wire rack and leave for 15 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil to either shallow or deep fry. Fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and then a wire rack so that the chicken stays crispy.

To make the gravy, once all the chicken is fried, empty the oil out of the pan and leave 3 tablespoons behind. You could also just use a new pan and melt the butter.

Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the spring onions.

Slowly pour in the water or stock. Scrape all the bits off the pan to get more flavour. Simmer and whisk to smooth until it’s as thick as you like it.

For the Cheddar Waffles, preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturers instructions.

Whisk together the flour, salt, chilli powder and baking powder.

In another bowl or jug, beat the eggs and then pour in the milk. Whisk again.

Slowly pour in the melted butter, whisking. Stir in the grated cheese.

Pour the wet mix into the dry. Stir until combined.

Cook a ladleful at a time in the waffle iron for about 3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Cool on wire racks to stop the waffles going soggy.


Stack the waffles on a plate, top with fried chicken and gravy. Garnish with more sliced spring onions, pickled jalapeno slices and chilli sauce.

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Keep me in your duas, please, and stay warm and safe during these cold, windy days and nights!

Wasalaam!


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