This recipe appears in Un-Wine’d, which airs Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. on VPM PBS. Watch past seasons and current episodes on the PBS app or PBS website. Check the broadcast schedule for local listings. Discover more recipes here.
What You’ll Need:
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in two lengthwise
- 1 ½ c. buttermilk
- ½ c. dill pickle juice
- 1 T. salt
- 1 t. freshly ground black pepper
- ½ t. Cayenne pepper
- 1 T. fresh garlic, finely minced
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 ½ c, flour
- Oil for frying - about 2” high in a deep saute pan
- ¼ lb butter
- 2 T. maple syrup (plus more for serving)
- 1 ½ t. garlic salt
- 1 t. Smoked paprika
- 8 prepared waffles, toasted
- Dill pickle slices for garnish
Directions:
Step 1: Trim the chicken of excess skin or fat and place in a 9 X 13 pan.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, pickle juice, salt, pepper, cayenne and minced garlic. Pour over the chicken and allow to marinate for about 4 hours. If marinating overnight, eliminate the cayenne, salt and pepper from this step and sprinkle these ingredients in the pan with the chicken as it fries.
Step 3: Remove the chicken to another bowl, reserving the marinade and mix the eggs into the marinade.
Step 4: Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Dredge the chicken in the flour then back in the buttermilk and egg mixture, then back into the flour and shake off any excess.
Step 5: Add the chicken to the pan, a few pieces at a time, cooking through on both sides until all the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 7 minutes per batch.
Step 6: Rest the chicken on a clean wire rack or plate, holding warm.
Step 7: In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the 2 T. maple syrup, the garlic salt, and the smoked paprika. With a pastry brush, coat each piece of the chicken with the mixture on both sides.
Step 8: To prepare the chicken and waffles for plating, place a warm, toasted waffle on the plate. Top with a piece of chicken and drizzle with maple syrup. If desired, the maple syrup can be seasoned with additional cayenne or hot sauce. Top with pickle slices and serve immediately.
