Almond-Crusted Chicken and Waffles
Chef Neal Fraser
Redbird
Los Angeles
Chicken and waffles, a classic duo, is currently trending on many menus. To differentiate the pairing, chef Fraser dredges chicken thighs in a blend of rice flour, almond meal and cornstarch for a light but crispy coating and adds almond meal to the waffle batter, too.
Ingredients
Chicken
16 oz. boneless chicken thighs
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup almond meal
1 cup rice flour
½ cup cornstarch
2 oz. kosher salt
Vegetable oil for frying
5 oz. maple syrup
1 oz. fresh thyme leaves
Waffles
2 eggs
2 cups milk
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
Steps
1. Prepare chicken: In stainless steel hotel pan, marinate chicken in buttermilk overnight.
2. In shallow bowl, combine almond meal, rice flour, cornstarch and salt. Drain chicken and dredge in dry ingredients.
3. Prepare waffle batter: In large bowl, whisk eggs. Add milk, melted butter and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in bowl; mix to blend. Set aside.
4. In small saucepan, heat syrup with thyme until simmering. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Strain out thyme.
5. In deep fryer, heat oil to 350 F. Fry chicken pieces until golden brown; drain on paper towels and keep warm.
6. To order, pour batter into waffle iron to make waffles. Serve chicken on waffles with thyme syrup.
Photo courtesy of the Almond Board