Recipe Testing: Chicken and Waffles

I've had a deep, deep desire to try out a Southern soul food classic - Chicken and Waffles. I even put it on my 101 list to make sure I'd give it a try.

So in the midst of plotting where to go and give them a try, I realized that I know how to make waffles and I know how to make fried chicken. All I needed to do was put them together and make a kickin' good gravy.

This was the weekend. I fired up the waffle maker:

Then I made fried chicken - sorry, no photos. That's a must-pay-attention-to-every-moment process. Maybe someday when my sous chef is available, we can snap a few photos of the process. But to sum it up, I follow the Pioneer Woman's recipe for buttermilk fried chicken. It's not difficult. It is delicious. And it's worth the calories (especially if you don't eat fried food often).

While the chicken was finishing off in the oven, I whipped up a batch of maple gravy. I'd completely take credit for this wonderful idea, but I found the recipe here while surfing the internet.

Of course, I made my version the quick-and-easy way: one pouch of Pioneer Brand country gravy mix plus one small bottle of Cracker Barrel maple gravy. Any maple syrup would do - I just used what I had on hand.

Once everything has finished bubbling, baking and frying, it's time to assemble.

The verdict? Chicken and waffles were totally worth the wait. I'll probably still look for a good restaurant version to compare, but I'm pretty satisfied with the Hayley version.