(Nashville Hot) Chicken (Tenders) + Waffles w/ Maple Syrup Shots
Indulge in a delightful twist on a classic favorite with my elevated chicken and waffles. Picture crispy Nashville hot chicken tenders, expertly seasoned to deliver a perfect blend of heat and flavor, paired with fluffy vanilla cinnamon waffles infused with aromatic cardamom and nutmeg. This combo elevates a beloved comfort food to a sophisticated dish where each bite offers a harmonious balance of savory and sweet, with the crispy chicken providing the perfect contrast to the light, airy waffles. Drizzle with some rich maple syrup and dive in. My mouth is watering— let’s get cookin’!
**Recipe for Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders altered from The Comfort of Cooking
**Recipe for crispy waffles altered from Baking Mischief
Mini Hot Nashville Chicken + Waffles!
WAFFLES
3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
1 tbsp (12g) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup applesauce or Greek yogurt (sour cream works well also but use a little less sour cream and add 1-2 tbsp of water)
1 egg
1 tsp good vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN TENDERS
2-3 pounds chicken tenders
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp coarse kosher salt
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup hot sauce
4 cups vegetable or canola oil, for frying
NASHVILLE HOT COATING
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup frying oil from frying chicken
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk and hot sauce. Set aside.
Dip each chicken tenders into flour mixture, then into buttermilk mixture, and back into th flour. Thoroughly coat each piece and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Rest tenders on the baking sheet for 20-30 minutes to allow the coating to set.
While the coating sets, add 2 inches or so of oil to a heavy bottomed skillet/pot with high lips or Dutch oven. Set to medium-high heat. The oil is ready when you can flick a little bit of flour into the oil and it sizzles on impact.
Carefully drop in 3-4 tenders at a time and fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Do not overcrowd the pan! Use tongs to remove the chicken from the oil and place on a wire drain lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Continue this process until no chicken remains. Set chicken aside while you work on the waffle batter.
Whisk together the dry ingredients for the waffle batter in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the wet ingredients. Whisk until just combined and allow to sit for 30 minutes while you season the chicken tenders.
Whisk together all of the hot coating ingredients (except for the oil) in a small bowl. Pour the hot frying oil over the mixture and whisk until combined. Brush the mixture all over the chicken tenders and set aside.
Preheat waffle iron and cook batter according to your iron’s instructions, typically 4-6 minutes per waffle, until waffle is nicely golden and has mostly stopped releasing steam. Waffle may not initially seem crispy to the touch, but will crisp up out of the waffle maker.
Pro tips:
I like to grease my waffle iron with unsalted butter or avocado oil for extra crispy waffle edges!
Don’t stack/overlap waffles. Placing them on top of each other will cause the steam to make them lose their crispiness.
Once all waffles are done cooking, take the chicken tenders out of the oven and it’s time to serve up! Place waffle on a plate and top with hot chicken tender(s). Drizzle with maple syrup and listen to the silence that comes once you serve these up — trust me. Enjoy!
Note: I made mini versions and cut up the chicken tenders + waffles into smaller sizes for brunch and served with pipettes filled with maple syrup (pipettes I used linked here!).
