Unfortunately the hubby is not a fan :(. He believes in breakfast for breakfast, lunch for lunch, and dinner for dinner. Nothing irritates him more than going to brunch...while the rest of us are ordering omelets and french toast at 1pm, he orders the grilled chicken sandwich or the hamburger. But this is why I love him, he doesn't give in to peer pressure, unless it involves karaoke. Then he'll sing!
He does have to give in when he's forced to have breakfast for dinner at home though! Otherwise he will have had to scrounge up something on his own. He was a trooper and gave my dinner a go.
Nothing says breakfast for dinner like the classic southern dish, chicken and waffles. It is such a popular dish in the south that there is a line, long as can be, at the Breakfast Klub here in Houston and there's a food truck that sells chicken and waffle sandwiches! Every city has their take on this classic.
So I took the classic and gave it a twist. Instead of the normal, beautifully sweet cake-y waffle, I made a crispy jalapeno cheddar waffle and accompanied it with cajun fried tenders and a fried egg on top! A few dashes of hot sauce and we were chowing down on dinner!
In the end we both felt it needed some sort of sauce...so we finished off the meal with a drizzle of maple syrup on our waffle :), yummy indeed.
Please note, I will no longer post spice measurements. I don't think spices really need them because everyone likes their food different, from bland to bursting. Spice at your own risk and level :)
Chicken and Jalapeno Cheddar Waffles: serves 4
Chicken:
2 chicken breasts cut into tenders
1 1/2 cup buttermilk (I made my own, whole milk + 1 cap of vinegar, stir and let sit for 5 min.)
chili powder
garlic powdersea salt
black pepper
red chili flakes
2 cups flour
your favorite cajun seasoning
vegetable oil for frying
Throw everything up through the red chili flakes into a ziploc bag and let marinate from an hour to overnight. I marinated mine a little over an hour and it was great!
When you're ready to fry the tenders, set a deep pot with enough oil to to deep fry and set on medium high.
As the oil heats, toss in some cajun seasoning into the flour, and start coating your chicken tenders with the seasoned flour. Dip a covered tender into the oil and if it begins to sizzle and bubble, your oil is ready for frying!
Don't overcrowd your pot with tenders, fry them in small batches so that they cook evenly throughout. I fried mine for about 5 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels as you take them out.
To keep everything warm, I stuck the tenders in a warm oven (200-250 degrees).
Waffles: you will need a waffle iron to make these, there is no way around it.
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup yellow or white cornmeal
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 jalapeno, seeded to your liking and diced finely
1 cup cheese, I used cheddar and jack and probably more than a cup ;)
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Preheat your waffle iron to your desired setting. I put mine a little over the middle setting to give it that pretty golden color.
Stir dry ingredients (up until salt) and set aside. Stir wet ingredients until eggs are fully incorporated. Add the wet ingredient to the dry ingredients, stir a little and add the jalapenos and cheese. Stir until just incorporated. DO NOT OVERBEAT.
About 3/4 of batter was used for each waffle. I kept these warm in the oven as well.
Fry up a few eggs and top each waffle with an egg, served with a side of tenders and some hot sauce and maple syrup! This dinner is a little outside the box, but that's how I roll...
Side note, San Fran and Coachella is 39 days away. BEYOND EXCITED!
Theophilus London
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