Contessa's Chicken and Buttermilk Pecan Waffles with Maple Syrup

When the wonderful people at Schermer's Pecans reached out to me to bless me with their wonderful pecans for recipe development, the first thing came to my mind...Chicken and Pecan Waffles!

Who doesn't love fried chicken, and who doesn't love hot buttermilk waffles?

I have yet to meet a person who would ever turn down a plate of hot chicken and waffles with hot maple syrup!

I fried my crispy chicken tenders in a hot sauce based batter that turns the chicken into rich, golden brown, crispy, bites of goodness!

Next, I made a quick batch of buttermilk waffles, if you don't like buttermilk replace it with whole milk.

Assemble the dish by topping hot waffles with crispy chicken then drizzle on loads of Maple Syrup and extra pecans!

I think it's time to eat these while their piping hot people!

Contessa's Chicken and Buttermilk Pecan Waffles with Maple Syrup

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

8 chicken tenders
8 waffles, recipe below
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup hot sauce

For the Waffles:

1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup pecans, chopped
4 tablespoons butter, unsalted, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
maple syrup
extra butter for topping waffles

Directions:

Mix seasoning blend together and set aside. Add flour to a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of seasoning blend.

Rinse chicken and pat dry, add to a large bowl, add egg, hot sauce and seasoning blend, mix well and set aside. Heat oil in a pan until it reaches 350 degrees.

Fry chicken tenders in about 2 batches for about 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown and no longer pink inside.

Remove, place on paper napkin and set aside.

To prepare waffles, in a blender add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, blend well. In a small bowl add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk, mix well, pour into blender.

Blend for about 30 seconds up to 1 minute until ingredients are combined, pour in butter and blend for about 20 seconds more. Fold in pecans.

Spray a preheated waffle iron with cooking spray, place about 1/3-1/2 cup of mixture in waffle iron, cook for about 3-4 minutes are according to waffle iron directions.

Remove, top with butter, and repeat.

Once all the waffles are completed top with chicken, maple syrup and enjoy!