Oven Baked Chicken with Rosemary-Black Pepper Waffles

Chicken and waffles for dinner??? That's the reaction the first time I suggested this, now my husband begs me to make it. Not the healthiest meal out there, but definitely tasty...this is my version.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Place a rack onto a baking sheet.

Bread 12 skin on, bone in, chicken thighs. The bone and skin help keep the meat moist, and the skin crisps up beautifully under the breadcrumbs.





 Set up the breading station as follows:

1. flour seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
2. 2 eggs, a good dollop of Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup milk, whisked well
3. breadcrumbs seasoned with salt, pepper, chopped fresh rosemary and minced garlic

Place the thighs onto the rack, and bake until crispy, golden and cooked through, about 1 hour.

While the chicken is baking, make your favourite chicken gravy.  Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup just before serving.

Make the waffles, starting to bake them after about 45 minutes, and keeping them warm in the oven until serving. At this point, I turned the oven down to 350F.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Measure out the wet ingredients:

2 cups milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 egg yolks (make sure you save the egg whites)


Whisk together to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk to combine.

Whip the 2 egg whites you saved
 until firm peaks form.

Add them to the batter, and gently fold in.

When the egg whites are folded in, the batter is ready to cook.

Heat your waffle iron.

Ladle the batter onto the waffle iron and cook until golden and crispy.

Keep the waffles warm in the oven until ready to serve.





                      
                 
                          Serve the waffles with chicken, gravy, extra maple syrup and enjoy!!!

This waffle recipe is flexible, which is why I love it. I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, melted butter would add even more richness to the batter. Some things to try, whether for breakfast or dinner:

• diced cooked bacon and chopped pecans
• chopped herbs of your choice, with grated Parmesan
• sliced bananas and cinnamon 
• exchange some of the milk for apple juice, fold in grated apple, or top with caramelized apples
• fresh chopped peaches, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the batter; top with rum whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
• chopped green onions and ham
• roasted garlic

The waffles freeze, re-heat in the waffle iron.

If you want the chicken, but not the skin...marinade chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic and rosemary then grill and slice. Top the waffle with the chicken and drizzle with gravy.

Chicken pot pie with a twist...make the chicken filling, and serve it over the waffles, instead of baking it with pastry on top.

Use the waffles as the 'bread' for a chicken sandwhich....mix maple syrup and grainy mustard into mayonnaise, add some sliced chicken