Fried Chicken & Wild Rice Waffles with Pink Peppercorn Butter & Maple-Horseradish Syrup

By Realtychick

Ingredients

• Wild Rice Waffles:
• 1 1/2 cup Flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cups buttermilk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup cooked wild rice (rice should be overcooked) drained well
• Melted butter, for the waffle maker.
• Pink Peppercorn Butter:
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons clover honey
• Salt and pepper
• Maple-Horseradish Syrup:
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Chicken:
• 1 quart buttermilk, plus 2 cups
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons chile de arbol powder or 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 chickens (3 to 4 pounds), cut up into 8 pieces
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Peanut oil, for deep-frying

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Rice Waffles:

Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and oil in a separate large bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the mixture just comes together. Add the wild rice and fold until just combined. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes.
While the mixture is resting, heat the waffle maker. Brush the waffle grates with some of the melted butter and make the waffles according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Pink Peppercorn Butter:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until combined.

Blackberry Ancho Sauce:

Whisk all ingredients until well blended.

Chicken:

Whisk together 1 quart of the buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt and the chile de arbol in a large bowl or large baking dish. Add the chicken, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Place the remaining 2 cups of buttermilk in a bowl.
Stir together the flour, garlic and onion powders, paprika and cayenne in a large bowl and divide among 2 shallow platters and season generously with salt and pepper. Drain the chicken in a colander and pat it dry.

Dredge the pieces a few at a time in the flour mixture and pat off excess, then dip in the buttermilk and allow excess to drain off. Dredge in the second plate of flour and pat off the excess. Put the chicken pieces on a baking rack set over a baking sheet while the oil heats.

Pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep cast iron skillet; the oil should not come more than half way up the sides of the pot. Put the pot over medium-high heat and heat the oil to 375 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, add the chicken pieces to the hot oil, 3 or 4 at a time and fry, turning the pieces occasionally, until evenly golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack to drain; repeat to cook the remaining pieces. Serve hot drizzled with the ancho honey, if desired.