Whenever I go out to eat, there are always two options I turn my head to before anything else. The two meals that catch my eye and make my mouth water in anticipation are none other than the crispy delight of a chicken sandwich, and the sweet and savory mixture of chicken and waffles. Recently, the idea of combining two or more kinds of food into one highly elevated meal has undergone an exponential uptick across social medias of world class chefs. Judging by this uptake, I knew what had to be done.

The only issue was the lack of originality. Doing just the bare minimum amount of research, it was clear that the combination of  chicken and waffles and the crispy chicken sandwich had been done before. Though, it was plain to see that every recipe was nearly the same, there was no variation. No changing the work of others, nothing new added. Realizing this key detail, I went forward with my plan of making the chicken and waffle sandwiches, bringing about the key detail of a special homemade sauce to spice up the repetitive nature of the recipe!

Why this recipe is worth it?

· The combination of chicken and waffles in sandwich form makes the meal far more appealing when serving many portions

· The use of the special sauce adds a meaty, maple flavor that brings this from a “Maybe make once” meal to a “MUST TRY.”

Ingredients Needed:

· Chicken Breasts (One breast per sandwich)

· All-purpose flour

· Waffle mix

· Salt

· Pepper

· Onion Powder

· Cayenne pepper

· Onion Powder

· Buttermilk

· Maple syrup (1/3 cup)

· Butter (2 sticks)

· Egg

· Oil (Enough to fill a pan)

· Hot sauce

· Milk (please have at least 1 whole gallon to be sure you have enough)

· Brown sugar

· Ground Cinnamon

· Bacon

· Toppings of choice

· Pot

· Pan

· Cutting Board

· Pin roller/Meat Tenderizer

· Knife

· Waffle iron

· Mixing bowl (3)

· Tongs (2)

· Whisks (2)

· Cooking spray

Recipe:

1. Firstly, you should prepare the waffle batter. Pour the waffle mix into the bowl then, add about 1 ½ cups of milk, 3 eggs, a dash of ground cinnamon, and 3/8 cup (6 TBSP) of brown sugar. Mix well until it has a battery texture. If it looks too thick, add more milk. If it looks too watery, add more flour.

2. Take out your chicken and your cutting board. Cut the chicken long ways, getting two wide thin pieces of chicken for each breast, then take either your meat tenderizer or pin roller, and hit the chicken until they are much thinner. Then set the chicken to the side.

3. Pour some oil into your pan and set strips of bacon inside, the more the merrier. Allow the bacon to cook then, take the bacon out of the pan, setting it to the side.

4. Quickly break the bacon into pieces as small as you can. Toss the bacon bits into the pot, along with 1 cup of maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, ½ cup of brown sugar and two sticks of butter. Allow this to cook until everything is mixed well with chunks of bacon floating around.

5. Once your Maple butter mixture is done, pour into a container (preferably a mason jar) and set in fridge to chill.

6. Set your two extra bowls out. In one bowl put a 2/3 gallons of buttermilk, 2 TBSP of hot sauce, a dash of maple syrup, a dash of brown sugar and 5 eggs. Mix well. In the other put all-purpose flour, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a small dash of brown sugar. Mix both bowls well and make sure each has enough of their respective mixture to fully cover your chicken.

7. Begin to dredge your chicken. First cover one in your liquid mix, then in your flour mix. Go back and forth until it has been dipped in each 3 times.

8. Prepare your pan once more, adding more oil until it’s enough to cover your chicken slightly more than halfway. Start to heat up your pan at medium to high heat.

9. Once the oil is hot, place in your chicken with your tongs, fry until the breading is golden brown on both sides.

10. Pour about 1 ¼ cups of your waffle mix into your waffle iron and let it cook.

11. Once waffles are cooked, take put the waffles on a plate. Then, the butter out of the fridge (MAKE SURE IT HAS CHILLED TO ROOM TEMP AT THE LEAST).

Assembly:

1. Put your waffle on the plate.

2. Tear waffle in half.

3. Coat both halves of the waffle in your bacon butter.

4. Place any veggies such as lettuce or pickles on one side.

5. Place your chicken atop the waffle.

6. Top with the second waffle half.

7. Enjoy!

Final Thoughts:

The art of the chicken and waffle sandwich may not be for everyone, though with practice, you too can innovate your own unique spin on this delicious meal! All you must do is go out into the world with a hunger and get cooking!