Grilled peach fried chicken and waffle tacos. Oh yes, you heard that right.
Fluffy Cinnamon waffles filled with whipped cream, topped with fried chicken and then smothered in a cayenne pepper bourbon maple syrup.
One of my biggest obsessions in life is fried chicken. All of it. I think 20% of the profiles I follow on instagram are fried chicken accounts. I even have a mental list of fried chicken restaurants I want to visit someday. So you could say that I am always chasing the next best thing.
So when this idea for fried chicken and waffle tacos popped in my brain recently, I knew I was on to something. I also knew that it had to be grilled peach fried chicken and waffle tacos. Nothing in this world goes better together than fried chicken and waffles, but to also add in grilled peaches, it’s out of this world.
I used to be really intimidated by making any sort of fried food, let alone fried chicken. Everytime I would try in the past, I would always end up over frying and burning the chicken. However, I kept trying and eventually found that there are some rules that come with frying foods. Especially what to do when frying chicken to make sure that it comes out perfectly every time.
My Top Advice/Rules for Perfect Fried Chicken
- Use enough oil to cover fill at least 3 inches above the bottom of the cast iron skillet. This allows the chicken to sit in the oil and cook all the way through. Without enough oil, the chicken just sits on the bottom of the cast iron and is at risk for burning.
- Use a deep fry thermometer. The oil will likely change in temperature when you add in the chicken. After all, you are adding cool chicken to hot oil. However, using a deep frying thermometer will help you adjust the heat to maintain the oil temperature and get that chicken perfectly cooked. Make sure you allocate enough time to get the temperature of the oil back up after each batch.
- Heat the oil to 365 degrees F. I have tried a few different recipes in my past but I have found that 365 is the perfect temperature to get the chicken extra crispy, cooked all the way through and without burning. Its honestly magic, but just trust that it will work.
- Add buttermilk to the flour mixture before dredging the chicken. Ever wonder how the best fried chicken restaurants make their chicken so crunchy on the outside? This is because they will drizzle some of the buttermilk in the flour mixture before dredging the chicken. Allowing chunks of coating to stick to the chicken so when it cooks you get these wonderfully crispy pieces all over your chicken.
- Use oil with a high smoke point. Vegetable oil is by far the best that I have used and it allows me to get the temperature of the oil high without smoking to make for a crispy chicken. If you don’t have vegetable, I have heard that peanut oil is also a great one to use.
- Fry your chicken in batches. I know it’s hard to not put all of the chicken in at the same time. However, please fry your chicken in batches. The last thing you want is the oil to over boil and start a fire. Also, overcrowding leads to undercooking of the chicken and we don’t want that.
- Lastly, my top secret trick to fried chicken is to finish the chicken off in the oven if it is larger pieces. With this recipe we are using chicken tenders so they’re thin enough slices that when the chicken is in the oil for 10-15 minutes, it will cook all the way through. However, with chicken breasts or thighs, those pieces tend to be a bit larger. You can place the chicken once it’s done frying on a grate lined baking sheet and cook them in a 365 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. This will ensure that the chicken is cooked all the way through without burning the skin of the chicken.
There it is, the list of top advice that I have found to make the best fried chicken over the years. And just trust me on this one, it really is a lot simpler when you know these rules before you start frying. So, don’t be intimidated, get to making some grilled peach fried chicken and waffles!
Now for the Waffles…
These cinnamon waffles are out of this world. The cinnamon comes through perfectly so it isn’t over powering when you eat them but it simply enhances the amazing flavor of everything on the plate. I love to make this style of waffle where they are thin enough to fold into a taco and baked until just about to turn crispy so they are flimsy enough to bend but durable to hold all of the toppings in a taco form.
To get extra fluffy tacos, I like to separate the eggs. That way I can use the yolk to make the wet ingredient mix to add to the dry ingredients. Then while the mixture sits, I whip the egg whites on high so they get nice and stiff and form peaks. This gets a ton of air into the eggs. Then when you fold in the egg whites, they make the batter turn into this foamy goodness. When baked, they get extra airy and fluffy. Think waffle clouds. So dreamy.
To assemble the grilled peach fried chicken & Waffle tacos
I love to use a taco holder for this recipe. They typically come in packs of 4-8 and so you can serve a crowd some fried chicken and waffle tacos while presenting them so beautifully. However, if you are making this recipe and don’t have taco holders, you can form the taco shape by book ending the waffle with a piece of grilled peach. If you place a peach on either side, the taco should hold it’s shape pretty dang good.
All the better to shovel that fried chicken and grilled peach goodness into your mouth all at once…
Or, you can do what my husband does and just stack all of the waffles and fried chicken onto your plate and smother everything in whipped cream and bourbon maple syrup, then proceed to use silverware because you refuse to get your hands all syrupy.
Either way, if you are a fan of southern comfort food, this recipe is for you!
Check out the links below for more recipes on my site that might peak your interest!
Grilled Peach Fried Chicken and Waffle Tacos
Equipment
- 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet
- Waffle Maker
- Saucepan
- Deep Fry Thermometer
Ingredients
Cayenne Bourbon Maple Syrup
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 4 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Chicken
- 8-10 strips chicken, (about 2-3 breasts)
- 2 cup buttermilk
- 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Lawrys seasoning salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- vegetable oil for frying
Cinnamon Waffles
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Grilled Peaches
- 4 ripe peaches, sliced
- 1/2 tsp vanilla mixed with 2 tsp water
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Add the chicken to a ziplock storage bag or in a shallow dish. Cover the chicken in buttermilk and let sit for 2 hours up to overnight
Bourbon Maple Syrup
- Add the syrup, bourbon, butter and cayenne to a sauce pot on medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat. Cook for 5 minutes to thicken, then turn off the heat and set aside to cool while you make the fried chicken and waffles.
Cinnamon Waffles
- Add flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon to a medium bowl and mix together. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add two egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk to mix the ingredients, then add them to the dry ingredients and incorporate.
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer (using just a hand whisk works as well) mix 2 egg whites on high until stiff and foamy. About 2-3 minutes. Fold into the batter with a spatula. Trying not to lose the bubbles, that makes the waffles extra fluffy.
- Pour 1/4 cup at a time into the waffle maker until enough batter covers the grates. Then bake until the waffle is cooked all the way through but not crispy. You want it to still be able to bend to make the waffle.
- Place the waffles into a warm oven to keep from cooling, while you make the fried chicken.
Fried Chicken
- Remove chicken from refrigerator and let the chicken sit for at least 15 minutes. This takes the chill off of the chicken and allows the chicken to cook all the way through.
- In a bowl or shallow dish, mix flour, lawrys seasoning salt, paprika, black pepper, cayenne. Then drizzle about 1/4 cup of the buttermilk from the chicken into the flour mixture and mix in with a fork. This makes the skin on the chicken get extra crispy.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven over medium heat until the oil reaches 365 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and let the excess drip off, place in the flour mixture and flip to cover the chicken in the flour. I like to press down on the chicken to make sure it really gets dredged in the flour mixture.
- Working in batches, fry the chicken in the oil for 5-7 minutes, then flip and dry another 3-5 minutes until nice and crispy. The internal temperature of the chicken should read 165 degrees F.
To Finish
- Place the warm waffles on a plate or a taco holder, top the waffles with whipped cream, the grilled peaches and fried chicken. Then drizzle with as much cayenne bourbon maple syrup as your heart desires.
Nutrition
