Description
Delicious Chicken and Waffles Sliders featuring crispy, double-dredged fried chicken breasts marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, sandwiched between mini homemade waffles. Perfect for brunch or a fun party appetizer, these sliders combine savory and sweet flavors with an optional fried egg topping for added richness.
Ingredients
Scale
Waffles
- 3 cups waffle mix (prepared as per package instructions)
- 12 eggs (optional, for topping)
Chicken Marinade
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups buttermilk
- ½ cup Cholula® Original Hot Sauce
Coating & Frying
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- Canola oil, for frying
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Slice chicken breasts into 2-inch squares and pound each piece to ¼ inch thickness for even cooking. Place the chicken pieces into a large freezer bag.
- Marinate Chicken: In a bowl, mix the buttermilk and Cholula hot sauce. Pour this marinade over the chicken in the bag, seal it, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight to tenderize and infuse flavor.
- Cook Waffles: Preheat your waffle maker. Prepare the waffle batter following the package instructions. Use approximately â…› cup of batter per mini waffle and cook each for about 3 minutes. Cool the waffles on a rack. Repeat to make 24 mini waffles suitable for sliders.
- Bring Chicken to Room Temp: Remove the chicken from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to ensure even frying.
- Prepare Coating: Reserve a small amount of the buttermilk marinade for coating. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, kosher salt, and garlic powder. Divide half of this flour mixture into a new freezer bag.
- Double Dredge Chicken: Dip 4-5 chicken pieces into the reserved buttermilk, shake off any excess, then coat thoroughly in the flour mixture bag. For extra crunch, dip the coated pieces again into buttermilk and then flour for a double dredge.
- Rest the Coated Chicken: Place the dredged chicken on a wire rack and let it rest for 15 minutes to set the coating. Repeat the coating process with remaining chicken pieces.
- Heat Oil: In a cast iron skillet, heat canola oil to 375°F (190°C) with about ¾ inch of oil depth, ideal for frying.
- Fry Chicken: Fry chicken in batches of 3-4 pieces for 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 180°F (82°C). Drain on paper towels and season immediately with salt.
- Keep Warm: Transfer fried chicken pieces to a 250°F (120°C) oven to keep warm while finishing the rest of the chicken and preparing the sliders.
- Assemble Sliders: Stack each piece of fried chicken between two mini waffles. Drizzle with syrup or your preferred sauces for a sweet and savory bite.
- Optional Topping: For an extra touch, top each slider with a fried egg for additional richness and flavor.
Notes
- Marinating the chicken overnight enhances tenderness and flavor but a minimum of 2 hours will still yield great results.
- Ensure oil temperature remains consistent at 375°F for perfectly crispy chicken without absorbing excess oil.
- Double dredging helps create an extra crispy crust that holds up well in the slider.
- Mini waffles can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen for convenience.
- Fried eggs as a topping add great texture and richness but can be omitted for a simpler slider.
