I’ve been staring out the window at the rain this whole week trying to stop a constant repetition of the old phrase “April showers bring May flowers” that’s going through my head. I was almost settled on dealing with it like an adult until I woke up, yet again, to a heavy sheet of snow falling down this morning!

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And, AND, it would be one thing if it were just our area in the mountains where this is happening, but then I heard from friends in the south getting lots of snow too. Come on, what’s going on? Like, is this a joke? Haha, did you see the thing going around social media that says “R.I.P. Spring Apr 12, 2018 – Apr 15, 2018” Now that made me laugh out loud for sure. Clearly it’s all just “global warming” right? 😉 I guess we’re going to have to hold out hopes for a warmer, drier May.

Aside from the gray blanket that might be the sky, it’s been a pretty good week so far. My parents are getting home from South America in a few days so that will change things again around here. Oh, and I’m all booked for my next trip. Omg, you guys I’m pretty freakin’ excited! So it’s going to be my first solo trip and as to where I’m going? Well, I’d tell you but then I’d have to kill you…….jk, lol, rofl! I’ll tell you guys very soon.

Okay, and now this is the part where I realize I need to shut up and tell you about the recipe you’re here for in the first place. Chicken and waffles is one of those meals that walks the like and lives in the gray areas, kind of like sweet potato casserole or monte cristos. It makes you wonder when it’s supposed to be served, breakfast? lunch? dinner? dessert?

Honestly, I’d say it’s good whenever you want to eat it, but for my family it probably would fall into the category of dinners saved for special occasions or weekends, and sometimes the breakfast category. I always try to imagine the first person who was bold enough to think outside the box and create these types of recipes. With this one, I’m going to guess it was a mom who had run out of bread for dinner and decided to make use of some extra waffles instead.

Whatever the case, it’s a comfort food classic that pleases just about everyone and is pretty basic. It’s good serve doused in maple syrup or, if you like things more on the savory side, try it with a sauce like ranch or blue cheese, and maybe some hot sauce.

Oven-Fried Chicken & Buttermilk Waffles

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8-10 servings

Try something new tonight with this classic country style meal of chicken and waffles. Top it with a generous amount of maple syrup and enjoy!

Ingredients

Waffles:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup full-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
non-stick cooking spray or oil for greasing the iron (optional)

Oven-Fried Chicken:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders or breasts
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (or any breadcrumbs)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
chopped chives + maple syrup for serving (optional)

Instructions

Waffles

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. In separate bowl, beat eggs with butter, vanilla, buttermilk, and milk. Pour into dry ingredients and mix well to combine, but don'e over mix.
Heat a waffle iron and spray lightly with cooking spray. Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions.

Oven-Fried Chicken:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees °F (190 °C) and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
Mix breadcrumbs with garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper, pepper, and salt; pour into pie plate. Pour flour into a separate pie plate and whisk eggs and buttermilk in a small bowl. For each piece of chicken, dip first into flour, then egg mixture, then breadcrumbs and place on parchment lined tray.
Bake the chicken for 18-25 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F (73.9 °C). Remove from oven and allow the chicken to rest for at least 3 minutes then serve hot with waffles. If desired, top with fresh chives and maple syrup. (If you prefer things more savory, try serving with hot sauce and/or ranch!)

For more great food ideas and inspiration, please do not forget to look at my other recent posts

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

And, by the way, to all the minnows out there, my intro post did a huge $0.21. The key to success on Steemit is to be consistent and persistent. Click on the link below for some great tutorials on how you can also succeed on the steem blockchain: