fried chicken and waffles

Congratulations! You made it through a whole week of post-New Year's resolutions. Have you been drinking those extra few glasses of water? Eating your greens and fruit? Getting yourself to the gym in the mornings?

I am so proud of you. Truly. And as a reward for your efforts, you should make fried chicken and waffles for yourself this weekend. It's only fair.

 The amazing thing about this version is you don't have to make the fried chicken. We simply bought ours at the grocery store. Hey now - no judgment. One of our resolutions is to keep a (somewhat) tidier kitchen. Well a large vat of fried oil isn't going to aid in that.

 Plus, since we were able to just grab the chicken and go, this qualified as a weeknight friendly meal.

In our defense, the gravy and waffles were all homemade.

I always forget how much I love waffles until I eat them again. I need to learn how to make other meals out of them. A waffle sandwich? Waffle casserole? Maybe just well manicured waffles with poached eggs and braised leeks. Yes, I like where this is going.

Fried Chicken and Waffles
serves 2

Chile de Arbol and Champagne Gravy
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 tablespoon ground chile de arbol
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup champagne (white wine would work too)
Salt and pepper

Melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to create a rue. Pour in chicken brother and whisk until there are no lumps. Add in chile de arbol and champagne. Bring up to a slight boil and then turn down to stove to low. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let gravy simmer until waffles are ready, about 10 minutes or so.

Waffle Ingredients (from All Recipes)
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1-1/12 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nonstick cooking spray

Plug in your waffle maker. Mix together all waffle ingredients until there are no lumps. Spray the waffle maker with nonstick cooking spray. Following your waffle maker's instructions, pour in waffle batter and cook until golden brown. 

Toppings
4 pieces of fried chicken (we used 3 thighs and 1 leg) 
Apple sauce
Sriracha

Place fried chicken pieces on waffles. Ladle a generous portion of gravy over the chicken. Drizzle sriracha across the waffle and chicken. Top with a heaping tablespoon (or more) of applesauce