Foodie Wanderlust - #LetADCook: Jamaican Curry Chicken & Waffles

by Adam Dickerson

Who doesn’t love chicken and waffles? I know I do. I also like remixing recipes, food is here to be enjoyed and experimented with. I started playing in the kitchen one day and thought it would be a good idea to mix the sweet and savory combination with some unconventional flavors. In comes the idea of Jamaican curry chicken and mini waffles with thyme brown butter sauce!

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets

Deep fryer or sauce pan filled with 2” of vegetable oil 

Frying thermometer (optional but very helpful)

Buttermilk Marinade 

1 cup buttermilk (if butter milk is not available, 1 cup milk & 1tbps white vinegar)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or one whole sprig)

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or one whole sprig)

1 teaspoon fresh sage (or one whole sprig)

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Breading:
1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 table spoons Jamaican curry powder

3 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of coarse ground black pepper

Waffle Recipe: 

2 cups All purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

 1- ½ tablespoon cinnamon

2 eggs 

½ cup vegetable oil

1-1/2 cups milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of kosher salt

Brown Butter Sauce:
1 teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme

8 tablespoons of butter

Mix the marinade ingredients in a non- reactive dish or plastic bag. Cut the chicken into 2 to 2 ½ inch chunks. Seal the chicken inside for at least 1 hour. Overnight is best! Mix all of the waffle batter ingredients together and set aside.  Mix the dry ingredients first. Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients as you combine them while whisking. Set aside. Heat the oil in the frying pan (or deep fryer) to 375 degrees. Mix the breading ingredients together. Beware of the portioning of curry. You don’t want it to overpower the flavors too much. Add your waffle batter to the waffle maker. You can make the waffles and chicken at the same time.  If the oil has reached the target temperature, place the chicken in the breading and cover all sides. Shake off excess. Place breaded chicken into the oil gently, you don’t want any hot oil splashing. Do not over crowd the oil, add a few pieces at a time. As you add cold chicken to the hot oil, it lowers the temperature and overcrowding can result in an undercooked product. Total time in the oil should be about 5 minutes max. Remove the cooked chicken from the oil with a slotted spoon and place onto a paper towel lined plate or bowl. Repeat steps 6-9 for all of the chicken pieces. For the brown butter sauce, heat a small pan (medium low heat) and melt the butter.  Gently but constantly stir and add the chopped thyme and a pinch of salt. The key to brown butter sauce is removing it from heat before it burns. Just as it turns from the opaque color to a golden brown, pour the warm sauce into a separate dish. Plate and serve. I made small towers with the nuggets of the chicken and the waffles.  

I hope that you enjoy the recipe as much as I did. For more recipes you can follow me @AD_Renaissance.

- Adam