Barbecued Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches

Chicken and waffles. How did that become a thing? When did it become a thing? Is it a distant relative of steak and lemonade? (Which I also don’t get, by the way.) To be honest, I hadn’t even heard of chicken and waffles until a few years ago. Prior to what you see here, the only time I have actually tried the combination was Thomas Keller’s version, a couple of years ago at Bouchon in Vegas. Pretty nice introduction if you ask me. Given my relative inexperience with all things chicken and waffles, it was pretty surprising when the idea for this meal materialized in my mind out of absolutely nowhere.

It may have had something to do with the container of leftover barbecued chicken getting jostled around my freezer every time I dug for something else, something better. Whatever the reason, I’m so glad the thought occurred to me. Okay, so the chicken and waffles part came easily – but what else on it? This part took some brainstorming but ultimately the idea of a very lightly dressed slaw came to me…like cole slaw, but not because yuck. I’m happy to report that the whole shebang worked just as well together as I had hoped. The flavors and textures were a great combination, and of course, the kids thought it was totally cool to eat waffles as sandwiches. These are a fun alternative to the usual barbecue sandwiches served in the summer. Let’s make this a thing!

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Yield about 6-8 servings

Ingredients

For the waffles:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour (or white whole wheat)
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1¼ cups buttermilk
3 tbsp. minced chives

For the slaw:

¼ head of green cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
¼ head of red cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 tbsp. buttermilk
2 tbsp. greek yogurt
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste

2-3 cups shredded barbecued chicken*
About 1 cup barbecue sauce*

Directions

01
Preheat a waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Whisk to blend. In another bowl, combine the butter, eggs, and buttermilk. Whisk to blend well. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk just until evenly incorporated, taking care not to over-mix. Cook the batter in the waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
02
Meanwhile, make the slaw. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage and carrot. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the vinegar, oil, buttermilk, yogurt and Dijon. Whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a bit of the dressing to the bowl with the cabbage mixture and toss until evenly coated. Add more dressing as necessary to your liking.
03
In a medium bowl or baking dish, combine the barbecued chicken with additional barbecue sauce. Warm as desired (microwave or oven.)
04
When the waffles are finished cooking, assemble sandwiches with the chicken and the slaw. Serve immediately.
05
Notes:
- Make the barbecued chicken whatever way you prefer. This recipe is my favorite. Since it is a meal that takes longer than most, I always make a huge batch and freeze leftovers for meals like this one.

Source

waffles from Joy the Baker