I love my CUISINART CANADA Breakfast Central™ Waffle/Omelette Maker WAF-600C  so I was searching for a savoury recipe for waffles that would put it to use. Chicken and waffles is a great southern classic and is a dinner I always wanted to try it on the family. 😉

There are many versions of this classic available on the web. My search began with a chicken that had the attributes of being “fried” but did not involve a molten pot of oil on my stove.  And there are many recipes to cook chicken with a crispy crunchy skin that didn’t involve a deep fryer. But the thought of a Maple Gravy in this recipe that I adapted below had my taste buds curious.

Baked Fried 😉 Chicken & Pumpkin Cheddar Herbed Waffles with a Maple Gravy

 Adapted from Oven Fried Chicken & Waffles with Maple Gravy

Baked Fried Chicken and Pumpkin Herbed Cheddar Waffles with Maple Gravy

Baked “Fried” Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces (breasts, thighs, legs)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Cooking spray
  

  Battered Chicken Pieces on baking rack

Place chicken and buttermilk in a container, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Place this flour mixture in a paper bag or large sealable plastic bag. Place one piece of chicken in the bag and toss to coat. Shake off excess flour and place the chicken on the prepared rack. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Discard any leftover flour mixture and buttermilk marinade. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray.

Pumpkin Cheddar Herbed Waffle Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup of canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
• chopped fresh chives
• 2 large eggs
• Cooking spray, for waffle iron
  

  Mmmm Waffles

Maple Gravy Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or Robin Hood ® Easy Blend
• 1-3/4 cups chicken stock made from bones from chicken carcass
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Make a roux.

Start by melting the 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium heat.

When the butter melts and turns frothy, stir in the 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. You can use either a wooden spoon or a whisk.

As you continue to stir flour into the butter, you’ll see that a thick paste is forming stir constantly 2-3 minutes until flour turns golden brown. Slowly whisk in heated stock. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly until gravy thickens (about 10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in syrup. Reduce heat to low until ready to serve.

TO ASSEMBLE CHICKEN & WAFFLES: Cut waffles into halves or fourths. Stack waffle sections and top with chicken pieces then drizzle with copious amounts of maple gravy. Garnish with fresh chopped thyme and/or chives, if desired.

Assembled Chicken and Waffles dinner