Sous Vide Batter-Dipped Fried Chicken with Honey and Waffles

This is comfort food at its finest. Though I'm not certain who would have put waffles and fried chicken together in the first place, I'd love to high five whoever did. My advice? Don’t skip the honey. It adds a sweet, complementary addition to the savory, crispy fried chicken. Use chicken breasts so they stay juicy, then dip them in batter and fry quickly for juicy, yet crispy battered chicken. 

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:20

Recipe Time: 01:30

Temperature : 145.4F / 63C

Ingredients

• 2.2 pounds (1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper to Taste
• ¼ cup (50 ml) buttermilk
• 2/3 cup (86g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5g) paprika
• 1 teaspoon (5g) garlic powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ¼ cup (50 ml) vegetable oil for frying
• ¾ cup (96g) all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup (150ml) beer
• 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt
• 6 waffles (use your own favorite recipe)
• 6 teaspoons (30g) honey

Directions

1. Set Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 145.4°F / 63°C.
2. Place chicken breasts in single layer in zip-close plastic bag. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pour buttermilk over all. Close using water immersion method to create vacuum.
3. Place sealed bag with chicken into water and sous vide 90 minutes.
4. While chicken cooks, prepare the seasoned flour: mix flour with paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste in a shallow dish.
5. About 10 minutes before chicken is done, pour oil into large skillet and heat to 350ºF, using instant read thermometer to check on oil as it gets to temperature.
6. While oil heats and about 5 minutes before chicken is done, mix up batter in large bowl: combine flour with egg and beer. Gently stir until no lumps are in batter. Place flour and batter right next to each other.

Finishing Steps: Stovetop

1. When chicken is done, drain breast pieces.
2. Coat each piece of chicken with seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Dip into batter. Lift out and let excess drain back into bowl. Now place chicken breasts back into seasoned flour. Coat with flour and gently place into hot oil. Cook, turning once until batter is golden brown—remember, you are not cooking the chicken, just making sure batter gets cooked and crispy.
3. If you need to hold chicken warm while finishing remaining chicken, place chicken on rack over sheet pan and keep in 200ºF oven.
4. For each serving, place 1 waffle on plate. Top with crispy piece of fried chicken and drizzle with 1 teaspoon honey. Serve immediately.