Smothered Chicken Waffle Sandwich Recipes

SOUL SMOTHERED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge in 3/4 cup flour, place in the skillet, and brown on all sides. Set chicken aside, and drain skillet, reserving about 1 tablespoon butter.
• Reduce skillet heat to medium-low, and stir in onions, celery, garlic, and carrots. Cook 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in the flour, and cook 5 minutes more. Pour in the chicken broth, season with cayenne pepper, and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.
• Return chicken to the skillet, cover, and continue cooking 30 minutes, until chicken juices run clear and gravy has thickened.

SMOTHERED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prework: Add chicken dredge ingredients to a large plate and toss to combine. Set aside. Measure out gravy ingredients prior to beginning.
• Cook the Bacon: Fry bacon over medium-low heat until crispy on both sides. Remove from pan and pour grease into a heat-safe bowl. Reserve 2-4 Tablespoons of clear bacon drippings. Wipe any black residue from the pan if needed.
• Slice & Pound the Chicken: While the bacon cooks, slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Place saran wrap over them and use a meat tenderizer to pound them to about 3/4 inches thick. This gives them a little more texture for the flour dredge to hold on to. They'll plump up more when cooked.
• Coat the Chicken: Wipe the chicken dry and coat generously in the flour mixture, get in every nook and cranny.
• Cook the Chicken: Add the reserved bacon drippings to the clean pan and enough vegetable oil to cover the chicken by half. Heat over medium-high heat. Once heated and glistening, add the chicken. Fry 2 at a time for about 5 minutes per side, until they have a nice golden sear. Set aside on a plate. Adjust heat down slightly and back up throughout cooking as needed.
• Drain the oil: Remove the oil from the pot and use a paper towel to remove any black spots from the pan, but leave any brown remnants. This is called 'fond' and will give the gravy a nice flavor.
• Make the Roux: Melt the butter over medium heat and use a silicone spatula to "clean" the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the flour gradually, whisking continuously, until a paste forms.
• Add the Broth and Half and Half: Add the liquid in small increments, whisking constantly. It will thicken up in between each splash of liquid. If you add it all at once, you'll "break" the roux and it won't be thick.
• Add remaining gravy ingredients: Slowly add the beef bouillon, soy sauce, and seasonings.
• Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add a few drops of kitchen bouquet if a darker color is desired.
• Add the chicken back to the pan along with any juice from the plate.
• Chop up the bacon and add it to the top of the chicken.
• Cover partially and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees prior to serving.
• Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes.

SMOTHERED CHICKEN WAFFLE SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the smothered chicken: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the Cajun seasoning and scallions and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Whisk in the chicken broth and milk and bring to a simmer, whisking often, then simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and stir until hot. Season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper, then add a few shakes of hot sauce. Keep warm or reheat before serving.
• For the waffles: Preheat a waffle iron on the hottest setting.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. In another large bowl, whisk the sour cream, milk, butter and eggs together. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined.
• Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and make the waffles according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Cut or break the waffles in half (2 squares per sandwich) and fill evenly with the hot smothered chicken.

SMOTHERED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and lemon-pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook the chicken breasts in hot oil until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 13 to 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove and keep warm.
• Place bacon in large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels; reserve 2 tablespoons drippings. Cook and stir onion and brown sugar in reserved drippings until onion is golden, about 5 minutes.
• Place two bacon strips on each chicken breast half; top with caramelized onions and sprinkle with Colby-Monterey Jack cheese.