Mini Chicken and Waffles

Mini chicken and waffles recipe

The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 24 waffles

Mini chicken and waffles are excellent as a passed hors d'oeuvre, party appetizer, or a fun brunch buffet item.

As a twist on the well-loved American dish of fried chicken served on top of a stack of waffles and flavored with hot sauce and maple syrup, this recipe is designed to satisfy comfort food cravings in a bit more elegant way.

Buttermilk and panko-crusted chicken tenders are secured on top of small pieces of fluffy buttermilk waffles with toothpicks. Parmesan shavings add a touch of nutty depth and saltiness, and a generous drizzle of hot honey rounds off the flavors and introduces a spicy kick. If you cannot find prepared hot honey making your own is as easy as folding hot red pepper flakes into your favorite honey.

With only a few simple ingredients, easy to follow steps, and the help of a waffle iron, even a kitchen novice can successfully tackle these delicious bites. The recipe for the waffles yields about a dozen regular-sized waffles. Cut into mini pieces only as many of them as you need and freeze the rest. Once frozen they are perfect for the toaster when you need a quick breakfast.

It is absolutely acceptable to prepare the stacks of mini chicken and waffles in advance and to heat them up in the oven for a couple of minutes just before garnishing with Parmesan shavings and hot honey and serving them.

Ingredients

For the Waffles:

  • 2 cups flour, cake flour or pastry flour recommended

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 3 tablespoons sugar

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1/4 cup melted butter

  • 2 cups buttermilk

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • Cooking oil or oil spray, for greasing waffle iron

For the Chicken:

  • 2 quarts cooking oil, for frying

  • 1 pound chicken breast

  • 1 cup flour

  • 1 cup buttermilk

  • 2 cups panko

For the Garnish:

  • 4-ounce solid piece of Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended

  • 1/3 cup hot honey, or 1/3 cup honey plus red pepper flakes, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for mini chicken and waffles
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  2. Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions and preheat the oven to 200 F.

    Preheat waffle iron
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  3. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients for the waffles.

    Mix together dry ingredients
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  4. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the melted butter, the buttermilk, and the vanilla extract.

    Beat eggs
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Do not use a mechanical mixer or overmix.

    Add wet ingredients
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  6. Grease the waffle iron with your cooking spray or oil and, using a measuring cup, add the recommended amount of waffle mix to each slot (again, per the manufacturer's instructions, as each waffle maker may be able to handle a different amount of waffle batter). Cook until the waffles turn golden on both sides, then remove and cut them into small bite-sized pieces. Place them in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve. Repeat with the remaining batter.

    Make waffles
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  7. In a deep heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat bring the cooking oil to 375 F. Prepare a paper towel-lined baking sheet for the fried chicken.

    Take temperature
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  8. While the oil is heating, slice the chicken breast into bite-size pieces to roughly match the size of the mini waffles.

    Slice chicken breast
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  9. Prepare 3 bowls—one with flour, one with buttermilk, and one with panko breadcrumbs.

    Prepare three bowls
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  10. Coat each piece of chicken in flour (shake of excess), then buttermilk, and finally in panko.

    Coat each piece of chicken
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  11. Fry in small batches for 6 to 8 minutes. Place on the paper towel-lined baking sheet.

    Fry in small batches
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  12. Assemble the mini chicken and waffles onto a serving platter by securing the chicken pieces onto the waffles with toothpicks.

    Mini chicken and waffles
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  13. Using a potato peeler, shave off Parmesan bits and garnish. Drizzle with hot honey and serve.

    Waffles and chicken
    The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
516 Calories
23g Fat
52g Carbs
24g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 516
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 30%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 99mg 33%
Sodium 783mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate 52g 19%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 226mg 17%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 299mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)