Spicy Maple Chicken & Waffles: A Brunch Love Story

Some food combinations just belong together—like peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese, or me and regretting my life choices after eating an entire pizza at 2 AM. But nothing, and I mean nothing, hits quite like crispy fried chicken and fluffy waffles drizzled in spicy maple syrup. It’s sweet, it’s spicy, it’s crunchy, it’s soft—it’s basically the Ryan Reynolds of brunch foods.

So, if you’re ready to make a plate of pure happiness, buckle up, buttercup. Let’s get cooking.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Before we get started, take a deep breath. This is gonna be good.

• 4 beautiful, golden, soon-to-be crispy chicken tenders

• 2 perfect, slightly crispy, but still soft Belgian waffles

• ½ cup spicy maple syrup (Yes, we’re drowning everything in it, no regrets)

• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (for that bougie restaurant vibe)

• Micro mirepoix (because we’re fancy like that)

Step 1: Fry That Chicken Like You Mean It

Drop those chicken tenders into a fryer at 350°F and let them sizzle away for five glorious minutes. That’s just enough time to scroll through social media, wonder why you haven’t won the lottery yet, and then remember you forgot to pay your phone bill. The goal here? Crispy, golden brown, crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside magic.

(If you don’t hear a satisfying crunch when you bite in later, something has gone wrong.)

Step 2: Wake Up Those Waffles

While your chicken is getting its glow-up, take those waffles and pop them in the iCombi Pro for 1.5 minutes. Not long enough to burn them (because we’re adults and we’ve learned from our toaster trauma), but just enough to get them warm and toasty.

No iCombi Pro? No problem. A toaster on low or an oven at 300°F for two minutes will do the trick. Whatever you do, don’t microwave them, unless you enjoy sadness and disappointment.

Step 3: The Sauce That Will Change Your Life

Pull those golden, crispy beauties out of the fryer and toss them in a small stainless bowl. Now, take that spicy maple syrup and drizzle, pour, baptize—whatever you need to do to coat that chicken like it just won the lottery.

Shake the bowl a little. Give it some love. Make sure every nook and cranny is covered in that sweet, spicy, sticky goodness.

Step 4: Plate Like a Pro

Now, let’s make this look as good as it tastes. Grab your warm, fluffy waffles, slice them on a bias (because it sounds fancy and impresses people), and stack them like you’re building a delicious waffle Jenga tower.

Gently place the syrup-covered, crispy chicken tenders on top, and if there’s any syrup left, pour it over the whole thing like a dramatic slow-motion food commercial. 

This is not the time to hold back.

Top it off with a light snowfall of powdered sugar—because why not? Then, add a sprinkle of micro mirepoix, which nobody really knows the purpose of, but it makes you feel like a Michelin-star chef.

Step 5: Eat Like a Champion

Now, take a step back. Look at what you’ve created. Marvel at its beauty. Take a picture (because if you don’t post it, did it even happen?). Then, grab a fork and go to town.

The first bite? Pure magic. The crunch of the chicken, the warm, soft waffle, the sweet heat of the maple syrup—this is brunch perfection. You will never look at a sad frozen waffle the same way again.

Final Thoughts (or Justifications for Eating More)

If you’re not licking syrup off your fingers and wondering why you haven’t made this sooner, you did it wrong. This dish is meant to be devoured, possibly with reckless abandon, and preferably with a mimosa in hand.

So, what are you waiting for? Make this. Eat this. Love this. Then, come back and make it again.

And if anyone asks why you’re eating chicken and waffles for dinner, just stare at them like they clearly don’t understand the finer things in life.

Enjoy!