Ingredients
Fried Chicken
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper
1 cup buttermilk
About 2 tsp. hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot or Tabasco)
2 cups cornflakes, crushed up
1 tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tbsp. granulated onion
2 tsp. each paprika, salt, white pepper, and black pepper
Safflower oil, for shallow frying
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (or chicken breasts cut in half horizontally) or boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and pounded to 1/2 inch thick
Waffles
1 cup flour
1 cup fine-to medium-grind cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cayenne
About 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 ½ cups buttermilk
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 egg
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
Cooking spray
Warm honey or hot honey (such as Mike’s), for serving
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 275°. Set a wire rack inside a baking sheet. Preheat a waffle iron to level 5 or medium-high to high.
Step 2
For the chicken, make a breading station by lining up 3 shallow dishes. In the first, season the flour with salt and pepper. In the second, mix the buttermilk and hot sauce; season. In the last, mix the cornflakes, granulated garlic and onion, paprika, salt, and white and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1/8 inch of oil over medium-high. Working in batches, dredge the chicken in the flour, dip in the buttermilk, then coat in the cornflakes, pressing so the crumbs adhere. Fry until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to the rack; keep warm in the oven.
Step 3
For the waffles, in a medium bowl, whisk up the dry ingredients and spices; season with salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, whisk up the buttermilk, butter, and egg. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just blended. Stir in the pecans. Coat the waffle iron with cooking spray. Working in batches, cook the waffles until crispy, about 4 minutes per batch.
Step 4
Top the waffles with the chicken. Drizzle with honey.