Chicken and Waffles

Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Place chicken in a large bowl with 1 Tbsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 2 hours. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ½ cups buttermilk, 3 large eggs, and 1 Tbsp hot sauce.

In a another large bowl, mix together 3 cups of flour, 3 tsp salt, and 2 tsp garlic powder. Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet, then begin coating chicken. Dip each piece of chicken first in the flour mixture, then in the buttermilk, then again in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Transfer to wire rack, then repeat until all chicken pieces are coated.

Meanwhile, fill a large cast iron or heavy bottom pan with the tallow until it’s about 3” high. Heat over medium-high until oil reaches about 350 F. You want to cook the chicken around ~325F, but the temperature will drop when you add the chicken. Fry the chicken. When oil is hot, carefully add about ~4 pieces of chicken, depending on the size of your pan, and cook, turning every 1-2 minutes, until all chicken is a golden brown color and has an internal temperature of 160 F, about 6-7 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a clean wire rack, then repeat cooking remaining chicken.

Make the hot sauce. Combine 1 stick butter, 2 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp of garlic, 1 cup of hot sauce, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high.

Cook the waffles according to your favorite recipe or mix.

Serve waffles immediately with hot fried chicken, maple syrup, watermelon, and pickle slices.