People let me tell you 'bout my beeeest friend!
I'm going through Amanda-withdrawal this week because my partner-in-crime is on vacation in Lake George.
Well, "crime" might be a bit of an exaggeration. Â Our hang-out time usually consists of going grocery shopping together and complaining about all of the people who stop their carts in the middle of the aisle (if you do that, for the love of all things good in this world, please stop), or sitting on the couch with our laptops and not speaking for hours while we both do work.
It's a wild and crazy life we lead, try to keep up.
Amanda is also one of the people I consistently go to to help me come up with recipe ideas, and recently, she insisted that I make chicken nuggets that are fried in waffle batter.
And, I mean, what kind of person would say no to waffle-battered chicken nuggets?  It's like pure genius in its most delicious form.
You know those little nuggets of Sweet and Sour Chicken you can get for Chinese Take Out? Â These almost remind me of those, but way fluffier and maple-y. Â I don't know if that makes sense, but if you're imagining it being amazing, you're right.
These Maple Waffle Chicken Nuggets got two thumbs up from James (whose hand is beautifully featured in the first picture, which he insisted on because he wants his hand "to be famous"), my mom, my brother, my grandpa, my grandma, and of course me.  That's a lot of thumbs, but you've got to try them for yourself and report back!
Thanks, Amanda, for the inspiration, support, and for always palling around with me as I do boring stuff for the blog like grocery shopping, editing photos, and looking for inspiration for days on end.  You da, you da best.
Just like these Maple Waffle Chicken Nuggets, haha!  Make these for a party or for game day, and you'll become obsessed with them like I am!
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Maple Waffle Chicken Nuggets
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
For the Waffle Nuggets:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
- Vegetable oil, for frying, plus ½ cup for the batter
- 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 â…“ cups milk
- ⅓ - ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Dip:
- 1 part honey
- 1 part maple syrup
- 1 part honey mustard
Instructions
- Divide the egg yolks and whites in separate bowls. Beat the yolks and set aside. Whip the egg whites until they're stiff and set aside.
- In a large, high-walled skillet, heat about one inch high of oil over medium-high heat.
- As the oil is heating up, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. In a seperate bowl, combine the ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 ⅓ cups milk, the beaten egg yolks, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and ⅓ - ½ cup maple syrup, depending on how maple-y you want your nuggets to taste.
- Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
- Fold in the stiffened egg whites. Do not over-mix, you don't want the egg whites to entirely deflate. It's okay if the batter is slightly lumpy.
- Test to see if the oil is hot enough by dipping the end of a wooden spoon into the pan. If the oil bubbles around it after a second or two, you're ready to go!
- Dust the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of flour and then dip the chicken into the batter. Let excess drip off and quickly place in the oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown and cooked through, flipping once, about 4 minutes. If you notice that the outside of your chicken is browning far too quickly, reduce the heat to medium.
- Let the chicken nuggets drain off extra oil by setting them on a paper towel as you fry up the remaining batches.
- Once all of the chicken has been cooked, mix together honey mustard, honey, and maple syrup for dipping.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
Chloe Crabtree says
These look and sound amazing! I am going to head over to FB and G+ to share these and get them on my Pinterest board! I can't wait until I have an opportunity to make these! This is the best chicken and waffle recipe I have ever come across! Thanks so much for sharing!
Morgan says
Aw thanks, Chloe! That's sweet of you. I hope you enjoy them when you give them a go!
Ashley says
James your hands are so sexy
Morgan says
Hahahaha he said earlier that he was sad no one commented on his beautiful hands!
Crystal | Apples & Sparkle says
Those hands have a bright future! ; ) The photos of the nuggets are killing me, that batter looks like it fried up perfectly! They look just crazy-good!
Morgan says
Thanks Crystal!
Christine@ Apple of My Eye says
OHHHH these look divine!!! I'm a huge fan of the sweet and salty combo, so maple waffle chicken nuggets (my heart just skipped a beat ;)) are right up my alley!
Morgan says
Thanks, Christine!
Ihjaz Ahmad says
Oh my goodness, this looks delicious! I’m definitely making this! thanks for sharing! A healthier option for a family favorite.
Sarah says
Has anyone used this recipe with an air fryer?
Aj says
The batter is good but I can’t get the chicken to cook all the way through
Morgan says
Sorry to hear that, Aj! Your oil might be a bit too hot, which would cause the outside to cook much faster than the inside. Try reducing the temp slightly and see if that fixes the issue 🙂