Mini chicken and waffle sandwich recipe

You can’t have a true Southern breakfast without a big plate of chicken and waffles. This odd pairing of fried chicken and fluffy waffles has been a popular combination below the Mason-Dixon Line for years and is a perfect choice for breakfast or brunch. If you’re craving this deep-fried Southern favorite but only want a few bites, try these four-bite chicken and waffle sandwiches made a little lighter with oven-fried chicken!

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If you want a dish closer to the kind your mama used to make, by all means use your favorite recipe for traditional fried chicken. We wanted something a little lighter (so we could eat a few more, of course), so we chose to bake our chicken instead of fry it. Whatever your choice of chicken preparation, these sandwiches will instantly become a brunch staple in your house.

Related story Giada De Laurentiis Just Put an Air Fryer Twist on This Italian Favorite & It's So Much Easier Now

Mini chicken and waffle sandwiches

Yields about 4 sandwiches

Ingredients: 

For the chicken: 

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
• 1/2 cup panko or traditional breadcrumbs
• Liberal dashes of salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

For the waffles: 

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Dash of salt
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• Maple syrup

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment paper in a baking dish.
2. Pour the milk into a shallow bowl. Pour the breadcrumbs into another bowl and mix in salt and pepper.
3. Carefully dip chicken pieces into the milk and soak for about 30 seconds. Then, dredge in breadcrumb mixture until the entire piece is fully covered. Place the chicken on the parchment paper. Bake for about 55 minutes or until chicken is golden brown.
4. While chicken bakes, prepare waffles by mixing the flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Add in salt. Mix in eggs, vanilla, milks and oil. Mix until fully combined. Add cinnamon and stir.
5. Preheat a waffle iron. Pour about one-half cup of the batter into a Belgium waffle maker. Close and cook for about four minutes on each side or until waffles are golden brown. Remove from waffle maker and let cool. Then, carefully cut the waffle into four separate triangles.
6. Place one piece of chicken onto each triangle. Drizzle pure maple syrup over the chicken and then top with another waffle triangle. Stick a small toothpick through the sandwich to keep it together, then drizzle with additional syrup and powdered sugar. Serve warm and enjoy!

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