Jam Fried Chicken with Cornmeal Scallion Waffles
Credit to Nicole Taylor NYT Cooking
For the Chicken
1 large egg
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup strawberry jam (or other summer-fruit jam)
2 pounds large, thick chicken breast cutlets (about 6 pieces)
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
Peanut oil (or other oil with a high smoke point), as needed (about 3 cups)
For the Waffles
1 cup fine white cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp red-pepper flakes
¼ tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 ⅓ cups full-fat buttermilk
4 scallions, trimmed and cut on an angle into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For the Chicken
Prepare the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk the egg, vinegar and jam. Add chicken cutlets, turn until coated, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Prepare the dredge: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch and spices until combined.
When you're ready to fry, add enough peanut oil to a large (10-inch) cast-iron skillet to form a layer that is 1 inch deep. Heat oil over medium-high to around 300 degrees.
Brush off any bits of fruit from the chicken. With one hand, coat each cutlet in the seasoned flour dredge. Set coated cutlets to the side of the bowl while you coat the remaining ones. Wash your hands.
Fry the chicken: Working in batches to avoid crowding, and adjusting the temperature as needed to hover around the 300-degree mark, place 2 to 3 pieces of chicken at a time in the fat. Using tongs, flip the chicken at the 3-minute mark, 7-minute mark and 8-minute mark, cooking until the chicken appears to float and is golden brown. (Each batch should fry for about 8 minutes total.)
Transfer fried cutlets to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and cook remaining cutlets.
For the Waffles
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, red-pepper flakes and salt and whisk well.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs well, then stir in the buttermilk, scallions and olive oil. Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
Heat the waffle iron. Ladle in about 3/4 cup of batter and heat until cooked through. Waffle doneness is similar to toast: For waffles with more than a few toppings and protein, cook until golden.
Transfer cooked waffles to a large baking sheet. (The waffles can be made ahead, cooled and stored in the freezer. You can reheat them in the oven at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.)
Top warm waffles with a piece of fried chicken, if you like, along with maple syrup, jam butter and powedered sugar to taste.
