Crispy Chicken Cutlets & Buttermilk Waffles with Hot Honey

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thin-pounded chicken breasts brine in seasoned buttermilk, get a craggy double-dredge, and shallow-fry in under 8 minutes — exactly the time one batch of buttermilk waffle batter needs on the iron. Finish with chile-spiked hot honey and a whipped maple butter that melts into every square. A brunch-plate classic, engineered so the chicken and the waffles land hot at the same moment.

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lb)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 cups neutral oil, such as peanut or canola

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 pinch flaky sea salt

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Halve each chicken breast horizontally to make 4 thin cutlets. Place them one at a time between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or heavy skillet to an even 1/2 inch thick.
2. Whisk the buttermilk, 1 tbsp kosher salt, hot sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper in a bowl or zip-top bag. Add the cutlets, turn to coat, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 12. Pull them out 20 minutes before frying to take off the chill.
3. Make the hot honey: warm the honey, vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, just until it loosens and smells fragrant — do not let it boil. Off heat, stir in the flaky salt and set aside.
4. Make the maple butter: beat the softened butter, maple syrup, and 1/4 tsp salt with a hand mixer or vigorous whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Scrape into a small bowl and leave at room temperature.
5. Heat your waffle iron to medium-high. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and 3/4 tsp salt in a large bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. In a third clean bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks, about 90 seconds with a hand mixer.
6. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir just until no dry flour remains — lumps are fine. Fold in the whipped whites in two additions with a spatula. Let the batter rest while you set up the dredge.
7. Whisk the 1 1/2 cups flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a wide shallow dish. Drizzle in 3 tbsp of the brine from the chicken bag and rake with your fingers until the flour is shaggy and pebbly — those clumps are the crunch.
8. Pour the oil into a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy skillet to a depth of 3/4 inch and heat over medium-high to 350°F on an instant-read thermometer. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan next to the stove.
9. Lift a cutlet from the brine, let the excess drip off for 3 seconds, then press it firmly into the dredge, coating both sides and packing flour into every surface. Set on a plate and repeat with the remaining cutlets.
10. Start the waffles and the chicken together. Ladle batter onto the hot iron and cook 4 to 5 minutes per waffle, until deep golden and steam has slowed. At the same time, lay 2 cutlets in the oil away from you and fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the crust is deep golden and the interior reads 160°F. Transfer to the rack and salt immediately.
11. Let the oil come back to 350°F, about 1 minute, then fry the second pair of cutlets while the remaining waffles cook. Hold finished waffles directly on the oven rack at 200°F — never stacked, or they steam soft.
12. Set a waffle on each plate, smear with maple butter so it melts into the pockets, top with a cutlet, and pour hot honey generously over the chicken. Serve right away with extra hot honey on the side.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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