Twisted Chicken & Waffles

There are chicken and waffle recipes and then there are twisted chicken and waffle recipes.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional southern version of chicken and waffles, butter covered and maple syrup drizzled with fried chicken on the side.  That version is fabulous and tasty. Very comforting.  I wanted more.
Last night I made peach glazed pan-fried chicken served over buttermilk, cornmeal, and chive Belgian waffles. Whacked.

Using Weisenberger Mills stoneground cornmeal, I mixed together 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, 1 1/4 full fat buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of baking powder,1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 egg, and snipped chives.  Once the waffle maker was hot enough, I ladled in the mixed batter and let the waffles steam cook.  As each one finished, I held them in a warm oven until plating.

I salted, peppered, floured, and panfried two pounded boneless chicken breasts in clarified Plugra butter until golden brown and crisp. After removing and tenting the breasts to rest and keep warm, I sauteed diced shallots in the skillet.  Once the shallots were tender and translucent, I deglazed the pan with chicken stock to scrape up any remaining chicken bits to flavor the gravy.  I  let the shallot infused stock simmer until it reduced by half and swirled in 1/2  cup of peach preserves to melt and blend into the gravy before tossing in 2 sliced fresh peaches.

I let the gravy simmer and thicken until the fresh peaches softened, retaining a toothsome bite.

I plated the waffles and buttered them liberally. The butter melted into the waffles and oozed through the channels,  filling  each waffle square with butter pools.  I placed the warm crisp chicken on top of the butter soaked waffles and ladled the savory sweet peach chicken gravy over everything.

A sprinkle of torn parsley and toasted almond slices finished it off.

Unbelievable. The crisp tangy buttermilk cornmeal chive waffles were savory enough to support the buttery peachy chicken gravy while the salty chicken added crunch and depth. The al dente cooked peaches gave a velvet mouthfeel while the few specks of verdant parsley hinted to grassy  freshness and the toasted almonds finished it off like nutty sea salt.  It was the perfect balance of sweet and savory.  

A rule breaker with every twisted bite.