Fried Chicken & Waffles Brown Butter, Bourbon & Honey

To marinate the chicken, cut the breasts lengthwise into 3 strips each and put into a ziplock bag. In a small bowl mix together the buttermilk, salt, black pepper, paprika and hot sauce. Pour the buttermilk brine over the chicken strips in the bag, mix thoroughly and close the bag. Allow to marinate at least four hours and up to overnight.

To make the dredge for the chicken, mix together the all-purpose flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, paprika, black pepper, thyme, espelette and garlic powder in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

To fry the chicken, heat the oil in a wide, straight-sided pan to 350˚F. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk mixture, allowing the excess to drip off. Add chicken to the bowl of seasoned flour. Coat the chicken strips well and place them on sheet tray lined with parchment paper. When the oil is hot, slip the chicken into the oil and fry until golden brown all over. Turn and brown on the other side as needed. Remove from the oil using a pair of tongs and place on sheet tray lined with paper towels. Season with salt. Serve with waffles and brown butter-bourbon-honey sauce.

Enjoy with a glass of Cakebread Cellars Carneros Annahala Ranch Pinot Noir.