Chicken and waffles is not a Jamaican dish, but I have infused as many Jamaican flavors into this American treat as I can. The chicken is marinated in a wet rub including jerk seasoning for 12 hours. The waffles are kicked up a notch with dark Jamaican rum. Finally, regular maple syrup is given a major lift with the infusion of delicious pepper jelly. Jamaican Jerk Fried Chicken is NOT a low calorie food but indulging once in a while is perfectly okay.
The waffles are finished with fresh berries and a snow shower of confectioner’s sugar. While this is less of a breakfast food and more of a Southern American brunch dish, feel free to make it first thing in the morning.
For Jamaican Jerk Fried Chicken with Boozy Waffles and Pepper Jelly Syrup, you will need:
Tools:
- Waffle Iron
- 2 large bowls (chicken and flour)
- 2 medium bowls (waffle batter)
- Tongs
- Large skillet
- Small sift
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- 2 Disposable gloves
- Cling film
- Whisk
- Meat thermometer
- Small saucepan
- 2 wire racks (finished waffles and chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 4lb chicken (cut up)
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp Maggi all purpose seasoning
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp chicken seasoning
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 heaping tbsp. of Walkerswood jerk seasoning
- 3 cups canola oil (for frying)
- ½ a scotch bonnet pepper (to flavor oil)
- thyme bouquet (to flavor oil)
- 4 cloves of smashed garlic (to flavor oil)
- Coating for Chicken:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- Waffles:
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp dark rum
- Sliced Strawberries and raspberries
- 1 tbsp confectioners sugar
- Syrup:
- 2 oz of good pepper jelly.
- 1/2 cup of real maple syrup
- 1/4 cup of orange juice (to balance the sugar)
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
-
- Cut up and clean chicken and place in a large bowl.
- Add white pepper, all-purpose powder, black pepper, chicken seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and jerk seasoning to chicken pieces.
- Put on disposable gloves and rub seasonings into chicken pieces. Be sure to get all pieces coated in the seasoning blend.
- Cover bowl with cling film and place in the refrigerator. Marinate chicken overnight for best results.
- The next morning, remove chicken from the refrigerator so that the temperature may decrease.
- In a separate large bowl, combine flour, white pepper, black pepper, onion powder, paprika, dried oregano and thyme. Use a whisk to mix ingredients well.
- In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, scotch bonnet, thyme bouquet and garlic cloves. Once the ingredients begin to brown, the oil is hot enough.
- Flour 4-5 pieces of chicken and add them to the pan. Be careful to not overcrowd the pan. This will drop the temperature of the oil causing the coating on the chicken to absorb too much oil.
- Keep the flame on medium-low heat and turn chicken once one side is golden brown.
- Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165 degrees or liquids run clear when chicken is pierced down to the bone.
- Remove chicken from oil once cooked. It's best to drain chicken on a wire rack versus a flat plate. The heat from the chicken could cause a steaming effect making one side become soggy.
- After adding the second batch of chicken to the oil, begin making the waffles.
Waffles:
- In one medium bowl, add the wet ingredients – butter, yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla and rum. Whisk until smooth.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Combine well.
- Add dry ingredients in thirds to the wet ingredients. Be sure to whisk each amount well ensuring a smooth batter for the waffles.
- Use the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions to make your waffles. (batter yields 5 standard sized waffles) Place waffles on a wire rack to cool to avoid sogginess
- Top waffles with berries. Use a small sift to sprinkle confectioners sugar on top.
Syrup:
- In a small saucepan, add pepper jelly, maple syrup, orange juice and butter. Simmer on low heat until syrup reduces and thickens. Pour finished syrup into a gravy bowl.
Notes
- When you are close to the end of frying your chicken, start on your waffles.
- If you are in Jamaica get pepper jelly from @anotsovegan on Instagram.
- You can use regular maple syrup for your waffles and skip the extra step of making pepper jelly syrup.
