Chicken Tenders + Almond Waffles with Sweet + Spicy Sauce

There’s really no comfort like this Chicken Tenders + Almond Waffles with Sweet + Spicy Sauce recipe. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Made with extra crispy oven baked chicken tenders, greek yogurt based almond waffles, and a beautifully sweet and spicy sauce tossed over each chicken tender, this recipe is the best breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner idea. 

If you’ve been following our blog, then you’ll know that I flat out LOVE anything with a spicy flavor! Honestly, I can’t help myself. I think I can blame it on my Grandfather cooking everything with spice and getting me into the whole “spicy” world as a child. Haha. But that’s OK. I can live with it!

Whelp, it’s not so warm here in NYC, which is pretty upsetting, especially with the fact that we’ve had such nice weather for a little over a week now. Today has been pretty rainy and chilly, but thankfully I get to end things off indoors by watching a nice movie for the rest of my evening (Lifetime movies!) while getting some blogging done, and hanging with my two favorite guys in the midst of it all. Woot, woot!

Moreover, with school coming to a close for the semester (today was the last day!), I’m really excited to be able to fully dedicate my weekends to creating awesome new recipes. Plus, my little guy and I’s Birthdays are fast approaching next month, so that’s even more exciting! I haven’t decided on whether I’ll take being ordering a Birthday cake or take a GO at baking one, but as of right now, I’m leaning more towards the latter. He’s a true lover of PJ Masks, so this year’s Birthday cake might be a challenge, but I’m all in! Haha.

This recipe is the epitome of Southern comfort food and it’s SO GOOD. Looking for a bit more Southern inspiration? Check out this Strawberry Sweet Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze recipe. Can we say, Yum!?

But now can we talk about the actual parts of this recipe? Ok, so I first sliced 2 medium chicken breasts into medium-size strips and seasoned them well (Sorry, but I love flavor!). To make for a good crunch, I chose to use breadcrumbs (extra crispy), but if you prefer doing things the natural way, you can grind your favorite type of specialty bread and corn flakes (for that extra crisp!) and use that mixture instead.

You start by tossing your chicken strips in an egg wash and then tossing them in the prepped bread crumbs. Just as an FYI, I like to bake my foods when frying instead of actually frying them in oil over the stove. So, be sure to prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper and place each strip (about 1 inch apart) onto it, aligning them next to each other.

Once you’ve prepped all chicken tenders, place them in the oven to “fry” (bake) for about 30-45 minutes, tossing them on their opposite sides after the first 20 minutes.

In the meantime, you can make those yummy almond waffles!

Speaking of yummy waffles–be sure to check out these delicious waffles recipes and they’re VEGAN:

Light + Fluffy Funfetti Vegan Waffles

Raspberry Pecan Vegan Waffles

To whip together those waffles, simply combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt, and pure cane sugar and whisk everything before setting ingredients aside.

Then in a separate medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, greek yogurt, eggs, almond extract, and melted butter. Soon after, pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Be sure not to over-mix.

Now, heat your waffle iron to the desired temperature based on the manufacturer settings and once heated, scoop about 3/4 cups of batter and spread evenly onto waffle iron. Cook until your waffle iron signals that the cooking is complete as well as the waffles are golden brown and crisp, about 4-5 minutes and remove. Repeat process until all waffles are made.

At this point, the chicken tenders should be fully cooked through and you can begin to make the sweet + spicy sauce. Add all sauce ingredients to a medium saucepan and let everything come to a slight boil before reducing heat to simmer. Garnish with red pepper flakes and add chicken tenders to sauce, tossing until well coated. Remove from heat and plate both waffles and chicken tenders onto serving plates.

Garnish with powdered sugar, freshly sliced strawberries, and maple syrup. Bon Appetite!

5 from 4 votes

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Chicken Tenders + Almond Waffles with Sweet + Spicy Sauce

There's really no comfort like this Chicken Tenders + Almond Waffles with Sweet + Spicy Sauce recipe. It's the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Made with extra crispy oven baked chicken tenders, greek yogurt based almond waffles, and a beautifully sweet and spicy sauce tossed over each chicken tender, this recipe is the best breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even dinner idea. 

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Creator Shanika | Orchids + Sweet Tea

Must-Haves:

Chicken Tenders:

• 2 Medium chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2-3 cups extra crispy bread crumbs (See Notes)

Fluffy Almond Waffles:

• 2 cups organic all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsps pure cane sugar
• 1 1/4 cup coconut milk (You can also use your favorite non-dairy milk)
• 3/4 cup greek yogurt, plain
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Sweet + Spicy Sauce:

• 1 23 oz. bottle Buffalo wing sauce (I used Frank's RedHot)
• 1/2 cup organic maple syrup
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Other:

• powdered sugar
• maple syrup
• strawberries, sliced

Instructions:

Chicken Tenders:

1. Firstly, Season chicken strips with sea salt, smoked paprika, dried parsley, black pepper, and cumin. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Next, toss chicken strips in the bowl with lightly beaten eggs and then toss them in the prepped bread crumbs. 

3. Once you've prepped all chicken tenders and coated them with breadcrumbs, place them in the oven to "fry" (bake) for about 30-45 minutes, tossing them on their opposite sides after the first 20 minutes.

4. In the meantime, you can make those yummy almond waffles!

Fluffy Almond Waffles:

1. To whip together waffles, simply combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt, and pure cane sugar and whisk together everything before setting ingredients aside.

2. Then in a separate medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, greek yogurt, eggs, almond extract, and melted butter. Soon after, pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Be sure not to over-mix.

3. Now, heat your waffle iron to the desired temperature based on the manufacturer settings and once heated, scoop about 3/4 cups of batter and spread evenly onto waffle iron. Cook until your waffle iron signals that the cooking is complete as well as the waffles are golden brown and crisp, about 4-5 minutes and remove. Repeat process until all waffles are made.

4. At this point, the chicken tenders should be fully cooked through and you can begin to make the sweet + spicy sauce. 

Sweet + Spicy Sauce:

1. Add all sauce ingredients to a medium saucepan and let everything come to a slight boil before reducing heat to simmer. Garnish with red pepper flakes and add chicken tenders to sauce, tossing until well coated. Remove from heat and plate both waffles and chicken tenders onto serving plates.

2. Garnish with powdered sugar, freshly sliced strawberries, and maple syrup. Bon Appetite!

Tips | Notes:

To make for a good crunch, I chose to use breadcrumbs (extra crispy), but if you prefer doing things the natural way, you can grind together your favorite type of specialty bread and corn flakes (for that extra crisp!) and use that mixture instead, about 4-6 slices of bread and 1 1/2 cups of corn flakes.

Chicken Tenders + Almond Waffles with Sweet + Spicy Sauce.