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Plate of Hot Honey Chicken and Chocolate Waffles.
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Hot Honey Chicken + Chocolate Waffles

These Hot Honey Chicken + Chocolate Waffles are the ultimate sweet + savory meal. Derived from a Classic Southern-style dish, these easy dairy-free + vegan chocolate waffles are naturally sweetened, fluffy, thick, and airy; coupled with these crispy hot honey chicken strips (all oven baked), this recipe is a real reminder that everything bold in flavor tastes better! Nothing short of goodness on a plate! The perfect comfort food with soul!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course
Keyword: baked, belgian, breakfast, brunch, chicken, chicken tenders, chocolate, cinnamon, classic, crisp, dairy-free, dinner, easy, fall recipe, fluffy, food, healthy, homemade, honey, indulge, lunch, recipe, savory, soft, southern, sweet, traditional, waffles
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 686kcal
Author: Shanika

Ingredients

Baked Hot Honey Chicken:

  • 2 lbs. organic boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips (See Notes!)
  • 2 cups bread crumbs, GF if needed! (See Notes!)
  • 1 cup fresh water
  • ¾ cup organic all-purpose flour  (I use Bob's Red Mill)
  • ½ tsp (each) sea salt + black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 2 cups Hot honey sauce, Homemade or Store-bought (See Notes!)

Vegan Chocolate Waffles:

  • 2 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill; See Notes for GF option!)
  • ½ cup cacao powder
  • 2 Tbsps baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup Almond milk + 1 Tbsp (You can use your fave plant-based milk)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 4 Tbsps Agave (See Notes!)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsps coconut oil (See Notes!)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Baked Hot Honey Chicken:

  • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. **NOTE: Doing this step is a MUST to prevent sticking.**
  • In a medium bowl, add water, flour, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, dried parsley, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder and whisk together until fully combined. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, add bread crumbs and set aside also. 
  • Now, dip each chicken piece into batter (shaking off any excess) and then toss into bread crumbs. Then lay each piece of chicken onto the baking sheet (about an inch apart). Repeat until all chicken is coated.

Hot Honey Sauce:

  • Add butter to a small saucepan on medium-high heat until melted. Add hot honey sauce and stir until it begins to boil. Remove from heat.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and “crunchy” looking. At this point, top chicken with hot honey sauce and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes or until sticky and baked through.
  • In the meantime, make your waffles.

Vegan Chocolate Waffles:

  • Preheat your waffle maker to desired setting––medium-high heat worked for me!
  • In a measuring cup, add the milk and ACV together, stirring to combine and letting them sit for 5 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Create a well in the middle.
  • Add the milk-ACV mixture, oil, vanilla, and Agave in the well of the dry ingredients and stir together well (using a rubber spatula) until fully incorporated and batter looks smooth. Now, let the batter sit for 2-3 minutes while it slightly thickens and rises, which means that the ingredients have activated. **NOTE: the batter should be pourable but not 'runny' at all. It should slightly stick when whisk is lifted up, as a test.**
  • Next, spoon batter into your waffle maker (¼ cup approximately) and cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions. 
  • Once each waffle completes, add to a baking sheet and place them in the oven on the lowest setting (to keep them warm). Repeat until all waffles are made.
  • To serve–stack waffles (whole or cut) and top with chicken, and drizzle with maple syrup, if desired.
  • Bon Appetit!

Notes

  • CHICKEN: To season chicken and refrigerate overnight—First: clean, wash, + pat dry wings. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 Tbsps smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, pinch of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon dried thyme into a bowl with your chicken and massage until fully coated. Place everything in a zip loc bag and store in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4-6 hours, until everything marinates.
  • HOMEMADE BREADCRUMBS: To make your own breadcrumbs, see my recipe in the notes.
  • HOT HONEY SAUCE: If purchasing the Honey Hot Sauce, I recommend getting Mike's Hot Honey sauce.  If you choose to make it from scratch, then I recommend seeing Half Baked Harvest's recipe for Hot Honey sauce.
  • STORAGE: Leftover waffles can be tightly sealed in a zip loc bag (once fully cooled) and either refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 2 months. To serve, reheat waffles in the oven on 400 degrees for a few minutes until warmed through; Leftover wings can be stored in an air-tight container and refrigerated for 3-5 days.
  • REGULAR WAFFLES: For standard waffles (Non-Belgian style), this recipe will make more than 6 waffles. 
  • OIL:You can substitute coconut oil with vegetable oil, if preferred.
  • SWEETENER: If you choose to opt out of Agave, you can always substitute with maple syrup or pure can sugar as well.

Nutrition

Calories: 686kcal | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 3361mg | Potassium: 972mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 737IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 395mg | Iron: 8mg