Fried Chicken and Waffles

Instructions

1. Brine the chicken (the night before, or at least 4 hours ahead). Whisk the buttermilk, hot sauce, 1 Tbsp salt, and 2 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Add the thighs and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4–12 hours. Longer than 12 hours and the texture gets mushy — not better.
2. Start the waffle batter the night before, too (5 minutes of work). In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Whisk the warm milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl, then pour into the dry and whisk smooth. The batter looks loose — that’s right. Cover tightly with plastic and refrigerate overnight (or leave at room temp 1 hour, then chill 1 hour if same-day). It will roughly double and smell faintly yeasty.
3. Set up the dredge. In a wide shallow bowl, whisk together the 1½ cups flour, ½ cup cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powders, cayenne, 1½ tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Drizzle in 3–4 Tbsp of the buttermilk brine and rake with a fork — the little clumps fry into extra crunchy bits, which you want.
4. Heat the oil. Pour peanut oil into a Dutch oven to 1½–2 inches deep. Heat over medium-high to 350°F. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan near the stove for landing fried chicken — paper towels alone make the bottoms soggy.
5. Dredge. Lift the thighs from the brine one at a time, letting excess drip off (don’t shake off too much — that wet film is what the coating grips). Drop into the seasoned flour, press the dredge onto every surface, and place on a plate. Don’t bread far ahead — the coating turns gummy after 10 minutes.
6. Fry in two batches. Gently lower 4 thighs into the oil. The temp will dip — nudge the heat up to hold 325–335°F. Fry 7–9 minutes, turning once or twice with tongs, until deep mahogany. Check internal temp at the thickest part — pull at 165°F (thighs are forgiving; aim for 170°F if you like them more rendered).
7. Drain and hold. Transfer to the wire rack, season immediately with a pinch of flaky salt. Let the oil climb back to 350°F, then fry the second batch. Don’t cover the rack — trapped steam kills the crust. If chicken is done before the waffles, hold uncovered on the rack in a 200°F oven.
8. Cook the waffles. Preheat the iron until it’s hot enough that water dances and evaporates instantly. Pull the batter from the fridge, whisk in the ¼ tsp baking soda, and let it sit 2 minutes — you’ll see it puff. Brush the iron with melted butter, ladle batter into the wells (don’t overfill — about ¾ full), and cook until the steam slows to a wisp and the waffle is deep golden, not blond. About 4–5 minutes per round in most irons. Hold finished waffles directly on the oven rack (not stacked) at 200°F to keep them crisp.
9. Make the hot honey. Warm the honey in a small saucepan or microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in 1–2 tsp hot sauce to taste. It should taste like honey first, heat second.
10. Plate it. One waffle per plate, a smear of softened butter if you’re using it, 2 thighs on top, a heavy drizzle of warm maple syrup, a lighter drizzle of hot honey, a pinch of flaky salt. Pickle slices on the side cut the richness. Eat immediately.