Fried Chicken and Waffles

Some of our favorite places to eat around Nashville (especially with out-of-town guests) are those that serve large quantities of good ol' southern cooking.  One of the recurring items on many of these menus is Fried Chicken and Waffles.  Never having heard of this odd trend before, we were curious to try it and decided to give it a go at home.

I've been on a bit of a waffle kick ever since finding this recipe.  The only change I make is the addition of 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  They are seriously the BEST waffles.  The recipe is a bit of a pain so I usually make the whole thing and keep a pitcher of batter in the fridge to use all week.

Not having a clue how to fry chicken or make gravy, I turned to the obvious food blog, certain to find how to make this classic southern meal.  I snagged PW's recipe for Chicken Fried Steak and just swapped steak for chicken.

Every part of the recipe was a total success as the chicken was delicious and the gravy turned out so perfectly I could have eaten it with a spoon (you know, if I was into eating gravy with a spoon...).

I'll admit the combination seems strange.  I was actually planning on letting Mike eat the combo while I ate my fried chicken and gravy for dinner and my waffle for "dessert."  However, I stole a bite of his and was instantly hooked.  I quickly piled everything together and dug in.  It went together perfectly and we loved every bite. 

I'm actually embarrassed by this picture as it couldn't look more unappetizing (oh, life before my new camera).  Don't let it deter you from trying this out.  You won't be disappointed!