Crispy Chicken and Pumpkin Waffles

Ingredients

12 pieces chicken thighs & drumsticks

500ml buttermilk

5ml salt

375ml flour

1 packet peri peri sauce mix

500ml flour

2ml salt

10ml baking powder

250ml buttermilk

250ml pumpkin puree

3 eggs

165g butter melted

5ml vanilla extract

125ml golden syrup

60ml water

Mix the salt and the buttermilk in a large bowl. Add the chicken and soak overnight.

Mix half the peri peri sauce mix with the flour. Add 45ml of the buttermilk to the flour from the bowl that the chicken is soaking and mix with a fork to form small clumps. This will make extra crispy bits when you’re frying the chicken.

Heat the oil in a deep pot until 175’c.

Remove the chicken pieces from the remaining buttermilk, shake off excess and dip the chicken into the flour mix one piece at a time.

Carefully add 2 or 3 pieces of coated chicken at a time into the hot oil. Avoid overcrowding the pot as this will reduce the temperature of the oil. Fry for 8-10 minutes until crispy and golden.

To make the waffles firstly preheat the waffle iron. Then combine the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Mix the buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix. The mixture does not have to be completely smooth. Add roughly 1 cup of batter to your preheated and greased waffle iron and cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden.

To make the syrup mix the remaining peri peri sauce mix with the water and syrup and simmer in a small pot until slightly thickened and combined.

Serve the chicken on top of the waffles drizzled in spicy sweet and sticky syrup.