Recipe: Chicken and Waffles with Sauteed Collard Greens

Our lightened up version of chicken and waffles is a great alternative the high-fat high-calorie real thing. This makes a great brunch, dinner, or lunch at work!

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tsp chipotle powder, divided
• 2 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

Smoked Cheddar and Corn Waffles:

• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup whole wheat all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• ¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup frozen corn, thawed
• ½ cup smoked cheddar, grated
• Non-stick cooking spray

Sweet Chipotle Dip:

• ⅔ cup full fat Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp Chipotle powder
• Kosher salt and black pepper (to taste)

Sauteed Collard Greens:

• bunch collard greens
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper

Preparation

Chicken:

Halve chicken thighs and combine with buttermilk, 1 tsp chipotle powder, salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a rack on top, spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Place flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Season each bowl and add remaining tsp of chipotle powder to flour. Whisk eggs. Keeping one hand wet and one dry, pick up a piece of chicken and allow buttermilk to drip off. Toss chicken in flour until coated, pass through egg wash, letting excess drip off, and toss to coat in breadcrumbs.

Place on prepared rack and repeat with the rest of the chicken. Spray or drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

Waffles:

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, olive oil and honey. Fold in dry ingredients, taking care not to overmix. Fold in green onions, corn and cheese. Allow batter to rest for one hour to thicken.

Preheat waffle iron, spray with cooking spray  and make waffles according to manufacturer’s instructions. Waffles can be made a day ahead and warmed up in the oven.

Sauce:

Combine all ingredients and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Collard greens:

Wash greens and remove stems. Julienne greens into 3 mm strips. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add collard greens, season to taste, and cook until softened, adding some water to help steam if necessary.

Assembly:

Plate 1 waffle, top with sautéed greens, 2 chicken thighs and drizzle with sauce.