I pose the question.. can you make a healthier version of chicken & waffles? Haha. I have a very dear friend visiting me from New York and I wanted to make chicken and waffles for her as I know she likes it, but you know me! I need to attempt to healthify this recipe (at least to some degree). I always talk about balance in my posts, I feel in order to develop a healthy relationship with food you need to not feel restricted, you need to enjoy food and celebrate with others without feeling guilty afterward.
Chicken and waffles are not something you would think to find on a holistic nutrition blog, but when I work with people to develop a nutrition plan often learning how to take everyday dishes and enhance their nutrition is a hugely helpful skill that they take with them for the rest of their life. When I starting thinking about how I would be able to increase the nutritional value of this dish for my friends, I decided to share this on the blog so that you can see being thoughtful of each ingredient can have an impact on the nutrition of any dish.
I used a buckwheat pancake mix, which provided a naturally gluten-free option while also being a highly digestible protein, is non-allergenic, and provides a high source of amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants with relatively low calories and no fat. I dipped free-range chicken into almond milk instead of dairy and then into a mixture of organic cornmeal, nutritional yeast, and garbanzo flour. This gave the chicken a breaded like texture while again being high in Vitamin B’s, being naturally gluten-free, and iron. I did fry the chicken but ensured I did so over low heat in a combination of avocado and coconut oil. Then, of course, we topped it all off with organic dark maple syrup.
Is this a meal you want to eat every week? Probably not, but what a great way to enhance the nutrition of a dish that might otherwise be labeled as a “bad food”. Remember food labeling like this can be damaging to a positive relationship with our food, so simply look for ways to enhance nutrition and pick the best quality ingredients you can. I would love to hear how you have “healthified” some of your favorite dishes? Leave me a comment below.
Healthified Chicken & Waffles
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 cup organic cornmeal
- 1 cup garbanzo bean flour or another gluten free flour of choice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 2 cups almond or cashew milk
- 2 organic eggs
- 1.5 kg free run, organic chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (for frying)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (for frying)
Waffles
- 1 cup buckwheat waffle mix I love "Nunweilers" brand
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 organic eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp avocado oil (spray) if you have a non-stick waffle iron omit this
- 1/2 cup good quality maple syrup
Instructions
Chicken
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix all dry ingredients and thyme in one bowl and mix milk and eggs in another bowl.
- Dip the chicken into the milk and egg mixture, then into the breading mixture and onto a plate.
- Heat both oils together in a large pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the chicken one at a time. Cook on low-medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, till golden brown. Transfer the chicken onto the baking sheet and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Waffles
- Heat up your waffle iron. If you do not have a non-stick iron, spray it with a little avocado oil. Pour waffle mixture into the iron and cook per the iron instructions
- Place waffle on a plate, top with 2 pieces of chicken and top with maple syrup. Enjoy!
