Sweet Chick's Buffalo Fried Chicken and Waffles

Sweet Chick's Buffalo Fried Chicken and Waffles
John Seymour, the restaurateur and owner of Sweet Chick, shares his recipe for buffalo chicken & waffles. You can enjoy it plain but it’s a great vehicle for all types of flavors and variations.

For the fried chicken:
• 10-12 pieces of chicken
• 1 gallon water
• 1 Cup sweet tea
• 3/4 Cups salt
• 1/4 Cup pepper
• 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• Flour, for dredging
• 1 quart buttermilk
• Vegetable oil, for frying
For the buffalo sauce:
• 4 Cups hot sauce, such as Franks
• 1 Pound butter, diced into one inch cubes
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
For the blue cheese dressing:
• 1 Cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 1/2 Cup mayo
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon paprika
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
For the carrots and celery waffles:
• 10 Ounces flour
• 3/4 Teaspoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon plus three fourths teaspoon baking powder
• 4 egg yolks (do not discard the yolks)
• 15 Ounces milk
• 5 Ounces butter, melted
• 4 egg whites
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Cup celery, diced
• 2 Cups carrots, shredded

For the fried chicken:
Rinse and pat dry 10-12 pieces of chicken. Combine water, sweet tea, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, garlic powder and chicken in an air tight container and brine chicken for 24 hours in refrigerator.
Remove the chicken and coat chicken with flour, shaking off the excess. Coat with buttermilk, dredge again, set aside. Fry with vegetable oil at 300 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until done.

For the buffalo sauce:
Place franks hot sauce in a sauce pot and add cubed butter. Bring to boil for 5 minutes, reduce to simmer and continue simmering for 40 minutes until reduced by ¼. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the blue cheese dressing:
In a medium size mixing blow, whisk together all ingredients until thoroughly combined and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside, this can be done in advance and refrigerated.

For the carrots and celery waffles:
Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add egg yolks, milk and melted butter and whisk until combined, small lumps are okay. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to a soft peak , add sugar. Whip the egg whites and sugar to a stiff peak and gently fold the whites into the large mixing bowl with all other ingredients. Fold in celery and carrots into the waffle batter. Cook waffle in waffle iron until golden brown.
Coat fried chicken in buffalo sauce and plate with celery waffle and blue cheese dressing.