For The Hands-Down Best Chicken And Waffles, Add These 2 Asian Condiments

Can chicken and waffles be improved? It's an age-old question that's stumped brunch scientists for generations. But at The Takeout, we have both intuition and connections. That's why we caught up with chef Jet Tila at this year's Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival to ask him how to get the best out of the sweet and savory favorite with Asian flavors. 

The chef's first suggestion is making a sriracha butter, but he notes that on its own, the spicy sauce doesn't taste particularly Asian. Despite being named for a real Thai town, sriracha needs a little help from sweet soy sauce, which Tila informs us is a mixture of molasses and soy. When we asked about what to look for in a store, the chef tells us that, "In Indonesia, it's called kecap manis. In Chinese, it's called sweet soy." But if you can't find either, it's easy to make: "You could take regular soy, 20%, and molasses 80%," says Tila. 

As waffle enthusiasts, our conversation with Jet Tila is more brainstorm than interview. We knew there was something missing from this ultimate Asian brunch plate, and agree that some Kewpie mayo wouldn't go amiss. But it still needs a sweet touch, and Tila came to the rescue. "Why don't you do maple syrup and fish sauce?" he suggests. A light bulb moment. The salty, savory taste of the sauce and the woody sweetness of maple marry perfectly. Could we be launching the next salted-caramel-style sweet-and-savory trend?

Obviously, great chicken and waffles starts with the basics. Stick your waffles in the oven for a while once they're cooked; that extra step guarantees they're crispy and can hold up to all the sauces you're about to add, and bake your chicken before you fry — that's the secret to the juiciest fried chicken. Once those steps are done, it's time to add the Asian flavors. Regarding the mixed sriracha and sweet soy sauce, Jet Tila says, "I would do a drizzle on top." This isn't a strict recipe, so just add the toppings to taste, with butter first and lashings of sriracha and sweet soy next. You can then add some kewpie mayo if you're using it, and whisk together your maple syrup and fish sauce. Remember that fish sauce has a strong flavor, so add it bit by bit, and taste as you go. 

If you want to do even more with this pan-Asian brunch classic, you can add gochujang or even Szechuan pepper to the maple instead of fish sauce to pump up the spice level. If you'd rather bring it down a notch, other recipes for sriracha-spiked chicken and waffles use compound butter with parsley and lemon zest to balance the dish. Finally, if you're using one of the many and varied plant-based meats on the market instead of chicken, you can make the recipe Tila suggests a veggie meal by using a commercially available vegan fish-style sauce, or make your own using ingredients like miso, nori, and shitake mushrooms.