South Bay Meets Southern Comfort with Chef Matthew Ignacio's Spiced Chicken and Waffles

The Sonder LA Team has collaborated with local innovative Chef Matthew Ignacio for its first guest recipe entry! His irresistible Spiced Chicken and Waffles is featured above on our Motley board; check out the full recipe below.

Chef Matthew Ignacio has been professionally cooking for over 17 years. He is currently operating The Hook and Plow Restaurants in the South Bay - Los Angeles. His style of cooking is centered around utilizing entire products from root to flower/tail to snout, while bringing nostalgia, curiosity, and adventure to the plate.

This recipe was created as an overhaul of the chicken and waffles that were being served when he took over The Hook and Plow kitchen. For more recipes, check out his blog here.

Fried Chicken
3 pieces of Mary’s organic chicken (breast or thigh)
2 cups of buttermilk
2 cups of flour
1 Tablespoon of paprika
1 Teaspoon of onion powder
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder
1 Teaspoon of cayenne
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Teaspoon of black pepper
1 Tablespoon of fresh rosemary

Waffles
1 ⅔ cups of all purpose flour 
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
2 Teaspoons of salt
1 ¼ cups of whole milk
4 ounces of melted butter
½ of a lemon, zested

Blueberry Lime Jam
1 cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup of sugar
¼ cup of lime juice
1 pinch of salt

Gluten and Dairy Substitutions: You may substitute the all purpose flour out for any gluten free flours. You might need to add a little more flour to get the consistency of the batter correct for the waffle iron. You may also sub out any dairy for non dairy substitutes. 

1. Cut the chicken in equal size pieces and soak in the buttermilk for at least 15 minutes. 
2. While the chicken is soaking, mix together your flour and spice mixture. 
3. After 15 minutes, carefully pick up the chicken and drain off any excess buttermilk. Dunk the chicken in the flour mixture and evenly coat. 
4. Place the chicken in a fryer (or pot filled with oil) that is consistently holding a 350 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. 
5. Fry for approx. 8 minutes. Check the internal temperature with a thermometer to make sure the chicken has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken sit on paper towels to drain any excess oil. Salt and pepper all sides and sprinkle with freshly chopped rosemary. 

1. Turn your waffle iron to the “4” out of “6” setting. If your waffle iron has more than 6 heats, turn it to whatever ¾ of the hottest temperature is.

2. Mix together all dry ingredients in a bowl. Make sure everything is evenly mixed.
3. Add your wet ingredients in the center and mix until evenly combined. 
4. Spray or butter your waffle iron generously. Spoon in batter to completely cover the surface of the waffle iron. Use a wet spatula to easily and evenly spread the waffle batter across. Spray generously on top of the batter and close the waffle iron. 
5. Check waffle approx. 6 minutes into cooking. It should be a nice brown color without looking too brown. See picture for reference.
6. Remove waffle from iron and trim off any excess pieces around the waffle. Use the natural lines to cut into 4 pieces. 

1. Heat together the sugar, salt, lime juice, and blueberries until there is a thick syrup coating the blueberries. 
2. This process is best on low heat over the course of an hour. The bigger the batch, the longer the cook time. 
3. Once finished, cool in a container without a lid. Serve cold.