Experience this recipes delicious combination of fried chicken & croffles with the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill. Crafted with slow-smoked chicken and lightly pan-fried then served on a crispy, golden croissant pressed in a waffle iron, finished off with a drizzle of spicy maple syrup.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- An overnight buttermilk brine tenderizes and seasons at the same time. Soaking the deboned thighs for 8-12 hours in a buttermilk-and-brine mixture works the meat tender while infusing flavor all the way through, not just on the surface.
- A rest on the smoker locks in the coating before frying. Letting the dredged chicken sit for 30-45 minutes on the grill firms up the flour coating and adds a hint of smoke before it ever touches the hot tallow.
- Beef tallow gives the fry a richer flavor than standard oil. Frying in tallow instead of vegetable oil adds a savory depth to the crust that a neutral frying oil couldn't provide.
- The croissants get sugared and pressed, not just toasted. Rolling the proofed croissants in smoked maple sugar before pressing them in the waffle iron caramelizes a crisp, sweet crust around a still-chewy interior.
Fried Chicken & Croffles (Croissant Waffles!)
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.0 stars by 2 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 14 minutes
Calories
738
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for lightly smoked then beef tallow pan-fried chicken served on top of a croissant pressed and browned in the waffle iron and topped with spicy maple syrup. This is Fried Chicken & Croffles!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
- 2 quarts cultured buttermilk
-
3/4 cup Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine
-
Cornhusker Kitchen Beef Tallow, for frying
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
-
1/4 cup Plowboys BBQ Fin & Feather Seasoning
-
1/4 cup Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub
- 4 croissants, raw
-
1/2 cup Noble Saltworks Smoked Maple Turbinado Sugar
-
Maple syrup, as needed
- Heat Maverick’s Anti-Gravity Scorpion Hot Sauce, to taste
Directions
- Debone the chicken thighs. Leave the skin in tact. Cut the thighs in half, creating two equal sized pieces.
- Whisk together the buttermilk and Cattleman’s Grill Butcher House Brine in a Briner Jr. Briner Bucket. Add the chicken thighs to the buttermilk brine. Soak overnight (8-12 hours).
- Place the frozen croissants on a parchment lined pan, spread out so they won’t touch. Cover in a plastic bag. Let sit at room temp overnight to proof.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 150ºF, set up for smoking.
- Combine the flour, Plowboys BBQ Fin & Feather Seasoning and Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub in a shallow pan. Whisk well.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk brine and transfer directly to the flour. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, covering all surfaces. Shake off excess flour and transfer to a wire rack positioned over a sheet pan.
- When all chicken is dredged, transfer the wire rack full of chicken to the smoker. Let smoke/rest for 30-45 minutes. Remove from the grill and increase the grill temp to 325ºF.
- Meanwhile, melt the beef tallow in a Lodge 10” Cast Iron Skillet over a burner. The skillet should be about half full of melted tallow. Bring the temperature of the tallow up to 350ºF and hold.
- Fry the chicken, 2-3 pieces at a time in the hot tallow. Carefully add each piece, taking care to not let the hot tallow bubble over the edges.
- Adjust the heat level to maintain 325ºF tallow temperature.
- Flip the chicken when browned on bottom. Cook to internal of 175ºF-180ºF. If needed, remove the chicken from the skillet when properly browned and finish bringing up the internal temperature inside the grill.
- When the croissants are proofed (puffed up and about doubled in size). Remove from the pan. Roll each croissant in Noble Saltworks Smoked Maple Turbinado Sugar to coat the surface, then transfer to the waffle iron. Cook until crispy and golden brown on the outside and still chewy on the inside. Remove from the waffle iron.
- Serve the fried chicken on top of the croffle, topped with maple syrup and Heat Maverick’s Anti-Gravity Scorpion Hot Sauce.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why brine the chicken in buttermilk overnight instead of a shorter soak?
A full 8-12 hours gives the buttermilk and brine time to fully tenderize the meat while seasoning it throughout, not just on the surface.
Why rest the dredged chicken on the smoker before frying?
30-45 minutes on the smoker firms up the flour coating so it holds together better in the hot tallow, while also picking up a bit of smoke flavor before frying even starts.
Why fry in beef tallow instead of a standard frying oil?
Tallow adds a richer, more savory flavor to the crust than a neutral vegetable oil would, giving the fried chicken more depth.
Why roll the croissants in sugar before pressing them in the waffle iron?
Coating them in Noble Saltworks smoked maple sugar first lets that sugar caramelize against the hot waffle iron, creating a crisp, sweet crust around the croissant's still-chewy interior.
What internal temperature should the chicken reach?
175-180°F, which is comfortably above USDA's 165°F minimum for poultry — this recipe gets that number right.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — the brine, dredge, fry, and croffle assembly can all be done indoors with a stovetop skillet and a home waffle iron; the smoker rest is the one step you'd be skipping.
Recipe Highlights
The overnight buttermilk brine: This tenderizes the chicken while seasoning it all the way through, not just on the surface.
Resting the dredged chicken on the smoker: This firms up the coating and adds a hint of smoke before frying.
Frying in beef tallow: This gives the crust a richer, more savory flavor than a standard frying oil.
Sugared, pressed croissants: Rolling them in smoked maple sugar before the waffle iron caramelizes a crisp crust around a chewy center.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8.57 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 738
- Carbs
- 61 grams
- Protein
- 27 grams
- Fat
- 42 grams
- Sodium
- 564 milligrams
