Chicken and Waffle Bites with Maple Syrup Drizzle

Bite size finger food is always great at a party and these Chicken and Waffle Bites with Maple Syrup Drizzle fit that bill. Not only are they tasty little bites, they’re also SOOO easy to make.

A Great Game Day Appetizer

Is there a “Big Game” coming up this weekend? Are you planning a party or going to a party and need some game day snacks? Looking for a delicious appetizer to serve?

Look no further! We have you covered with a delightfully crispy and crunchy chicken and waffle appetizer.

Chicken and Waffles – So Good for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

I love myself a good chicken and waffles recipe. The combination of tender crispy chicken, a crispy waffle and sweet syrup is just so tasty.

And, there are so many interesting variations out there.

You can use a hot honey sauce instead of syrup. You can brine your chicken ahead of time to make it extra moist. Or, experiment with your favorite waffle recipe to try different flavors.

So many options!

For this appetizer, I thought it would be fun to make a mini version of a chicken and waffles meal. Basically, make chicken and waffle sliders or bites.

Creating a Simple Chicken and Waffle Bites Recipe

For this recipe, I certainly could have gone homemade for nearly everything. Make my own waffle batter for homemade waffles. Find some fancy chicken recipes. Make a special syrup.

But, if you follow my blog, you know that I like affordable, delicious, simple recipes that typically don’t take a lot of time to make. So, for this recipe, I do use simple ingredients found in your pantry and/or items easily found at your local grocery store.

Making the Chicken Nuggets

First, the chicken. I think chicken breasts work best because of their bigger size than thighs or tenders. Ultimately, you want your pieces of chicken to fit on a mini waffle so they should be about 1 inch by 1 inch in size.

I do like a seasoned chicken nugget for this recipe so I do add some smoked paprika and hot sauce to the egg mixture that is part of the breading. The little bit of spice doesn’t make it a super spicy chicken, but it does balance some of the sweetness of the maple syrup. If you like things spicier, you can certainly add in an extra amount of hot sauce that suits your taste.

The other thing I use in the breading is plain panko bread crumbs. I find that the panko bread crumbs make for crispier chicken versus using regular bread crumbs. And, for this recipe, I like a nice crispy piece of chicken!

Once you’ve coated the chicken nuggets with the wet ingredients, flour and panko bread crumbs, you shallow fry them in hot oil in a large skillet. Once done (3-4 minutes per side), you set aside on a wire rack or on a paper towel on a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while toasting the waffles.

Frozen versus Fresh Waffles

As I mentioned, you could certainly make homemade waffles, but most people don’t have a waffle iron or waffle maker that makes mini waffles. So, to keep this in the “easy appetizer” category, I just use frozen mini waffles you find in the frozen section at the grocery store.

If you can’t find mini waffles, you certainly can use regular-sized waffles. I would try and find square ones and cut them into quarters. This also works if you’re making your own waffles.

With frozen waffles, you typically heat them up in a toaster. However, that would take forever with a lot of waffle bites, so I just toast them up in the oven.

Assembling the Chicken and Waffle Bites

From there, you simply place a chicken nugget on a toasted mini waffle and finish with a drizzle of maple syrup. You just made yourself a simple, tasty app!

Can You Freeze These Chicken and Waffle Bites?

Yes, you can make these ahead of time and either refrigerate or freeze. Either way, you make the chicken nuggets, but don’t toast the waffles.

You can refrigerate up to two days. When you are ready to assemble, put the chicken nuggets in a preheated 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Toast your waffles and assemble the bites per the recipe instructions.

You can freeze these up to three months. When ready to serve, put the frozen nuggets in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. Once they are reheated, toast your waffles and assemble the appetizer per the recipe instructions below.

Make Game Day Easy

Whether you make these the day of or ahead of time, this is a delicious recipe that is sure to be a hit. They’re fun, cute and tasty and your guests are sure to love them!

Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• If you want to make the chicken nuggets ahead of time, they can be frozen or refrigerated and reheated in the oven when you’re ready to serve them.
• If you can’t find mini waffles, you certainly can use regular-sized waffles. I would try and find square ones and cut them into quarters.
• You can use any syrup you like, but I suggest real maple syrup because of it’s richer flavor.
• If you’re really pressed for time, you can substitute your favorite frozen chicken nuggets in place of homemade.

Ingredients Needed to Make Chicken and Waffle Bites

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Boneless chicken breasts – I recommend breast meat versus chicken thighs or chicken tenders. Chicken breasts tend to be thicker than thighs or tenders and so make better chicken nuggets.
• Eggs
• Smoked paprika – This adds a slight smokiness to the nuggets and is a good balance to the sweetness of the maple syrup
• Salt
• Pepper
• Hot sauce – This also helps to balance the sweetness from the maple syrup.
• Flour
• Plain panko bread crumbs – I recommend panko crumbs over regular bread crumbs. I feel that they make the chicken extra crispy.
• Olive oil – This is used for shallow frying the chicken nuggets. You can substitute vegetable oil if you prefer.
• Frozen mini waffles
• Maple syrup – I highly recommend using real maple syrup. The flavor is so much richer than artificial syrup.

How to Make Chicken and Waffle Bites

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut chicken breasts into chunks, making sure they’re small enough to fit on top of the waffles.
• In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and hot sauce.
• Place flour and panko in separate shallow bowls, as well.
• Coat chicken pieces first in flour, then egg and finally panko.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add chicken and saute for 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through and golden brown.
• Set cooked chicken aside on a wire rack and cover with aluminum foil.
• Put waffles on a baking sheet and toast in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
• Top waffles with chicken and drizzle with maple syrup.

More Party Appetizers

• Fried Ravioli with Homemade Marinara Sauce
• Easy Bacon Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
• Chicken Taco Pinwheels
• Reuben Style Tortilla Roll-Ups
• Lamb Bites with Fig Balsamic Glaze

ENJOY!