Last Updated on April 7, 2022 by Anne-Marie

This baked chicken and waffles recipe is super delicious. This spicy chicken dish is gluten-free and easy to make.

Why this recipe works

There's nothing more Southern than a chicken and fluffy waffles recipe. But how can you make this comfort dish at home?

This recipe uses jerk spices and wholesome ingredients like boneless chicken breasts and egg whites.

It's tasty, healthy, and gluten-free! It'll soon become one of your favorite brunch recipes.

Ingredients

• skinless and boneless chicken breasts
• egg whites
• water
• gluten-free panko bread crumbs
• jerk seasoning
• cooking spray
• gluten-free waffle mix (plus ingredients to make waffles such as water, milk, vegetable oil, and/or eggs)
• real maple syrup for serving

How to make this recipe

For the crispy chicken pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet. Set aside.

3. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Place chicken breast on it and cover it with another piece of plastic wrap. Take a meat pounder, and pound the chicken breast until it's between 1/4" and 1/2" and of an even thickness. Do the same to the second chicken breast.

4. Trim off any fat or gristle. Then cut each breast into three evenly sized pieces. If there are any “raggedy bits,” cut these off and make them into chicken nuggets. The nuggets will come in handy to test the chicken for doneness and can be placed on top or side of the chicken as a garnish.

5. In one pie pan, place egg whites and water. Stir to combine. (You can also use a shallow bowl.)

6. In a second pie pan, place panko bread crumbs and jerk seasoning. Stir to combine.

7. If you're right-handed, line up the chicken, then egg wash, bread crumbs, and baking sheets. (Reverse if you're left-handed.) Then take your right hand, grab one piece of chicken, dip it in the egg wash, roll thoroughly in the bread crumbs, and lay it on the wire rack on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been breaded. (This way, you dirty only one hand!)

8. Spray the chicken with cooking spray. (Cooking spray crisps up the chicken.)

9. Place in oven and cook for 7 minutes.

10.  Remove from the oven. Flip chicken and spray with cooking spray. Place in oven and cook for another 7 minutes until done.

11. Keep chicken in the oven on a warm setting until waffles are ready to be served.

For the gluten-free waffles

1. While the chicken is cooking, prepare a batch of waffles according to the directions on the package.

2. Each waffle should use 1/4 cup of waffle batter. Waffles don't need to be perfectly formed.

3. Cook gluten-free waffles until golden brown.

How to serve baked chicken and waffles

1. Place a waffle on a plate. Place one piece of chicken on a waffle. If you've made chicken nuggets with “raggedy bits,” you can garnish the chicken and waffles with a couple of nuggets.

2. Drizzle chicken and waffles with a generous amount of maple syrup. Serve immediately.

3. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheated the next day.

FAQs

Making a gluten-free recipe

Bread the chicken in gluten-free panko bread crumbs to keep this recipe completely gluten-free.

Homemade bread crumbs

No panko at the store? You can also make homemade bread crumbs. Here's how:

1. Place a plain gluten-free cereal (like Cheerios) in a large sealable plastic bag. Then crush the cereal with a rolling pin.

2. Or toast your favorite gluten-free bread. Then turn it into bread crumbs in a high-speed blender or food processor.

Waffles

Keep this chicken and waffles recipe quick and easy by using your favorite gluten-free waffle mix instead of making waffles from scratch.

But if you have a favorite gluten-free waffles recipe, feel free to use that instead.

And yes, you need a good waffle maker, too.

Tips for preparing the chicken

You should pound the chicken to flatten it. This also helps to tenderize the chicken breast.

Sometimes you can find chicken breast that's cut nice and thin, but not always.

Instead, use a meat pounder tenderizer tool. It's like a meat tenderizer but without ridges.

It helps thin out the breast meat, so it's easier to cook up.

How to tenderize safely

Sandwiching the chicken breast between the two pieces of plastic wrap prevents the raw chicken from splattering all over your kitchen and makes cleaning up easier.

You can also put the chicken breast in a Ziploc freezer bag. Carefully zip it up while pressing out the air. Then use the meat pounder to flatten the chicken breast.

If you're worried that the bag will tear, you can cover it with a kitchen towel.

How to brown the chicken

The wire rack placed on a baking sheet allows the hot air to circulate around the breaded chicken for even cooking and crisping.

Spraying the breaded chicken with some cooking spray increases the heat at the surface of the chicken.

This helps with browning and gives the chicken more flavor and crispiness.

Can I use other cuts of chicken?

If you want, you can use chicken tenders (or chicken breast tenders). You are basically making chicken nuggets at that point with smaller pieces of chicken.

It's harder to use chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks because they aren't boneless.

So you’d be looking at doing a deep-fry rather than baking to cook the chicken.

Egg white substitute

Dip your chicken nuggets in skim milk, low-fat buttermilk, or no-fat yogurt instead of using egg whites.

You can use unsweetened coconut, oatmeal, or soy milk if you're dairy-free.

How to serve this baked chicken and waffles recipe

You can serve these gluten-free chicken and waffles at brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Serve the chicken waffle recipe with a nice fruit salad or a side of spicy Wasabi Coleslaw.

Don't forget the real maple syrup, hot sauce, and the pitcher of iced tea!

Check out these 14 Best Substitutes for Maple Syrup for more topping ideas.

More Southern-style recipes

Do you like Southern food? Then check out this Easy Tomato & Okra Soup recipe.

If you're a fan of Pimento Cheese Spread, you should make this Ham & Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe.

These Refrigerator Pickled Okra are terrific with burgers or in martinis!

This Vegan Cornbread Recipe with Rosemary is egg-free.

If you love BBQ chicken, try this Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe, or Easy Instant Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken.

Try this Easy Buttermilk Pie Recipe if you're gluten-free and love pie.

Originally posted on June 4, 2015 and July 21, 2017. Updated with new pictures and information.