**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own. ​

Happy Halloween! I hope it's an awesome day for all of you.

Today I want to share the last recipe that my family makes often, chicken and waffles! To be honest, I have never had traditional chicken and waffles. One day I would like to try these in the south. But I really love our version, which is really more like a sandwich. I hope you will enjoy them too!

You may be wondering why there's no waffles in my picture of chicken and waffles, this is something I will explain later.

This isn't as involved as you might think if you have the right tools. It also isn't the fastest dinner. But it is a satisfying and delicious dinner. And it's something the whole family loves.

​The waffles we make are always from scratch and they are so delicious. You can use box mix if you prefer but the recipe we use isn't difficult and is so flavorful. It uses sour milk or buttermilk if you have it. To make sour milk add 1 TBS white vinegar or lemon juice per cup of milk you need. In this recipe you need 2 cups of milk, so I add 2 TBS of vinegar and then fill the remaining volume with milk.This works best because then you won't have too much liquid. Allow the milk to sit for at least 5 minutes. I usually prepare the sour milk very first thing and then get everything out that I need and mix together the dry ingredients. Another tip for the waffles is that you'll want the batter to be slightly lumpy, don't let your batter get too smooth, your waffles will be sad.. If you can put it in the fridge before you make the waffles for at least 20 minutes, it really improves the texture and taste of the waffles. 

For making the chicken I have these tall food containers with lids that make breading the chicken so easy. In one container I have beaten egg. In another I have a mixture of flour and spices (taste a pinch of the flour mixture to make sure you like the flavor, I've done my best to approximate the amounts of spices but you can adjust according to taste). I put a few pieces of chicken in the egg container first and use a fork to make sure everything is covered with egg. Then I move the pieces to the flour container, out the lid on and shake. I've never had an issue with my chicken not being completely covered this way. It always turns out great, so I highly recommend these containers. They're also great for holding leftovers in the fridge, because they are taller, they utilize the fridge space better than low flat containers. I also recommend a pair of silicone tipped tongs. They make handling the hot chicken so much easier than a fork like I used to use. The chicken comes out so delicious and crispy. The last tool I am loving is my meat thermometer. I used to have an analog one but it broke, so I bought this new digital one and it has made checking the temperature so much easier. This way I don't have to break open my chicken to make sure it's cooked and I don't over cook my chicken. I love it!

I did run into some trouble when I was making this the other night. After I made my waffle batter, I plugged in my waffle iron and it didn't work! It never heated up. RIP my waffle maker, you served me well for the last 6 years. Therefore, you will notice a distinct lack of waffles in my pictures. I used my batter to make them into pancakes. It's what circumstances permitted. Waffles are better, but these worked ok. 

Chicken And Waffles

Let me know if you try these out! I love them, I hope you will too!

     First of all, thank you thank you thank you to everyone who attended our Pie NIght either in person or virtually!  We appreciate you so much and it was a lot of fun.  I hope that if you attended virtually, you still got to eat some Pie!  If you didn't, we will be announcing this week when the e-book will be available! Then you can bake your heart out and eat all of the pie you would like.
      Of course, one of the pies we enjoyed at our Pie Party was good ol' Pumpkin Pie!  LIndsey loves that of course, and so do the rest of us, loaded with whipped cream!  But, pumpkin isn't just for pie or other sweets.  It is, after all, a squash, which makes it a vegetable, and pumpkin is very good for you.  (That is how I justify eating pumpkin pie for breakfast!)  
       The other week, I made No Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake.  That recipe didn't use a whole can of pumpkin and I didn't want the leftover pumpkin to go to waste.  Besides, with all of the pie baking I have doing around here, something with less sugar and savory sounded perfect.  So, I came up with this baked chicken recipe that fit the bill.  (I know, ducks have bills, not chickens!  ha ha.)  This is the type of recipe that tastes even better on the second day, so be sure that you make enough for lunch tomorrow! 

     Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of our PIe E-book going on sale! We know you will be pleased and that there are pies in there that anyone can make and enjoy if you are a novice pie baker! Then there are a few that require a few more steps for when you are more ambitious. 

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      If you have followed the blog for very long, you know that I really enjoy canning.  I love the feeling of accomplishment it gives me and the peace of mind from knowing that I have food to give my family that I know exactly what is in it. This year I set a goal to get more canning done. I was able to work on that goal last week because I purchased a bunch of chicken at a really good price! 

Pressure Canning Meats
     Many people have canned fruits and vegetable for years, but canning meat frightens them.  But, there is actually no reason to be afraid of the process because it is much easier to do than you may think.

Supplies
     1 pressure canner:  There are various sizes and styles of pressure canners.  They come with directions about how to use them.  Mine is a 16 quart canner, but there are other sizes.  Actually, I could do an entire post about pressure canners, but they are pretty simple to use, and safe as long as you follow the directions. Here are a few options, click on them to find out about them: 

     Jars: I like to use wide mouth pint jars for meat, although I have use quarts and regular mouth. The reason I prefer pints is because sometimes that is all of the meat that you need and if you need more, you can just get another jar to use. Wide mouth jars make it easy to load the jars and to get the contents out when you are ready to. 
     Lids and rings:  Be sure to have the proper size for your jars.  If you purchased new jars, they will come with lids and rings.  You can reuse the rings after emptying the jar the first time, but you will have to replace the lids. You can buy them separately. 
     A canning tool Kit: This kit includes a jar lifter, a magnet, a funnel and other tools that make canning much easier! 

How to Begin

​1-Make sure your canner is ready by inspecting the gasket and the exhaust opening.
2-Clean and sterilize your jars.  Get your lids ready like you would for any other canning job.
3-When canning chicken, it is best to precook it slightly before filling your jars. Cut it into uniform chunks and saute and season the meat anyway you would like and cook until still slightly pink. I seasoned with pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  I didn't add salt because I put canning salt in each jar. 
4-When the chicken is ready, start filling your jars with the chicken. Fill your jars with the chunks, not too tightly, and leave 1” headroom at the top.  You may add about ¼ tsp. of canning salt if desired.  
5-I used the drippings left from the chicken in the pan to make a broth to pour over the chicken in the jars.  I just added water and stirred.  Then, using a wide mouthed funnel, ladle the broth over the chicken chunks in each jar, still leaving the 1" headroom at the top.
6-Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rim of the jar.  Put on the lid and ring, fastening firmly, but not too tightly.
7-Place the jars in the pressure canner.  Follow the directions for your canner and process pints for 75 min. and quarts for 90 min.  When finished, let the pressure cooker cool down on its own before opening.  You will hear the jars sealing!  When the canner has cooled down properly, use the jar lifter to take the jars out of the canner.  Let them finish cooling, wash the jars off before storing them.  Don't forget to write what is in the jar and the date on the lid! 
If everything seals properly, your meat will store on the shelf for a year or longer.  

*​Check with the USDA website for all of the safeguards and recommendations. 

      You can use your canned chickens for many recipes and casseroles! Here are a couple to check out: 

• Chicken Enchilada Casserole in a Crock Pot
• Chicken Salad

      For more canning recipes and tips, click here for our canning category!