NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Have you ever wanted to know what the story is behind chicken and waffles? Melba Wilson of Melba’s, one of Harlem’s most popular restaurants, stopped by the CBS 2 studios to explain, and cook them up!

For more information about Melba’s restaurant, click here.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe (.pdf)

Ingredients:

For the chicken:
3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown mustard
2 cups buttermilk
Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Sazonador seasoning

For the eggnog waffles:
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cups eggnog
2 large eggs, separated
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Cooking spray, for the waffle iron
Strawberry Butter (recipe follows), for serving
Maple syrup, for serving

Strawberry Butter:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
4 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 3/4 cup)
A few drops of grenadine syrup

Preparation:

1. To cook the chicken, put the chicken pieces in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, paprika, poultry seasoning, and garlic powder. Add the mustard and use your hands to work everything into the chicken. Pour in the butter­milk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.Directions

2. Heat 3 inches of oil to 325ºF in a deep cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Combine the flour and Sazonador seasoning in a brown paper bag. Add a few pieces of chicken at a time and shake it like you mean it! Working in batches, fry the chicken until it is beauti-fully brown and crispy on one side, about 15 minutes. Turn and cook until a meat thermometer inserted into the meat registers 160ºF, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

3. To make the waffles, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggnog, egg yolks, and butter in another bowl. Stir the wet ingredi­ents into the dry until combined; you don’t want the batter to be lumpy or too smooth— just right.

4. Whisk the egg whites until almost stiff; fold them into the batter.

5. Heat a waffle iron. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour some of the batter into the middle of the iron, following the manu­facturer’s instructions. Close and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.

6. Top the waffles with fried chicken, Straw­berry Butter, and maple syrup.

7. For the Strawberry Butter, put the butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and blend until smooth. Add the berries and grenadine and pulse until combined, but with small pieces of berry still visible.