Patti LaBelle, the so-called "godmother of soul" and singer of hits including "Lady Marmalade", joined "Good Morning America" Monday to share a soulful recipe to make at home this winter.
The singer mixes flavor and cuisine in her chicken and sweet potato n' spice waffles, perfect for a delicious treat this holiday season.
Read on below for full instructions on how to make the dish, which comes from her first cookbook, "LaBelle Cuisine: Recipes to Sing About."
Fried chicken ingredients
8 pieces (or use your favorite chicken part)
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying *substitute with grapeseed oil*
Sweet potato 'n' spice waffles ingredients
1 large sweet potato (about 14 ounces)
Nonstick vegetable oil spray to oil waffle iron
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted, softened butter and warm syrup
Patti’s Good Life Pancake & Waffle Mix
Makes about 2 servings
Ingredients
1 cup of mix
3/4 cups of milk or buttermilk
2 ½ tablespoons of oil
Directions
Add ingredients to a bowl and mix gently until fully combined.
Directions for fried chicken
Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
Place the flour in a large paper bag (or large bowl) and season with salt and pepper. In a medium shallow bowl, beat the eggs. One piece at a time, dip the chicken in the eggs, shake (or roll) in the flour to coat completely, and place on a baking sheet.
Pour enough oil into a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, to come one-third up the sides. Heat high heat until very hot but not smoking. (If using an electric skillet. heat to 365°F)
Using tongs, carefully add the chicken.
Fry the chicken, uncovered, turning occasionally with the tongs, until the chicken is golden brown on all sides and shows no sign of pink when pierced in the thickest part (don't turn down the heat unless the chicken is browning too quickly). Breasts and wings will cook in about 15 minutes, and the drumsticks and thighs will take about 20 minutes.
An instant-read thermometer, inserted in the thickest parts of the chicken will read 170°F. Transfer to the paper towels to drain. Serve hot.
Directions for waffles
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.
Add the sweet potato and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the sweet potato is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 30 to 40 minutes.
Drain and run under cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel and mash the sweet potato. Measure out 1 cup of mashed sweet potato, using any excess for another purpose.
Preheat the oven to 200°F.
Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spray the grids with nonstick vegetable spray.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the prepared pancake and waffle mix, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, using a whisk or a large spoon, mix the reserved mashed sweet potatoes with the brown sugar until well combined. Add to the pancake and waffle batter and mix. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the melted butter.
Pour a generous cup of the batter into the center of the open waffle iron grid. Close the waffle iron.
Cook until the waffle iron indicator shows that the waffle is done (or the waffle is crisp and golden brown), 6 to 7 minutes. Keep the waffles warm in the oven while preparing the remaining waffles. Serve hot, with butter and syrup
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