Irish Fried Un-chicken and Waffles (GF, V)

It's St. Patrick's Day! If you haven't been paying attention, I've done the following several thematic chicken and waffle recipes over the years:

• Hawaiian

• Maryland/Baltimore Style

• Cajun

• Indian

• Za'atar

• Jerk

• Korean

• Standard

So, why not tackle Ireland? Well, I feel like I almost got it. The fried mushroom needs some seasoning... any seasoning really. Always open to suggestions!

Sources: Previous Un-chicken Recipes | All Recipes | Diethood | ChatGPT (seriously)

Serves: 4 | Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

Un-chicken

2 packages oyster #mushrooms

1 ½ cups all-purpose GF flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 tbsp aquafaba

½ cup cold Guinness

3 cups oil for frying

Potato Waffles

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

¼ cup GF panko crumbs

¾ cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese, plus more for topping, optional

¼ cup coconut milk

6 tbsp aquafaba

S&P, to taste

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives, or to taste, plus more for serving

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

Tangy Syrup Topping (suggested by ChatGPT)

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Un-chicken

Stir together 1 cup flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Mix in aquafaba and cold beer until combined. Place remaining 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a deep heavy skillet to 375 F.

Working in batches, coat oyster mushroom clusters in flour, then dip into beer batter. Fry chicken in hot oil, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the coating is golden brown. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 F. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Potato Waffles

Preheat a waffle iron and grease it with cooking spray.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl; mix and stir until thoroughly incorporated.

If you want smaller waffles, scoop out about 1/3 cup of the batter and form into a patty. For bigger waffles, use 1/2 cup of the batter. For a perfect serving size, use 2 ounces of the batter per waffle.

Transfer the scoop to the preheated waffle iron and close; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until cooked through and browned on top. Cooking time will depend on the size of the waffles.

Bring it together

Plate waffles. Add fried mushrooms. Mix the tangy syrup together and drizzle on top.