.Best New-School Chicken and Waffles

When you’re talking about a dish that’s as time-tested as fried chicken and waffles, there doesn’t seem to be much point to fiddling around with the original. Then again, if you are going to fiddle, you might as well go all out to create something diners won’t soon forget. Such is the case with Tigerlily’s genre-bending, “Indo-Asian” instant classic: airy waffles paired with chicken that has been brined and marinated in buttermilk, turmeric, and hot sauce before it’s fried, yielding a craggy crust and juicy, full-flavored meat. Add high-quality maple syrup and a house-made tikka masala sauce to the mix, and you wind up with a combination that’s nothing short of spectacular. These are flavors that were made for each other — the sweetness of the syrup cuts into the creamy richness and mellow heat of the tikka masala; the ultra-crispy chicken skin adds a bold hit of salt and spice. After you’ve dipped and crunched your way through every last morsel of meat and waffle, you might be tempted to lick the plate.