In this week's Chef's Kitchen, we're hittin' up a diner for comfort food that has a bunch of notable variations.

"You and I could sit down and probably not finish a portion together," smiled Metro Diner managing partner Rob Marth, referring to the Fried Chicken & Waffles.

The Chicken & Waffles feast has two memorable twists: Chef adds seven drops of hot sauce to the maple syrup; and he puts a four-ingredient strawberry butter on top of the fluffy waffles.

"We take fresh butter, fresh strawberries, slice 'em up, powdered sugar and grenadine," Marth said. "Crispiness of the chicken, sweetness of the syrup, a little spice from the hot sauce (makes it all come together)."

The Metro Diner we visited is located at 11650 University Blvd, Orlando.

Let's cook!

Breakfast Pie

Metro Diner says this is the perfect dish when you are cooking for a hungry crowd. They recommend preparing each step individually and assembling in a large casserole dish. Then it’s ready to bake and serve.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ pound of red skinned potatoes
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 large green pepper
  • 12 oz. of mushrooms
  • 1 dozen eggs
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Boil 1 ½ pounds of red skinned potatoes until tender and set aside to cool. Once cooled, dice the potatoes. Tip: this step can be prepared the day before.
  3. Dice one large onion.
  4. Dice one large green pepper.
  5. Slice 12 oz. of button mushrooms.
  6. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil or butter (your choice), add diced onions and peppers and cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Set aside.
  7. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil or butter (your choice), add diced potatoes and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Set aside.
  8. In a large sauté pan on low-medium heat, scramble one dozen eggs (in batches of 6 eggs each). Stir eggs occasionally, keeping the eggs moving as they cook.
  9. Add half of all of the prepared ingredients (vegetable and potato mixture) to each batch of eggs, just as they are finished cooking.
  10. Garnish with shredded mozzarella and shredded cheddar.
  11. Place it in the oven and cook until cheese begins to brown (about 2 minutes). Watch it carefully. Don’t let it burn!
  12. Tip: Make it a meat-lovers Breakfast Pie by adding your choice of diced bacon, ham, breakfast sausage…or all three! Add the meat before garnishing with the cheese.

Carefully remove from the oven, serve and enjoy!

Fried Chicken & Waffles

Half a fried chicken and a Belgian waffle topped with a sweet, strawberry butter and served with their signature sweet and spicy sauce.

Instructions for Chicken:

  • Use fresh, never frozen chicken.
  • Soak your chicken in your brine of choice for 24 hours.
  • Marinate in your marinade of choice for an additional 24 hours.
  • On medium-high heat, fry your chicken for 10-12 minutes.

Instructions for Waffles:

  • Set waffle iron to desired heat.
  • Using your favorite waffle mix, stir in mixing bowl until it is lump free.
  • Spray iron with cooking spray of choice.
  • Fill iron with waffle mix and let bake.

Drizzle in syrup and enjoy!