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These handheld chicken and waffle cones are a copycat version of the wildly popular Chick N’ Cone restaurant. Chicken tenders fried to crispy perfection and tossed in homemade sauces like Kickin’ Ranch and Yella BBQ and stuffed into ice cream shop waffle cones. These are the ultimate combination of sweet and savory and perfect for a brunch! Keep reading to see how you can make this Chick N’ Cone copycat recipe at home…
I have been drooling over these cones for probably two years now. I see them posted all over social media and I’ve been crossing my fingers hoping they make their way to Atlanta but no such luck. So, I decided it was time I learn how to make these. After a bunch of taste-testing, this Chick N’ Cone copycat recipe was created!
Hopefully one day I will have the luxury to go grab one at a moments notice, but until then, we are making these homemade and it’s worth the effort. I created recipes to make some of their sauces from scratch too, although they have about a dozen (ranging from sweet to spicy) I choose my favorites that also seem to be their most popular.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but fear not! I have provided lots of make-ahead solutions below!
To save time, I made my sauces a day ahead of time so that all I had to worry about was frying the chicken. Easy! You can also opt to buy pre-made good quality sauces instead.
Time Saving Make-Ahead Options:
- Both sauces can be made ahead and stored in a air-tight container in the refrigerator. Just be sure to heat the sauce before tossing the chicken as it will make the dish cold.
- You can prepare your seasoned flour dredge and store it in a ziplock bag in the pantry until ready to use.
- You can prepare your egg wash (egg + milk + hot sauce) a day ahead and store in an air-tight container.
Let’s talk about this adorable Chick N’ Cone wrapper!! This is nothing more than the a document I created in Word by copying and pasting their logo onto an orange background and printing.
I wrapped the cones ahead of time (it took a little measuring and cutting attempts before getting it right), sealed it closed with a dap of glue (being sure it only touched paper-to-paper), then gently placed the cones in a Ziplock bag until serving.
These chicken and waffle cones are a good meal anytime of day, but I visualize these being especially adorable for a brunch with friends! Mimosas and Chick N’ Cones anyone?
Looking for more Copycat Recipes?
- McDonald’s Chicken McGriddle Copycat Recipe
- Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich Copycat Recipe
- Cheesecake Factory Nashville Hot Chicken Nuggets Copycat Recipe
- Chicken Alfredo Fritta Olive Garden Copycat Recipe
- Crispy Fried Asparagus with Garlic Aioli (Burgerville copycat Recipe)
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites CPK Copycat Recipe
Did you make this Chick N’ Cone Copycat Recipe? Be sure to tag me on Instagram @BadBatchBaking and use hashtag #BadBatchBaking so I can see your creations and share them on my page!
Feel free to leave any questions or comments you may have below. I love to connect with my readers and get your feedback so I can tweak my recipes to be sure they are successful for you. ♥
Chick N' Cone Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
Fried Chicken & Cone
- 1 1/2 pound chicken tenders tendons removed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1 teaspoons paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 eggs beaten w/ 1/4 cup milk + 1 tbsp hot sauce
- vegetable oil for frying
- 4 waffle cones from an ice cream shop store brand could work but they are too small and not fresh enough
Kickin' Ranch
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk
- 1/2 packet about 1/2 oz. of Hidden Valley spicy ranch seasoning (1 oz. packet) OR regular ranch seasoning can be used if looking for less spice
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pickled sweet cherry peppers found in a jar in the pickle aisle
- 2 tbsp pickled sweet cherry pepper juice
- 1 tbsp finely chopped pickled nacho jalapenos
Yella BBQ Sauce
- 3/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoon ketchup
- 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce I use Texas Pete or Louisiana
Instructions
Yella BBQ Sauce
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Turn on heat to low and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the brown sugar is dissolved
- Once cooled, pour into a jar and cover. Refrigerate and allow flavors to mingle while preparing the rest of the dish. This can be made days ahead, it gets better the longer it sits.
Kickin' Ranch
- In a bowl add mayo, sour cream, buttermilk and spicy ranch seasoning. Mix well to incorporate until all powdered mix is dissolved and well incorporated.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Add the diced pickled cherry peppers + juice and jalapenos. Mix to combine.Taste and adjust if needed by adding more peppers, ranch seasoning, pepper juice, etc.
Fried Chicken Tenders
- Prepare a landing station for the finished chicken setting beside the frying pan. I prefer a cooling rack lined with paper lunch bags or multiple layers of paper towels.
- Fill a cast iron or standard skillet with about 2 inches of oil. Start heating it over medium-high heat while you bread the chicken. I use a candy thermometer to monitor the heat.
- In a ziplock bag or bowl, mix the flour, paprika, seasoning salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg, milk and hot sauce.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, coating well. Shake off excess flour and dip in the egg mix, then back in the flour.
- Set the chicken to the side to rest for about 5 minutes as it helps breading to set on chicken.
- Allow the oil to reach somewhere between 365-375 degrees
- To the skillet add 5-6 tenders at a time and cook until golden brown on that side, then turn chicken and repeat on opposite side (about 8 minutes total). Be sure to monitor oil temp, it will drop once you put chicken in, so you will need to be turning the temp up and down throughout frying.
- Remove chicken, place on landing station, allow it to rest for 1-2 minutes, then place back into the oil for an additional minute on each side. This makes it twice as crispy and helps breading to stay crispy once sauce is added.
- Cook the rest of the chicken in batches, repeating these above steps.
- Taste chicken and sprinkle with a little more salt if needed.
Assembling Chick N' Cones
- Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, chop the tenders into 1-inch chunks.
- In a large bowl, add 1/2 cup of your first sauce (reheating first if previously refrigerated), toss in chicken pieces and flip around in the bowl, tossing to coat.
- Stuff chicken pieces into the waffle cones.
- Clean out bowl and repeat with next sauce.
- Serve immediately!
Notes
- It's helpful to read through the entire recipe first to make sure you don't get surprised by any steps
- Candy thermometer is recommended to maintain the correct temp and ensure chicken is fully cooked
- The sauces can be made several days ahead of time, just be sure to heat them before tossing them with chicken otherwise it will make the dish cold.
Looking for more Copycat Recipes?
- McDonald’s Chicken McGriddle Copycat Recipe
- Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich Copycat Recipe
- Cheesecake Factory Nashville Hot Chicken Nuggets Copycat Recipe
- Chicken Alfredo Fritta Olive Garden Copycat Recipe
- Crispy Fried Asparagus with Garlic Aioli (Burgerville copycat Recipe)
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites CPK Copycat Recipe
Where is the recipe?
Hi Gabrielle – it is back up now! Just an recipe plugin issue that we thankfully able to resolve and has been restored.
Where is the recipe??
Hi Heather – it’s been restored thankfully! Just a website bug we were able to fix 🙂
I want to make chicken cone for my family members. Then I started searching recipe on internet. I read your article and applied your recipe for making this amazing chicken cone and made the best chicken cone. Thanks for sharing this superb recipe and all of my family members praised your recipe !
So glad you guys enjoyed it!
I love this i’ve been meaning to try this place but i love this! it looks amazing
Yay Jameela! That’s awesome, if you ever make it to Chick N’ Cone you gotta let me know what you think 🙂