Last night, I had dinner at Boatwright's Dining Hall at Disney's Port Orleans Resort Riverside with my friends Sarah from Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW, and Amanda from Eating Out...Without.
Chef Tony started us off with this lovely seasonal spinach salad with strawberries, almonds, and a house-made vinaigrette. It was the perfect start to an amazing meal.
Earlier this week, when I had mentioned to Chef Tony that gluten free chicken & waffles were on my bucket list, he said he would make me fried chicken with Mickey waffles for my birthday. I was beyond excited! I didn't even know about the existence of chicken & waffles until I moved to Florida, and by then, I had been diagnosed with celiac, so I wasn't too hopeful that I would ever be able to enjoy them at a restaurant.
I love fried chicken and I love waffles, so I knew I was going to like this dish. When I asked Chef Tony what they would be served with, he said his plan was to serve the chicken and waffles with redeye gravy and a light drizzle of syrup. Not being a fan of gravy, I decided to just go with a drizzle of 100% pure maple syrup.
I dug two of my Mickey waffles out from under the fried chicken so you could get a look at them. They were made with Cup4Cup Pancake & Waffle Mix, a favorite in our house. The combination of fried chicken with waffles and syrup was divine! The breading was super crispy and flavorful, and the chicken was perfectly tender and moist. I loved everything about this dish! I can't imagine having a more perfect version of chicken & waffles.
After eating every single bite of my gluten free chicken & waffles, I ordered one of my favorite desserts at Disney, bananas foster served with vanilla bean ice cream. I was so full after my meal, I didn't even order any gluten free beignets when we walked over to Sassagoula at Port Orleans French Quarter.
Chef Tony's recipe for gluten free fried chicken was inspired by a recipe from Posana Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina, where my husband and I dined a few weeks ago. He dipped the chicken in buttermilk before coating it in a mixture of corn starch, corn flour, Namaste flour, cajun seasoning, and other spices. The breading was was so substantial because the chicken was double coated, meaning it was soaked in buttermilk, then coated with the breading, then put back in the buttermilk before being dredged in the breading again.
The gluten free chicken & Mickey waffles Chef Tony made for me at Boatwright's are one of the the best birthday presents I have ever received!
August 18, 2015 Update
Boatwright's has adopted a new allergy-friendly menu. You can view the gluten free options on this menu in my blog post Disney's Port Orleans Resort Allergy-Friendly Menus. Advance notice is not needed for the chicken and Mickey waffles, which is on the menu as Voodoo Chicken. You used to have to contact special diets ahead of time, but that is no longer necessary.
Boatwright's allergy-friendly menu lists the Voodoo Chicken as being safe for people with gluten/wheat, egg, soy, fish/shellfish, and peanut/tree nut allergies. Milk is not listed, but my friend friend Sarah from Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW has had a gluten free and dairy free version of the fried chicken and Mickey waffles at Boatwright's.
May 31, 2017 Update
Voodoo Chicken is no longer on the menu at Boatwright's. I have heard that the chefs at Riverside Mill Food Court next door will make gluten free Mickey waffles with breaded chicken tenders if you go at a time Mickey waffles are available. You can view Boatwright's new allergy-friendly menu here, on Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW's website. After I posted about the change on Facebook, one of my blog readers said that the chefs at Boatwright's still made her gluten free chicken and Mickey waffles, even though it was not on the menu. She did not contact special diets ahead of time, but she was told that it would add to her wait time for her meal.
What are your favorite gluten free dishes at Boatwright's Dining Hall?
Do you think they will still make chicken and waffles at Boatwright Dining hall?
ReplyDeleteSorry, I just saw your comment. I have heard no.
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