Begin preparing chicken: place chicken thighs in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk and hot sauce and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Prepare waffles: combine waffle mix, water, egg, and oil in a medium bowl; whisk until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Preheat a mini waffle maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Spray waffle maker with cooking spray. Cook waffles one at a time until golden brown. Place cooked waffles on a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.

Finish preparing chicken: heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F (175°C) in a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven.

While oil heats, combine flour, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish.

Remove chicken thighs from the buttermilk mixture one at a time and allow excess to drip off. Coat chicken lightly in the flour mixture, and shake off any excess. Repeat the process once more. Place chicken on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.

Fry 2 chicken thighs at a time in the hot oil until an instant-read thermometer reads 170°F (77°C), turning 2-3 times, about 8 minutes per batch. Drain on a wire rack over a paper towel-lined baking sheet.

Combine remaining paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper with cayenne pepper and brown sugar in a bowl. Carefully whisk in 1 cup of the hot frying oil. Brush each fried chicken thigh with spicy oil.

Stir maple syrup into the remaining spicy oil mixture.