Chicken and Waffles
Herb-and-paprika fried chicken, double-dipped for a crunchy crust, served on light, crisp waffles made with whipped egg whites and finished with butter and maple syrup.
Chicken and waffles is older than the fried version. Food etymologist Barry Popik found Pennsylvania newspapers advertising chicken and waffle suppers through the 1890s, including "Chicken and Waffles, 25 cents" in the Gettysburg Star Sentinel in 1898, and quotes food historian William Woys Weaver that chicken and waffles was "a particularly popular combination" among the Pennsylvania Dutch. That older dish is a plain waffle under stewed chicken and gravy (Wikipedia:). The fried chicken, butter and syrup version is tied to Harlem: Wikipedia says the soul food version grew popular after the Wells Supper Club opened there in 1938; many accounts describe it as a late-night stop for jazz musicians, too late for dinner and too early for breakfast (search summaries; the story is not checked). Wikipedia adds that Herb Hudson, a former Harlem resident, made Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles famous from the 1970s. Who "invented" it is DISPUTED (see Rules).
🇺🇸 This one is American
Herb-and-paprika fried chicken, double-dipped for a crunchy crust, served on light, crisp waffles made with whipped egg whites and finished with butter and maple syrup.
🇺🇸 The original
The oldest American printed recipe we found, from 1824, dusts cut-up chicken in flour, salts it and fries it in lard, served with a parsley gravy. No buttermilk soak and no spicy crust. See the 1824 Virginia Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy (Mary Randolph) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Double dip
Flour, then egg, then flour again builds a thick, shaggy crust that stays crunchy under syrup.
Whipped egg whites
Folding beaten whites into the batter makes a lighter, crisper waffle that holds up under the chicken instead of going soggy.
Step by step
- Step 1
Mix the flour, thyme, paprika, salt, garlic powder and pepper in a shallow dish. In a second dish, whisk the egg, milk and lemon juice.
- Step 2
Dip each piece of chicken in the flour and shake off the excess, then in the egg mixture, then in the flour again. Set the pieces on a rack.
- Step 3
Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep pot or electric fryer to 375°F. Heat the oven to 200°F.
- Step 4
Fry a few pieces at a time, without crowding, 6 to 10 minutes per side, until golden brown and the thighs and drumsticks read 175°F (165°F at the very least). Drain on a rack and keep warm in the oven.
- Step 5
For the waffles, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks, milk and oil, then stir them into the flour just until moistened.
- Step 6
Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl to stiff peaks and fold them gently into the batter.
- Step 7
Bake the waffles in a preheated waffle iron according to its directions, until crisp and golden, and keep them warm on the oven rack in a single layer.
- Step 8
Top each waffle with butter and two pieces of chicken, and pour on the warm maple syrup.
Chicken and Waffles
Serves 4 · about 8 pieces of chicken and 4 large waffles · 1 hr 15 min total
Chicken
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp 2% milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
- Oil for deep-frying
Waffles
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 2 tbsp canola oil
To serve
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, warmed
- Hot sauce, optional
Method
- Mix the flour, thyme, paprika, salt, garlic powder and pepper in a shallow dish. In a second dish, whisk the egg, milk and lemon juice.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the flour and shake off the excess, then in the egg mixture, then in the flour again. Set the pieces on a rack.
- Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep pot or electric fryer to 375°F. Heat the oven to 200°F.
- Fry a few pieces at a time, without crowding, 6 to 10 minutes per side, until golden brown and the thighs and drumsticks read 175°F (165°F at the very least). Drain on a rack and keep warm in the oven.
- For the waffles, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks, milk and oil, then stir them into the flour just until moistened.
- Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl to stiff peaks and fold them gently into the batter.
- Bake the waffles in a preheated waffle iron according to its directions, until crisp and golden, and keep them warm on the oven rack in a single layer.
- Top each waffle with butter and two pieces of chicken, and pour on the warm maple syrup.
Adapted from Taste of Home, "Fried Chicken and Waffles" (Taste of Home Test Kitchen, updated July 3, 2024), halved from 8 servings to 4. Halving gives 1 1/2 eggs for the waffles; we use 2 large eggs. We use 2 lb of thighs and drumsticks in place of half a cut-up chicken, and add a 165°F/175°F check and the butter on top. Waffle timing follows your waffle iron. Taste of Home. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Don't crowd the fryer; Taste of Home warns that the oil cools and the crust turns soggy.
- A dash of hot sauce in the maple syrup is a popular sweet-heat move.
- Boneless thighs fry in about half the time and are easier to eat with a knife and fork; still check 165°F.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Wells Supper Club invented chicken and waffles in 1938. Disputed: Wikipedia ties the soul food version's popularity to Wells (1938), and the restaurant's own logo said "since 1938", but Barry Popik shows chicken and waffles advertised in Pennsylvania in the 1880s and 1890s and in an 1871 novel.
- The Harlem version is just the Pennsylvania Dutch dish. Disputed: Ebony (via search summary) reports chefs and writers who say the fried soul food plate has nothing to do with stewed chicken and gravy; others call it an extension. Name both views.
- Thomas Jefferson brought waffle irons home. Folklore: Wikipedia says he bought four in Amsterdam in 1789 and that it boosted waffles; we did not check the primary source.
- Pre-Civil War plantation breakfasts. Disputed: Wikipedia says chicken and waffles were breakfast staples in many Southern plantation houses, but also notes the pairing is missing from early Southern cookbooks such as Abby Fisher's (1881).
- Roscoe's opened in 1975. Disputed: sources give 1975 or 1976 (search summaries); Wikipedia says only "since the 1970s".
- Syrup, butter and hot sauce together. Folklore: house preference.
Every other fried chicken
1824 Virginia Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy (Mary Randolph)
The oldest American printed fried chicken recipe we found: chicken dredged in flour and salt, fried light brown in lard, with fried parsley and a simple butter and milk gravy poured over the top.
Southern Pan-Fried Buttermilk Chicken
Chicken brined in salt water, soaked overnight in buttermilk, dredged in flour and cornstarch, and pan-fried in a skillet of lard and butter flavored with country ham, the Edna Lewis way.
Nashville Hot Chicken
Brined, double-dredged fried chicken brushed with a fiery cayenne oil and served the Nashville way, on slices of white bread with pickle chips.
Maryland Fried Chicken with Cream Gravy
Chicken seasoned with dry mustard and garlic, dredged, browned in a covered pot so it steams as it fries, finished with Old Bay and served with a peppery cream gravy made from the drippings.
Korean Yangnyeom Chicken (Double-Fried Sweet and Spicy Wings)
Chicken wings in a light potato starch and egg batter, fried twice for a shatter-crisp crust, then tossed in a glossy sauce of gochujang, ketchup, syrup and garlic and showered with sesame seeds.
Japanese Chicken Karaage
Bite-size pieces of skin-on chicken thigh marinated in soy, sake, ginger and garlic, coated in flour and potato starch, and fried twice in under three minutes.
Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (Yan Su Ji)
Bite-size chicken thigh marinated with garlic, ginger, soy and five-spice, coated in coarse sweet potato starch, fried crisp and tossed with fried basil and five-spice salt.
Indonesian Ayam Goreng Kalasan
No batter at all: chicken braised in garlic, coriander, palm sugar and coconut water until the liquid cooks away, then fried briefly until the sweet-savory skin turns deep golden.
Air-Fryer Fried Chicken
Skinless bone-in chicken breasts in a buttermilk and crushed cornflake coat, seasoned with poultry seasoning, paprika and cayenne, air-fried crisp with just a spray of oil.
Kentucky-Style Fried Chicken, Inspired by KFC
Buttermilk-brined chicken in a peppery coating of flour, white pepper, celery salt, garlic, ginger and herbs, fried in one covered batch to mimic a pressure fryer. Inspired by, not official.
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