(WHTM) – Chicken and waffles is an American comfort dish that dates back to the 1600s.
Waffles were created in the Middle Ages and became popular due to how easy they were to make as the poor could use flour and water but the wealthy would also make the dish but add honey or eggs.
So waffles didn’t originate in America but they were brought to America in 1620 by the Pilgrims.
The waffle would become popular thanks to Dutch immigrants in what is now New York.
But when did the chicken get added to the top of the waffle?
Southerners will say that they created the chicken and waffle dish but it actually originated in Pennsylvania thanks to the Pennsylvania Dutch.
In the 1600s, the Pennsylvania Dutch served a dish that had a waffle with pulled chicken and gravy on top, thus creating the chicken and waffle dish.
Today, if you leave Pennsylvania, the popular way to make chicken and waffles is with fried chicken on top of the waffles.
But again fried chicken and waffles didn’t originate in the south.
In the 1930s, Wells Supper Club was a restaurant in Harlem that offered musicians fried chicken and waffles in between dinner and breakfast.
From Harlem, the fried chicken and waffle recipe would make its way to Los Angeles thanks to a Harlem native in the 1970s.
Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles would be opened in Los Angeles in 1976.
Let’s circle back to Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Dutch invented a waffle iron that was non-electric but this opened the door to future inventors who created electric waffle irons.
According to PA Eats, John Kleimbach of Shamokin, Pennsylvania (Northumberland County) was a traveling salesman in 1891.
Kleimbach would sell waffles for a penny, help spread the waffle iron’s popularity, and would end up at the Chicago World Fair.
Today, some restaurants that serve chicken and waffles in Pennsylvania are using fried chicken but some still use pulled chicken and gravy.
So Southerners can claim fried chicken and waffles but Pennsylvanians will continue with the Pennsylvania Dutch way of making chicken and waffles.
FAQs
Southerners will say that they created the chicken and waffle dish but it actually originated in Pennsylvania thanks to the Pennsylvania Dutch. In the 1600s, the Pennsylvania Dutch served a dish that had a waffle with pulled chicken and gravy on top, thus creating the chicken and waffle dish.
Where did chicken and waffles originate? ›
The earliest version of the American chicken and waffle combo traces back to the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 1600s, where waffles were served with pulled chicken and gravy. A different interpretation, influenced by soul food, emerged much later with the opening of Wells Supper Club in Harlem, New York, in 1938.
What country is known for chicken and waffles? ›
Chicken and waffles is an American dish combining chicken with waffles. It is part of a variety of culinary traditions, including Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine and soul food, and is served in certain specialty restaurants in the United States.
What state eats chicken and waffles? ›
Chicken & Waffles In Pennsylvania
Some historians actually place the invention of chicken and waffles as far back as the 1700s, although on a technicality. In the Pennsylvania territory, there were many dishes that involved chicken and hot cakes or similar grains.
Who was the first person to eat chicken and waffles? ›
Food scholars have plenty of origin theories about chicken and waffles. Many of them declare that a 1930s Harlem restaurant named Wells Supper Club came up with the notion of serving crispy thighs alongside deep-pocketed batter, or that the practice started with Pennsylvania Dutch home cooks of the 1600s.
Where did waffles originate? ›
The history and origin of waffles can be traced back to ancient Greece. But the history of their origin goes even further into history, in the Neolithic, or Stone Age over four thousand years ago.
Where did Roscoe's chicken and waffles originate? ›
It was founded by Herb Hudson in 1975. The Los Angeles Times has referred to Roscoe's as "such an L.A. institution that people don't even question the strange combo anymore." The New York Times refers to it as a "beloved soul food chain." The original location in Long Beach, California, remains open.
Which country is most famous for waffles? ›
No country is more known for their waffles and their waffle varieties than Belgium, which has more than a dozen different varieties of waffles. Here are some of the many popular types of waffles that come from Belgium.
Who brought waffles to America? ›
Waffles were first brought to the Americas by Dutch colonists in the 1600s, however it wasn't until the late 1700s that they made their leap into popular culture.
Is chicken and waffles a breakfast or dinner? ›
While you may find chicken and waffles appearing on many brunch menus, it is typically appropriate to order it either day or night. This means you have a great excuse to enjoy crispy fried chicken for breakfast or a sweet waffle for dinner any time you want. How do I Eat Chicken and Waffles?
Chicken and waffles first appeared in Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 17th century. During this time, cooks made waffles topped with pulled chicken and gravy. 8. In 1938, a different version of the combination appeared in Harlem, NY at the Wells Supper Club.
Who put chicken and waffles together? ›
Southerners will say that they created the chicken and waffle dish but it actually originated in Pennsylvania thanks to the Pennsylvania Dutch. In the 1600s, the Pennsylvania Dutch served a dish that had a waffle with pulled chicken and gravy on top, thus creating the chicken and waffle dish.
Did New York school serve chicken and waffles? ›
NY school apologizes. Students at a New York middle school were served chicken, waffles and watermelon for dessert on the first day of Black History Month, its principal said, sparking outrage among parents.
What is the chicken and waffles controversy? ›
Earlier in 2011, the company caused controversy by serving fried chicken and waffles at the University of California on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Watermelon became a racist trope associated with Black people when slaves were emancipated after the American Civil War.
Where did chicken originate? ›
Information. The chicken is a descendant of the Southeast Asian red jungle fowl first domesticated in India around 2000 B.C. Most of the birds raised for meat in America today are from the Cornish (a British breed) and the White Rock (a breed developed in New England).
Why do people like chicken and waffles? ›
Chicken and waffles has everything you could want in a dish: it's crunchy, salty, sweet, and savory. Chicken and waffles are like bacon and eggs, not so much an individual dish as an imaginative fusion of two different things indelibly joined in a celebrated coupling.
Is chicken and waffles a Texas thing? ›
Some say African Americans in the south started the recipe a very long time ago. Other say some restaurants in NYC (more specifically Harlem) is where chicken and waffles started. Some theories also give the credit to the Pennsylvania Dutch for starting the chicken and waffles craze.
When did chicken and waffle lays come out? ›
Chicken and Waffles, Cheesy Garlic Bread and Sriracha. Each of these three flavors was created and shipped to stores in February 2013.
What school serves fried chicken and waffles? ›
Students at Nyack Middle School in Rockland County, just outside New York City, were served chicken and waffles with watermelon, foods stereotypically associated with Black people, after Aramark, the school's food vendor, changed the menu items without telling the school, according to school administrators.
