Chicken and waffles – a seemingly unusual yet undeniably delicious combo meal featuring crispy, juicy fried chicken paired with sweet, fluffy waffles This soul food favorite has become a beloved mainstay across the United States, especially in the South. But where exactly did this iconic dish come from?
The origins of chicken and waffles stretch back centuries and across continents, shaped by diverse culinary traditions colliding in the New World melting pot. Let’s embark on a tasty trip back in time to explore the histories of fried chicken, waffles, and their eventual fusion into the comfort food we know and love today.
A History of Fried Chickens have been eating fried chicken for thousands of years, with evidence tracing back to Ancient Egypt and Rome. However, the methods used back then were quite different from modern techniques. The fried chicken we recognize emerged more recently thanks to contributions from various cultures:
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African Influences Enslaved Africans brought over seasoning practices involving herbs and spices not typically used in European cooking, This added unique flavors to fried chicken,
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Scottish Contributions Scottish immigrants to the American South had a tradition of frying chicken in fat. Their technique merged with African seasonings
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Development in the American South: As it evolved in the region, fried chicken became a hearty, economical meal accessible to enslaved people and low-income households. It soon became a Southern staple.
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Commercialization: Fast food chains like KFC popularized fried chicken across America and worldwide thanks to Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices.
Over time, each culture has made its mark on fried chicken, creating the crunchy, juicy, and flavorful dish we love today. It’s a truly global phenomenon with countless regional spin-offs.
Waffles’ European Roots
While fried chicken has diverse origins, waffles trace specifically back to Europe:
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Ancient Greece: The Greeks cooked flat cakes called “obelios” between metal plates over fire. These were not sweet like modern waffles.
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Medieval Europe: In the Middle Ages, a wafer-thin waffle forerunner called “oublies” emerged, often flavored with sugar and spices.
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1500s Belgium: Leavening agents produced lighter, fluffier waffles popular among nobility in Belgium and the Netherlands.
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Colonial America: European settlers brought waffle irons and techniques with them to the New World in the 1600s and 1700s.
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19th Century U.S.: With the invention of baking powder and popularity of “waffle frolics,” waffles took hold as a distinctly American breakfast item.
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20th Century Innovations: Electric waffle irons and introductions like the Belgian waffle further shaped waffles’ evolution in the U.S.
Waffles, originally an elegant European delicacy, successfully made the leap to America and underwent changes creating the sweet breakfast treat we enjoy today.
How Chicken & Waffles Came To Be
Pennsylvania Dutch Origins
The earliest documented combination of chicken and waffles traces to the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 1600s. Their traditional dish consisted of waffles topped with pulled stewed chicken and gravy.
Harlem Renaissance Reinvention
The modern soul food chicken and waffles emerged much later in 1930s Harlem, New York. Wells Supper Club, a hot jazz club, started serving fried chicken alongside waffles late at night to hungry musicians. The unusual meal quickly gained fame among celebrity visitors.
Mainstream Popularity
In the 1970s, Scoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles opened in Los Angeles by Herb Hudson, continuing chicken and waffles’ growth beyond its Harlem origins. The restaurant drew in LA celebrities and even President Obama!
Why the Combo Works
What made this mashup of breakfast and dinner so successful? The sweet and salty interplay between crunchy, juicy fried chicken and fluffy, syrup-drenched waffles simply hits the spot. The unlikely pairing highlights the best of both foods.
Today, chefs around the country offer creative twists on chicken and waffles using specialty batters, spices, and toppings while staying true to the spirit of this iconic dish.
The Melding of Culinary Traditions
When looking at the histories of fried chicken and waffles, it’s clear that chicken and waffles exists thanks to the blending of diverse cultures in America over centuries.
West African, Western European, and specifically African-American cooking techniques came together to transform chicken and waffles into a hearty Southern favorite that spread nationwide.
This soul food epitomizes how migration and cultural collision can create utterly new and amazing fusions – a history as satisfying as that first bite of crispy fried chicken alongside a sweet, pillowy waffle.
Southern rebuttal against chicken and waffles
Frequently associated with the South, likely via soul food, identifying a geographical birthplace for the bird on a waffle is not so straightforward. When NPR ran a piece acknowledging the health detriments of Southern food (sadly, chicken and waffles included), many readers responded with outraged reactions to the regional inclusion. One especially impassioned reader even remarked, “This is a Yankee-fied interpretation of a southern staple,” in a later follow up at NPR.
In an assimilatory, roaming culture like the United States, pinpointing roots is complex. The frequency of consumption in a certain region does not necessarily translate to origin (like the aforementioned Roscoes), and large migrational shifts carry dishes across the nation, sweeping away any deeply-embedded geographic links. It turns out thats precisely what happened with chicken and waffles. As food writer John T. Edge told NPR in their follow up, “Its a Southern dish, but a Southern dish once or twice removed from the South.”
Even still, generalizing the dish as simply Southern doesnt fully reveal the layers of its creation.
The Origin of Chicken and Waffles | Black Origins
FAQ
Is chicken and waffles an African American dish?
Chicken and waffles have roots in both Southern and African American culinary traditions, but their most well-known origin traces back to Harlem, New York in the 1930s.
Is chicken and waffles a Canadian thing?
Chicken and waffles is a dish that has both chicken and waffles. It is popular in the Canada, where it is served in many restaurants. There are two types of chicken and waffles dishes: the soul food version and the Pennsylvania Dutch version.
Are chicken and waffles a southern dish?
The roots of waffles and chicken as comfort food run deep in Southern cuisine. The fried chicken was a beloved staple in the South. These were often paired with a sweet dish to bring more comfort and make the meal a whole. This savory-sweet combination became a hallmark of soul food culture.Jan 3, 2025