The fqct that the chicken breasing and the waffles have somewhat similar textures is the point - they both get paired with some third thing like maple syrup, or gravy, or hot sauce, providing a contrast with each other
this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2025
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Ok your chicken shouldn't be dry, that's never good. Waffles are bread, so I guess they're dry, but that's why syrup. I don't know european waffles from normal but I can't expect much difference, and of course none of that HFCS syrup, real maple only, but I'd expect nothing less from europe who isn't tied to HFCS like we are. I really couldn't tell you without recipes or at least seeing something in a pic, but you've got something off.
I just searched and found this recipe, I sort of skimmed, but it looks on the level. It should be something like this, health be damned. Fruit optional.
I didn't get it either until I tried it. It's a combination of sweet and fat and heat and salt and acid but also fluffy-crispy waffle texture and crunchy-silky fried chicken texture. It's almost everything good about eating in a single bite.
This is such a good description that I am almost salivating.
Personally, I've enjoyed it everytime I've been eating them but felt very sick afterwards. Which is fair. If there weren't consequences I would soon have difficulties fitting into a vehicle.
I assume it works, otherwise it wouldn't be a thing! Just trying to understand how... Are the waffles the same texture as Belgian style waffles? Or more like a potato waffle? Were they sweet? Did it have a sauce?
If I can figure out what's meant to be good about it, I can try making my own!
It works best with a savory batter in a Belgian-style deep waffle iron. You need both real maple syrup and a vinegary hotsauce. Bone-in fried chicken is best, especially thigh. Put the hotsauce on the chicken and the syrup on the waffle, cut a bit of each and eat all four components together in one bite... it's transcendent.
From the American South, can confirm.
which hot sauce?
Something like Crystal or Frank's is about right. I find that McIlhenney's and Cholula don't have the right flavor profile I'm looking for.
Thanks for your description - it makes me wanna give it a go.
Nice PR stunt for Big Chicken & Waffle \s
It’s delicious. Use the real maple syrup. Also Pennsylvania “chicken and waffles” is a culinary abortion.
Made no sense to me before I moved down south for a bit. It's delicious.
Intriguing... Can you expand on what was good? Or how it was different from what you expected?
It's the salt/meat plus sweetness combo.
is the secret lots of maple syrup?
Yeah that helps quite a bit. I don't know if you've ever had a maple bourbon chicken or maplewood smoked chicken but chicken and maple does work well together. Obviously maple syrup goes well with waffles too. The syrup really does tie the room together
I will say that fried chicken is easier to fuck up than people think. As a resident of the US south I have it with regularity and a lot of it is pretty dry which sucks. Waffles however are pretty hard to fuck up. So what I'm saying is the chicken really makes or breaks the dish. Also if you have the opportunity to do it with cornbread waffles then it's a even better
You just need to go to the right place and try them. There is a spot in Oakland Ca that I used to go to and I constantly miss those chicken and waffles.
To me it’s all about the combination of spices for both the chicken and the waffles. They mix em so well that it blends really nicely together.
If anyone has any good recommendation for soul food places in celtic France, let me know!!
Do you mean the waffles are spiced too? That's interesting!
Oh ya of course it is. It’s not just plain chicken and plain waffles. They have a mixture of spices. Like cinnamon, they use those spices in both the chicken and the waffles.
Also I don’t think you’ll find a good chicken and waffle spot in France
Get high and it justifies itself.
Yes. It's tasty.
I'd liken it to salted caramel. Sometimes opposites just blend well.
That's the thing, they don't seem opposite enough to me. Iove salty sweet: salty caramel, bacon and cheddar on pancakes, I even dip chocolat chip cookies in hummus if I'm in the mood.
The texture of the waffles (crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle) seems not that far away from the chicken (crispy / crunchy on the outside, juicy in the middle). Both are fatty, but also dryish - obviously still moist, but dry in a crispy way. I could imagine having chicken curry on waffles, the saucy texture would be a nice contrast, but fried chicken...
I guess I'll just have to try it!
I was skeptical at first, but then I saw the option added to the menu of the breakfast place I go to. Didn't regret it, was delicious.
The combination of sweet and salty flavors, and the fluffy and crunchy textures was 👌
I'm a Northern American, and it never made sense to me either. I have tried it, but it didn't do much for me. I doubt that wherever I tried it was the best representation of the dish, so, maybe I have yet to experience the real magic of it, but the idea of sticky syrup all over something I usually eat with my hands is not appealing to me.
Y’all’re missing the gravy. It’s not just fried chicken on a waffle with maple syrup. There’s a pan gravy, too.
Is that dark gravy in the meat juice + stock + flour sense or that crazy white paste from "biscuits" & "gravy"? Some sort of sauce makes sense, because I'm concerned it's all a bit dry...
Like the biscuits and gravy. It’s using milk instead of stock and a roux from flour and whatever fat you’d like. Ideally, render some of the trimmed chicken fat to make your roux. Thin out with more milk if needed and just add pepper for seasoning. It’s basic and doesn’t require anything fancy. Add Tabasco or similar hot sauce to your liking.
I normally love southern food but chicken and waffles is one that I don't love as much. I normally just eat the chicken and then eat the waffles separately
I enjoy each item individually, so that's how I sometimes eat it, like a chicken dinner with waffles for dessert.
I hear this is a simple dish that is really easy to fuck up... I spent a couple months south for work... And everyone there was complaining on the catered meals being ass... It was chicken and waffles every few days and it was never good. But the locals were like 'yeah this isn't it'
Yeah, that's why I'm trying to learn what the appeal is. If it's good, I want to try making it, but I can make decent chicken and good waffles, and I really can't imagine eating the together. So maybe the waffles need to be a bit different? Or something?
your love handles yearn for the calories
It’s just a deconstructed chicken sandwich to me. What I was actually weirded out with was the combination of sweet syrup and savory chicken. When I actually tried it, it kinda works. Just as a chicken sandwich with a honey-something type of sauce would.
sweet and savory
it's a winning combo
I'm not into it but I understand the appeal