Y’all can have Roscoe’s or Hattie B’s chicken and waffles. This Chicken and Waffles Recipe is all I need. Southern chicken and waffles are a sweet and savory dish of flavorfully crispy fried chicken and my sweet cream fluffy Belgian waffles, topped with scoops of honey-cinnamon butter. This classic Southern dish is perfect for breakfast, Sunday brunch, dinner, or just because.
*This post is an update from one I published in August 2020. I’ve included metric measurements in the recipe card.*
Who is the Creator of Chicken and Waffles?
The exact origins of Southern chicken and waffles in the United States are unknown.
The original recipe for chicken and waffles can be Soul food or Pennsylvania Dutch. It all depends on what chicken the waffles are served with. Chicken and waffles served with crispy chicken, and some honey-cinnamon butter (or sweet maple syrup) is straight-up Southern comfort food. Shredded chicken in a creamy gravy with waffles is from the Northeast, specifically Pennsylvania Dutch country. The recipe is undoubtedly the perfect combination of sweet and savory no matter where it comes from. Because it combines breakfast and dinner, it is a popular brunch offering. I serve it mainly for dinner since I’m not a fan of frying things when I’m barely awake.
Who Makes the Best Chicken and Waffles?
Me. I kid, I kid (not really).
Some folks think LA has the best chicken and waffles, but anyone that’s taken the “A train to Harlem” knows that the Wells Supper Club was known for the best chicken and waffles around, especially among the African-American community. The Red Rooster in Harlem has taken up the mantle with the best chicken and waffles I’ve tasted. And, let’s be clear, I’ve tasted a LOT of chicken and waffles. Having roots in New York City, I know I’m biased. But I’m also right.
The West Coast has Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, and everyone swears it’s the best in the nation, if not the world. But I have a little secret: its founder, Herb Hudson, was from Harlem, too! Again! All great things come from NYC.
In the South, Hattie B’s, in Tennessee, garners rave reviews. On our last road trip through Tennessee, we stopped for lunch at their Cooper St. location in Memphis. I mean, it was okay. The Nashville Hot Chicken was a bit too hot. Overly spicy chicken in a chicken and waffles recipe just doesn’t make for a great meal, in my opinion.
What Ingredients Are in Chicken and Waffles?
The ingredients you need to make chicken and waffles are chicken, a good spice blend for seasoning the chicken, and a buttermilk brine. That’s all there is to the marinade. In true Southern style chicken fashion, you need a breading for frying the chicken, which is made with all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and seasoning.
We’ll address the waffle and honey-cinnamon butter ingredients later in the post.
What’s the Best Piece of Chicken to Use for Chicken and Waffles?
Chicken wings or chicken thighs are the best pieces of chicken to use when making chicken and waffles. Wings are more convenient to bread and fry. You don’t have to worry about adjusting the fry time; they’re more “eating with hands” friendly than most other parts of the bird, too. Runner-up to wings is thighs because dark meat chicken is moist and flavorful compared to chicken breasts, which I avoid at all costs. The least desirable part of the chicken to use when making chicken and waffles are chicken tenders (also known as chicken strips). They dry out considerably and are just, like, “let’s act like we’re toddlers.” Boneless chicken thighs are a better option than strips.
If you have a whole chicken and you want to use that, cut it and use the fried chicken pieces for this recipe. Ultimately, though I have my preferences, I’m all about resourcefulness.
How Do I Season the Chicken?
The best seasoning for fried chicken is a spice blend of kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, dried thyme, sage, cumin, ground coriander, paprika, and cayenne pepper or chili powder (which is optional). Or you can make life easy on yourself and use my Chicken Seasoning Blend. I would still add a pinch of cayenne for a little heat.
In a mixing bowl, combine all the spices until they’re evenly mixed. Remove two tablespoons of the spice blend to later season the flour. Sprinkle the rest of the spice blend over the chicken in an even layer on both sides.
What if I Don’t Have Buttermilk?
You can make buttermilk at home by stirring together 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of skim or 2% milk. Allow the acid to curdle the milk for 15 minutes, and you have buttermilk! This buttermilk marinade calls for 2 cups of buttermilk, so double the recipe.
A cup of sour cream stirred together with a cup of water also mimics buttermilk well. You can also use kefir in place of buttermilk. Either one of those options will work, or you can grab a pint of buttermilk.
Add the seasoned chicken pieces to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. If you like spicy chicken, add a tablespoon of hot sauce to the marinade.
How Long Can I Marinate Chicken?
You should marinate chicken for Southern fried chicken at least 6 hours before frying, but overnight is best. I mean for good fried chicken.
The buttermilk marinade not only flavors the meat but also plumps it full of moisture while tenderizing it simultaneously. As a result, the chicken is less likely to dry out during frying and becomes so tender with full-on flavor.
Don’t marinate the chicken longer than 24 hours since the acidity of the buttermilk will make the meat mushy.
Why Honey-Cinnamon Butter Instead of Syrup?
Why not both?
Honey-cinnamon butter is a great topping for chicken and waffles because it combines salted, sweet honey with creamy butter, vanilla, and a hint of warmth from the cinnamon. But I also love to drizzle pure maple syrup over my chicken and waffles, even with honey-cinnamon butter. We don’t have to make hard choices here.
To make the honey-cinnamon butter, you need honey, salted butter, vanilla powder (or vanilla extract), and ground cinnamon. I love to kill two birds with one stone with this salted honey, but if you can’t find it, the regular stuff with salted butter tastes the same.
How Do You Make Honey-Cinnamon Butter?
Use an electric hand mixer set on low to blend the butter, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Increase the speed to high once the cinnamon and vanilla are blended in, and whip until the butter is light and fluffy.
You can store honey-cinnamon butter in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Cover the bowl, or transfer the whipped butter to a storage container to free up the bowl. You can even freeze the butter for 2 months.
When you’re ready to serve it, let it warm up on the countertop for 30 minutes before scooping it. Top your chicken and waffles with warm honey-cinnamon butter, so it doesn’t cool down the hot food.
Leftover honey-cinnamon butter makes a great topping for bagels, pancakes, or toast.
How Do You Keep the Breading From Coming Off the Chicken When You Fry It?
To fry the chicken, preheat vegetable oil or canola oil (or even peanut oil or lard) to 365°F (185°C) in a large cast iron dutch oven, frying pan, or deep skillet. Begin breading the chicken wings after you begin heating the oil.
Combine the remaining spice rub with all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a large bowl. The cornstarch in the breading creates a crispy crust on your fried chicken. Remove the chicken wings, one at a time, from the buttermilk and place them in the seasoned flour. You don’t need to drain chicken before you bread it. In fact, allowing the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl and leaving some on the chicken gives the flour something to stick to.
Shake off any excess flour from the chicken pieces and lay them on the wire rack set over a baking sheet or a piece of foil to contain the mess for 10-15 minutes while the oil heats. Allowing the breaded chicken to rest on a cooling rack before frying gives the breading a chance to nestle into the surface of the chicken, which means it’s less likely to fall off during frying.
How Long Does It Take To Fry Chicken?
The time it takes to fry chicken depends on the pieces you’re frying. It takes 9 minutes to fry chicken wings. Other parts of the chicken will take 12 minutes to fry.
Carefully add the wings to the pot of hot oil and allow them to fry for one minute. Flip them over after a minute. Flipping chicken pieces immediately forms a quick crust, which keeps one side from sticking to the bottom of the pot and scorching. Flip the chicken back to the first side after 3 minutes and finish frying for 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
Use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken from the oil and transfer them to a cooling rack set over a sheetpan. Avoid draining fried chicken on paper towels because they trap excess oil against the chicken, making it soggy instead of crispy. Keep the chicken warm in a 170°F oven while you fry the rest of the pieces.
It’s best to fry the chicken first, then make the waffles for this recipe. That way, you don’t feel rushed and burn yourself or the food. The meat retains heat longer than waffles, so keeping the chicken warm is the easier way.
What Do I Need to Make the Waffles?
The ingredients used to make light, fluffy homemade waffles are cake flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, large eggs (yolk separated from the whites), melted butter, and heavy cream. To make light and fluffy waffles, I use whipped egg yolks and whites folded together instead of beaten eggs.
You also need a waffle maker.
This waffle recipe makes 4 waffles exactly. You can double the recipe if you want more waffles.
How Do I Make the Waffle Batter?
Sift the dry ingredients- the cake flour, baking powder, and salt- three times in a separate bowl.
Combine the melted butter, cream, egg yolks, and half of the sugar in one mixing bowl.
Before combining the butter mixture and flour, whip your egg whites to stiff peaks in a medium bowl. Fat inhibits the egg whites from whipping to their fullest potential, so make sure the bowl is squeaky clean.
Start with the hand mixer on low speed, then gradually increase to high speed. Once the whites start to foam, sprinkle in the remaining sugar. Continue whipping on high speed for another 2-3 minutes or until the egg whites stand straight out from the beaters when they’re lifted from the mixture in the bowl. The whites should look glossy and wet.
Add the wet ingredients (minus the egg whites) to the flour mixture and fold just until no flour is visible.
Carefully fold in the egg whites. Don’t over-whip or fold too aggressively, or you’ll deflate the egg whites, and your waffles will be tough. Fold just until you can no longer see streaks of white from the whipped eggs. The batter will be thick and appear spongy.
What Kind of Waffle Iron Do I Need?
A waffle iron that makes Belgian waffles is the best for making chicken and waffles. Thin, flimsy, pitiful waffles don’t hold up well to homemade chicken (or any chicken, for that matter).
A double-sided Belgian waffle iron is even better because you can knock out two waffles simultaneously.
Scoop about 3/4 a cup of batter onto the greased waffle iron set to medium heat. Bake to your preferred doneness- I like a crispy waffle, so I’m at the higher end of the dial. Once the waffle is done baking, transfer it to a sheetpan and keep the waffles warm in the oven while you make the rest.
How Do I Serve the Chicken and Waffles?
Arrange a waffle on the plate, then top the waffle with two pieces of crispy buttermilk chicken. You can balance the honey-cinnamon butter scoops on the hot chicken or put it directly onto the waffle. It’s really up to you.
You can pour maple syrup over the chicken and waffles or serve them as is. A sprinkle of powdered sugar on top of your chicken and waffles is also a great idea!
How Do I Store Leftovers?
Store leftover waffles at room temperature in a covered container or food storage bag for 1 day. Avoid storing waffles in the refrigerator since cold air causes them to go stale faster. To reheat waffles, break them in half and toast them for 30 seconds to a minute in the toaster on one of the lower settings. Alternatively, you can reheat waffles in a 250°F oven until warmed through.
Fried chicken can be stored in the fridge for 3 days in a covered container. Reheat the chicken in a 350°F (177°C) oven until warm.
The butter is good for up to 2 weeks. Just keep it in the fridge in a sealed container.
Can I Freeze Chicken and Waffles?
Chicken and waffles can be frozen separately for up to 3 months. Allow the chicken and waffles to cool, then transfer them to freezer storage bags. Thaw the chicken in the fridge and the waffles at room temperature when ready to eat and reheat as instructed above.
Your taste buds will love this sweet and savory combination of Chicken and Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter, and with good reason, too. There’s nothing more comforting than amazing food that conjures up home, wherever home is, and this recipe delivers on that. If this is your first time making chicken and waffles, let me know what you think of the mash-up. Don’t forget to pin this recipe to your dinner or breakfast boards and share it with your friends and family!
Chicken and Waffles with Honey-Cinnamon Butter
at Sense & EdibilityEquipment
- 5qt Dutch Oven
- waffle iron
- electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Buttermilk Chicken Marinade (begin at least 3 hours ahead)
- 1 tablespoon (18 grams) kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons (2 grams) onion powder
- 2 teaspoons (2 grams) granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dry sage
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 2 1/2 pounds (1 kilogram) chicken wings (or 8 each)
- 2 cups (500 milliliters) buttermilk
To Fry the Chicken
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) cornstarch
- vegetable oil for frying
For the Honey-Cinnamon Butter (may be made 2 weeks ahead)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) salted honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground vanilla or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
For the Sweet Cream Waffles
- 1 3/4 cups (230g) cake flour
- 1 tablespoon (12g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (3g) kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113g) unsalted butter melted
- 4 tablespoons (60g) granulated sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) vanilla extract optional
- 3 large eggs whites separated from yolks
Optional Additions
- maple syrup
- powdered sugar
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken (begin at least 3 hours ahead)
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the kosher salt, onion powder, granulated garlic powder, dry sage, black pepper, ground cumin, paprika, dried thyme, ground coriander, and cayenne pepper until they're evenly mixed. Remove two tablespoons of the spice blend to later season the flour. Sprinkle the rest of the spice blend over the chicken wings in an even layer on both sides.
- Add the seasoned chicken pieces to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them ensuring all the pieces are submerged and the buttermilk is touching them. Cover the bowl and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.
Make the Honey-Cinnamon Butter While the Chicken Marinates
- Add the butter, honey, ground cinnamon, and vanilla to a medium mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer set on low to blend the ingredients for 30 seconds or until combined. Increase the speed to high once the cinnamon and vanilla are blended in, and whip until the butter is light and fluffy.
- If you're using the honey-cinnamon butter right away, you can store it, covered, at room temperature. If not, cover the bowl and store it in the refrigerator. Remove the bowl from the fridge 20 minutes before scooping to allow it to soften slightly.
Bread, Then Fry the Chicken
- Preheat frying oil to 365°F (185°C) in a large cast iron dutch oven, frying pan, or deep skillet. Set up two wire cooling racks over sheetpans to dry out the breaded chicken and one to drain the chicken after frying it. You can also dry the breaded chicken on a sheet of aluminum foil.Preheat your oven to 170°F (76°C) for keeping the fried chicken warm.
- Combine the remaining spice rub with the all-purpose flour and cornstarch in a large bowl. Remove the chicken wings, one at a time, from the buttermilk- allowing excess buttermilk to drip back into the marinating bowl- and place them, 2 or 3 at a time in the seasoned flour.
- Toss the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour to coat them evenly and thoroughly.Shake off any excess flour from the chicken pieces and lay them on the wire rack for 10-15 minutes to allow the breading to set while the oil heats.
- Carefully add the wings to the pot of hot oil once it reaches 365°F (185°C) and allow them to fry for one minute. Flip them over after a minute. Flip the chicken back to the first side after 3 minutes and finish frying for 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).*It takes 9 minutes to fry chicken wings. Other parts of the chicken will take 12 minutes to fry.*
Drain the Chicken and Keep Warm
- Use a pair of tongs to remove the chicken from the oil and transfer them the prepared draining station. Keep the chicken warm in a 170°F oven while you fry the rest of the pieces.
Mix the Waffle Batter
- Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl three times. Set this bowl aside.In a separate bowl, use a whisk to combine the melted butter, cream, 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of the sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolks thoroughly. Set this bowl aside.
- Using a hand mixer on low speed, whip the egg whites in a medium bowl for 1 minutes, or until they look foamy. Once the whites look foamy, gradually sprinkle in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of sugar.
- Increase the mixing speed to high once the sugar has been added. Continue whipping on high speed for another 2-3 minutes or until the egg whites stand straight out from the beaters when they're lifted from the mixture in the bowl. The whites should look glossy and wet.
- Add the wet ingredients (minus the egg whites) to the flour mixture and fold just until no flour is visible.Gently fold the egg whites into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Do your best to avoid deflating the egg whites as you fold them in. Fold just until you can no longer see streaks of white from the whipped eggs. The batter will be thick and appear spongy.
Make the Waffles and Assemble the Chicken and Waffles
- Generously grease a waffle iron and preheat it to medium heat.Scoop 3/4 cup of waffle batter and bake to your preferred doneness. Once the waffle is done baking, transfer it to a sheetpan and keep the waffles warm in the oven while you make the rest.
- Arrange a waffle on the plate, then top the waffle with two pieces of crispy buttermilk chicken. Scoop the honey-cinnamon butter onto the hot chicken or put it directly onto the waffle.
- Pour maple syrup over the chicken and waffles, top it with a few shakes of powdered sugar or serve them as is. Enjoy while hot.
Notes
Additions, Swaps, and Substitutions:
- Use my Chicken Seasoning Blend and add 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for an easy seasoning blend.
- Replace the paprika with hot paprika for spicy chicken.
- A cup of sour cream stirred together with a cup of water or 2 cups of plain kefir are good substitutes for buttermilk.
- If you like spicy chicken, add a tablespoon of hot sauce to the marinade.
- You can use regular honey in place of salted honey.
- Use salted butter if you're using plain honey.
- If you're using a whole, cut-up chicken, increase your all-purpose flour to 3 cups to ensure you have enough breading. All other ingredients will stay the same.
- You can make buttermilk at home by stirring together 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of skim or 2% milk. Allow the acid to curdle the milk for 15 minutes. Double this for this particular recipe to get 2 cups.
- You should marinate chicken for Southern fried chicken at least 3 hours before frying, but overnight is best.
- Don't marinate the chicken longer than 24 hours since the acidity of the buttermilk will make the meat mushy.
- Leftover honey-cinnamon butter makes a great topping for bagels, pancakes, or toast.
- Allowing the breaded chicken to rest on a cooling rack before frying gives the breading a chance to nestle into the surface of the chicken, which means it's less likely to fall off during frying.
- Avoid draining fried chicken on paper towels because they trap excess oil against the chicken, making it soggy instead of crispy.
- This waffle recipe makes 4 waffles exactly. You can double the recipe if you want more waffles.
- Fat inhibits the egg whites from whipping to their fullest potential, so make sure the bowl is squeaky clean.
- You can store the honey-cinnamon butter in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Cover the bowl, or transfer the whipped butter to a storage container to free up the bowl.
- Store leftover waffles at room temperature in a covered container or food storage bag for 1 day. Avoid storing waffles in the refrigerator since cold air causes them to go stale faster.
- To reheat waffles, break them in half and toast them for 30 seconds to a minute in the toaster on one of the lower settings. Alternatively, you can reheat waffles in a 250°F oven until warmed through.
- Fried chicken can be stored in the fridge for 3 days in a covered container. Reheat the chicken in a 350°F (177°C) oven until warm.
- You can freeze the honey-cinnamon butter in a freezer-safe container for 2 months.
- Chicken and waffles can be frozen separately for up to 3 months:
- Allow the chicken and waffles to cool, then transfer them to freezer storage bags.
- Thaw the chicken in the fridge and the waffles at room temperature when ready to eat and reheat as instructed above.
Celebrated National Chicken & Waffle Day with this recipe and hot d@mn! Made this as written but used chicken tenders and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
First, LOL at “Hot Damn!” (BTW You can cuss here). And, second, look at you having your life together that you can plan ahead for national food holidays. Teach me your ways, LOL!!
Haha! YESSSS! I made this the first time about a year ago, and I’m still coming back! This chicken & waffle recipe is SO GOOD. We are hooked!
AMAZING. I made this recipe yesterday for Easter brunch and I can’t tell you how big a hit it was! My husband said it was the best chicken and waffles he’s ever had (and he’s had A LOT of chicken & waffles)! Our entire family raved about this recipe (we also made your honey almond granola, which was such a big hit I had to sacrifice my batch and send everyone home with some…I’ll be making more today)! The waffles were perfect – I’ll admit to being skeptical of the triple sift and the egg white folding, but I’m a believer now and I promise to never doubt you again! If you’re on the fence about making this…just do it! You won’t regret it! Just a note that I used boneless/skinless chicken thighs that I cut in half (lengthwise) and I fried them for 7 minutes and they were perfect! Thank you, Marta for making our Easter egg-stra special! 😉
This makes me so happy! I love that your hubby loves it as much as we do. And, yes, I’m all about folks having trust issues with the sifting, but I’m so glad you see how light and airy it makes the waffles. This was a great comment to wake up to. Thanks so much for writing, Cori Ann!
I just found your website two nights ago. My kids kept asking for waffles for dinner. So I went searching for chicken and waffles. Oh my word it was ammmaaaaazing. We only had chicken breast so I sliced thinly to decrease cook time. That honey butter though!
I’m definitely going to start following now!
I’m so excited that you and your crew are joining my merry band of cooking misfits! Thanks so much for taking the time to report back and great move on reducing the frying time of the chicken!
Had the pleasure of making this recipe via your virtual class and it was PHENOMENAL!!!! Tonight was my second time making the friend chicken wings but this time I paired it with the arroz con gandules recipe I found on your page, OOOOMMMMGGGGG!!!!!!!! So good, super easy AND informative instructions to follow, thank you Marta!
Thanks so much for joining me in class! I love a good chicken wing and kudos to you for pairing it with a different recipe!
Waffles and chicken arre new combination to me. NEver had it before but sounds interesting. Will give a try.
I hope you do! Millions of people from the States love it.
I have heard of this combination before and wanted to try it out for me and my family to try. Your pictures look amazing and very tempting! I love how you added clear steps it makes everything so much easier. This recipe is perfect, I can finally stop looking for a recipe for this! I cant wait to try this out. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’m so glad to hear you loved it, Ramona!