5 Facts You Never Knew About Fried Chicken & Waffles | Metro Diner (2024)

FAQs

What is a fun fact about chicken and waffles? ›

It was a 19^th century Pennsylvania Dutch delicacy. Fast forward to 1917 when a Chicago restaurant advertised a Southern chicken dinner with waffles and real maple syrup (35 cents each!) Today, Metro Diner serves more than 1,300 orders of fried chicken and waffles every day!

Fried chicken provided some means of an independent economy for enslaved and segregated African-American women, who became noted sellers of poultry (live or cooked) as early as the 1730s.

1 Waffles have been eaten since the 14th century. 2 Nike's first pair of sneakers, Waffle Trainers, were made using a real waffle iron. 3 “Waffle” descends from the Dutch word for “wafer.” 4 The world's biggest waffle was 8 feet long and weighed 110 pounds.

Chicken and waffles were on the menu at this Harlem restaurant back during the jazz era of music. The story always goes that the dish was designed to be served between dinner and breakfast in the early hours when musicians were likely finished with their sets. A Harlem native even brought the recipe to L.A.

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.

Description. Chicken and waffles, as a combined recipe, first appeared in the United States' colonial period in the 1600s in Pennsylvania Dutch country. The traditional Pennsylvania Dutch version consists of a plain waffle with pulled, stewed chicken on top, covered in gravy.

The word waffle first appears in the English language in 1725: "Waffles. Take flower, cream..." It is directly derived from the Dutch wafel, which itself derives from the Middle Dutch wafele.

Yet we can claim that waffles are considered one of the oldest desserts in history. 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.

Pancakes are way older than waffles; they've been around in some form since at least the 1430s, based on the first written record of the word “pancake,” but probably existed long before then in some form. The first waffle iron was only patented in 1869, so relatively speaking, it's still the new kid on the block.

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.

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.

If you like fried chicken and you also happen to like waffles, then chances are you are going to enjoy this dish. While the two food items may not seem like they do not go together, the flavors actually compliment one another quite well.

Market research firm Datassential reports that chicken & waffles are currently found on 4.6% of menus across the United States., up 45% over the past four years.

In Germany, it was common to serve meat with something to soak it up. When German immigrants came to America (the Pennsylvania Dutch) home cooks made waffles and then topped them with pulled chicken and gravy. The Pilgrims briefly stopped in Holland prior to coming to America where they discovered the waffle.

Not only is chicken packed with muscle-building protein and nutrients, but research shows eating chicken may help with weight control. Chicken also gives consumers the highest rate of nutrients for their food dollar.

Whether it's because of their quirky shape or golden-brown deliciousness, one thing's for certain – fans can't get enough of 'em. The Waffle Potato Fries were first rolled out in 1985 and turned the French fry industry upside down.