Chicken And Waffles

[+ Avalon]

On the recent episode of "MasterChef Junior" the young chefs had to make chicken and waffles. I just don't get it. To me waffles are for breakfast and chicken is for lunch or dinner. It must be a regional thing.

 

Now there are some things one can have for any meal. My father liked biscuits and gravy and could eat that for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

[bigvalboy]

In LA...

1. Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles

 

Roscoe's large, manhole-cover style waffles never fail, and while they're substantial enough to support the chicken, they're soft enough to make eating them vastly enjoyable. Because chicken and waffles is the specialty here, there are seemingly endless combinations of how to order the dish. There's the Carole C. Special, with one chicken breast and one waffle. There's Herb's Special, which gives you two waffles and half a chicken, with your choice of cuts. Or go with Obama's favorite, the Country Boy, with three wings and a waffle. Yep, Roscoe's is president-approved (most locations have framed photographs of him from his visit to the restaurant) and even if you don't agree with him on much else, we're fairly certain you can agree on Roscoe's. 5006 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, and other locations; (323) 934-4405.

 

Friends dragged me here a few years back. On any given day, there is a line out the door. I never understood the fascination. I'm a biscuits and gravy guy myself...

Edited March 17, 2018 by bigvalboy

[BgMstr4u]

Having lived in [East] Harlem for years, chicken and waffles is major down home comfort food. All the major food groups on one plate: sugar, salt, starch and grease. It helped make me what I am today!

[Boink]

Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles is pretty much an institution in LA, especially the one in Hollywood, on Gower. Overall, it comes across pretty much as a 'soul food' restaurant. I'd be surprised if they don't have biscuits & gravy on the menu, although I never looked. I like them because they are virtually the last place I can find where they serve good old fashioned flat and dense waffles, instead of the thick, raised, air-puffed 'Belgian' waffles that have taken over everywhere else. (I never understood who signed off on that modern phenom.)

[MikeBiDude]

http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-chicken-and-waffles/

 

They are a delight

[OCClient]

The Roscoe's in Hollywood was recommended to me when I confessed to a foodie never having chicken and waffles. It's on my list!

[marylander1940]

On the recent episode of "MasterChef Junior" the young chefs had to make chicken and waffles. I just don't get it. To me waffles are for breakfast and chicken is for lunch or dinner. It must be a regional thing.

 

Now there are some things one can have for any meal. My father liked biscuits and gravy and could eat that for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

 

Waffles could go well with anything on top or on the side, sweet or salty, a pretty versatile food.

[+ sync]

I've been aware of chicken and waffles forever, but I was never enticed enough to try it. For whatever reason I've always liked pancakes, but never had/have a taste for waffles.

[big-n-tall]

It's the combination of flavors (salty and sweet) and texture (moist waffle, crispy fried coating) that is appealing to most.

 

It's like when you eat syrup on bacon or a glaze on ham. Same idea in terms of mixing salty with sweet.

 

I also like honey on my fried chicken sometimes, with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Salty sweet hot... all the way.

[+ Avalon]

http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-chicken-and-waffles/

 

They are a delight

 

Interesting. Thank-you.

[+ Avalon]

I've been aware of chicken and waffles forever, but I was never enticed enough to try it. For whatever reason I've always liked pancakes, but never had/have a taste for waffles.

 

I preferred waffles to pancakes. In fact many years ago I bought my sister a waffle make so when I came to visit she could them (for me).

[Bearofdistinction]

I have always heard that the combo became popular with musicians finishing work at3-5am when all night Diners are changing menus == Fried Chicken and Waffles a combo that satisfies dinner and breakfast --- Personally I prefer mine with the white gravy used on Chicken Fried Steak

 

Not sure where the combo started -- But musicians do/did travel quite a lot in to 20-30s and today

Edited March 18, 2018 by Bearofdistinction

[+ honcho]

I preferred waffles to pancakes. In fact many years ago I bought my sister a waffle maker so when I came to visit she could them (for me).

 

--- Off Topic, not intending to be a grammar policeman ---

 

I'm wondering if I'm if there's a regional dialect difference, or "the times, they are a changin' " ?

 

When I was growing up, my mom called it a waffle iron, instead of waffle maker. She's from Chicago.

 

and even more off topic - when I was first starting out in the business 40 years ago there was "the waffle theory of computer programming" - you always throw out your first attempt at a project and do it better/more efficiently the second time.

[+ honcho]

Before I reaped a heap of derision, I googled "waffle iron" vs "waffle maker" and answer my own question:

 

Editor: Debbie, we think that the two terms are often used interchangeably. But, strictly speaking, a waffle iron is a gadget that makes waffles over the stove or campfire, like the model from REI pictured above:

 

• GSI Waffle Iron, $17.93 at REI

 

A waffle maker, on the other hand, refers to an all-in-one waffle-making system, with its own internal source of heat. It's like an electric griddle for waffles.

 

• UNO Round Belgian Waffler, $59.99 at Sur La Table

 

We have only used the second sort of waffle device, so we can't speak to the differences. But we have been wanting to try yeasted waffles in an old-fashioned cast iron waffle iron for a long time now!

[bigvalboy]

The Roscoe's in Hollywood was recommended to me when I confessed to a foodie never having chicken and waffles. It's on my list!

 

Go to the one on Gower...

[Rudynate]

I'm told it's good, but I've never tried it. It would solve one of the problems with waffles. When I have waffles or pancakes for breakfast, they digest so fast that I'm hungry in less than an hour and I break out in a cold sweat. The fat and protein in the chicken would give the waffle more staying power.

[amused1]

Chicken and waffles hold no appeal for me. Then again, I rarely combine sweet and savory foods. Shrug

[maninsoma]

I'm told it's good, but I've never tried it. It would solve one of the problems with waffles. When I have waffles or pancakes for breakfast, they digest so fast that I'm hungry in less than an hour and I break out in a cold sweat. The fat and protein in the chicken would give the waffle more staying power.

 

I certainly haven't tried chicken and waffles everywhere they are available here, but I can attest to the deliciousness of them at Straw on Octavia in San Francisco. What sets them apart for me versus what I have had elsewhere: they are not just chicken, waffles, and syrup. They add some cheese, jam, and powdered sugar. It's over the top decadent but the flavors work so well together. Runner up for me is Miller's East Coast Deli simply because their fried chicken was better, but the rest of the dish wasn't up to Straw's standards.

[MikeBiDude]

Go to the one on Gower...

The Roscoe’s Long Beach location is good as well, much more convenient for me and my SoCal locale.

[+ Gar1eth]

On the recent episode of "MasterChef Junior" the young chefs had to make chicken and waffles. I just don't get it. To me waffles are for breakfast and chicken is for lunch or dinner. It must be a regional thing.

 

Now there are some things one can have for any meal. My father liked biscuits and gravy and could eat that for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

 

When I saw the the title to this thread, I said to myself, “How interesting for this to come up now. Masterchef Junior just had a chicken and waffle on the last episode that I saw.”

 

I have to admit to feeling very much the same as you, @Avalon although I’ve ordered it a few times-more for the chicken than the waffle. Now in the interests of full disclosure, I’m one of those odd ducks (I’ll bet none of you would ever have guessed this from my posts here over the years. ) who doesn’t usually like breakfast foods for my evening meal. I’m not as against it as I used to be. Plus I can eat a breakfast burrito at just about anytime of the day, and I love the Tex-Mex dish of machaca (pot roast beef with scrambled eggs, mixed with fried tortilla chips, onions-but hold the cheese, sour cream, and jalapeños. I don’t like them. ) But traditionally I much prefer dinner food for breakfast.

 

 

I grew up in Texas, and I have had ancestors in Texas since at least the Civil War if not before. my mother never fixed this for me growing up. I don’t know if this was a staple in other Texas families, or whether it was imported from the Deep South. We were mainly ‘city folk’ though. But It seems to me it started showing up on menus about 10 years ago. While some families may have always served it, I almost get the feeling it became popular with the rising popularity of Southern diner cooking over the past 10 to 15 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone said, “Let’s combine these two southern favorites and see how they taste.”

 

I think the dish itself probably belongs in the category of Americans liking savory and sweet things mixed together-such as the syrup mixing with sausage when when you are having pancakes or waffles. While not authoritative, it seems to me I’ve read several human interest pieces by Bristish expats-who’ve said they were always interested in experiencing American food. They tried the syrup/savory combination and didn’t like it at all.

 

Gman

 

PS

 

http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-chicken-and-waffles/

 

They are a delight

 

Sorry @MikeBiDude -I hadn’t seen your post when I expounded on what I thought might be the possible origination of the dish.

 

Gman

Edited March 18, 2018 by Gar1eth

[Kenny]

While some families may have always served it, I almost get the feeling it became popular with the rising popularity of Southern diner cooking over the past 10 to 15 years.

Roscoe’s is much older than that. Been around for nearly 50 years. (And yes, chicken & waffles is soul food.)

 

And I love me some machaca, too. Mmmm.

[marylander1940]

I preferred waffles to pancakes. In fact many years ago I bought my sister a waffle make so when I came to visit she could them (for me).

 

What about crepes?

 

 

 

[Kenny]

What about crepes?

 

 

 

Crepes are best with butter, sprinkled with sugar, and rolled up like an empty burrito. And no chicken.

[+ Gar1eth]

Roscoe’s is much older than that. Been around for nearly 50 years. (And yes, chicken & waffles is soul food.)

 

And I love me some machaca, too. Mmmm.

 

I saw @MikeBiDude’s post with the reference from PBS about the origins of the dish after I posted mine. I edited and added an acknowledgment to him at the bottom

 

Thanks for the info on Roscoe’s. But I do think the increasing popularity of Southern Diner Cuisine has helped the dish spread even further in the last 10 years.

 

I’m not sure where you live, @Kenny. But in my neck of the woods in Texas, one of the places I can usually count on finding machaca is at IHOP, and it’s actually pretty good-although their salsa is only ok. I’ve had it at California IHOPs too. In fact IHOP may be the place I first experienced the deliciousness of machaca. You don’t know how upsetting it was when I moved to Washington state and found out it wasn’t on the menu at the local IHOPs. They have had it occasionally at the local IHOP in the city of Seatac. But it never stayed for long.

 

What about crepes?

 

 

 

 

Crepes are very pretty. But I’ve never been that fond of them. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll eat them depending on the filling. But they aren’t my favorite. I’m a waffle lover over pancakes too.

 

Gman

[+ Gar1eth]

PS-I just wanted to mention that I love our food threads. But it made me think. I probably should have picked up on this earlier. But things have been a bit stressful lately. @jjkrkwood usually has great food thread contributions. Wondering what he might say to this thread, I realized I might not have seen a post from him for a while. On checking I see he hasn’t posted in close to a month. I hope he’s ok since we know he had posted about his own health issues.

 

Does anyone know anything?

 

Gman