Have You Tried Our Chicken and Waffles?

Boy oh boy! Chicken and Waffles…what a wonderful combo! Loved by so many, this unique Southern staple has been perfected and reimagined by chefs throughout history so many times. It’s been served in restaurants and diners everywhere and surely wins the hearts and minds of everyone who visits East Tennessee. This dish is so common we don’t often stop and think of its origins. Nevertheless, its history is fascinating!

Although the exact origin of Chicken and Waffles is unknown, culinary scholars agree that it was brought to America from Europe all the way back in the 1600s. The dish became a real kicker after Thomas Jefferson purchased four waffle irons in Amsterdam. And so it went...

But the chicken wasn’t the first ingredient that accompanied waffles back in the day. It was catfish, out of all things! In the 1800s, some restaurants in Philadelphia were spotted serving Catfish and Waffles. However, due to the high demand and seasonality of catfish, it wasn’t always available, and fried chicken soon replaced it.

It’s hard to say when Chicken and Waffles came to the South and became a staple as it hasn’t appeared in any known cookbooks such as Mrs. Porter’s Southern Cookery Book published in 1871. It’s not until 1917 when Edna Ferber mentioned a restaurant advertising “Southern chicken dinner with waffles and real maple syrup, 35 cents each” in her Fanny Herself book.

The Chicken and Waffles trend was inspired by the Harlem restaurant called Wells Supper Club that opened in 1938 and soon became a late-night hotspot for jazz musicians stopping by for an after-performance snack. They were too late for dinner and too early for breakfast so the delicious combo of chicken and waffles was a perfect way to satisfy their midnight cravings.

These are just some of the historic highlights. Here, at Elvira’s Cafe, we are all about Chicken and Waffles. It's been on our menu for a number of years and our guests love it! The secret is in locally-sourced chicken and Belgian waffles. We prefer Belgian waffles because they are thicker and larger than regular waffles. They are also made with deep pockets perfect for holding pools of delicious syrup! Also, the batter is made with egg whites that make waffles light and fluffy. Come try them out and see for yourself what our guests are raving about!