Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and Waffles... 

the legendary late night dinning experience.

So legendary that Gladys Knight and Ron Winan  deemed it worthy for the title of their restaurant. I have to admit I have been quite intrigued with chicken and waffles since I saw the dish on the Food Network. I think it was Guy Fietti on "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives". It was a brief spiel about the supposed origin. I remember it being something about too late for dinner, but too early for breakfast. Ensue the birth of a signature dish for many restaurants.

Much to my surprise when researching to write this piece I found that there are actually two different styles of the dish. One with pulled, stewed chicken and white gravy atop the waffles, and the better known, fried chicken and waffles with butter and syrup. I have had both boneless and bone-in. Bone-in has more flavor of course, therefore taking the waffle. I prefer wings to breast or legs... probably because I am a big fan of chicken wings ('preciate ya Lafayette, nothing like Chings) Side note: if you're ever in Memphis check out Chings Wings.

Though there are two types, the latter is surely more popular than the one with stewed chicken. Like all legendary dishes the exact origin is not really known. I believe this is a measure by which to test the greatness of dishes, such as chicken and dumplings and the chicken wing itself. Some say Chicken and Waffles originate as far back as the 19th century when slaves were freed and began migrating to the North. It was popular in these days to wring a chickens neck and fry it for breakfast. It would be accompanied by some type of breakfast bread. Another popular version says that it starting appearing in cookbooks soon after Thomas Jefferson brought back a waffle iron from France around 1790 

I believe Chicken and Waffles is not just simply a dish to be eaten but rather the centerpiece for late night stories, sobering up after a night on the town, or possibly a favorite of late night musicians playing for passion more than money or fame. None the less it is an experience to be shared with good friends. 

I recently experienced Chicken and Waffles for the second time. It began with a good friend who is road tripping to Portland, Oregon. Our experience began with attempting to find a place that had the legendary dish. I knew of one fast food place, but was desiring some place that possibly considered chicken and waffles to be their specialty. No such luck. We had to settle for Mrs. Winners fried chicken. I figured I would settle for sitting inside Mrs. Winners, so to check their hours I called. Much to my surprise when someone answered the phone I inquired "what are your hours". His reply was, "Huh??" I asked again and he referred  to his manager. I thought that was a pretty basic question, but anyway we missed the lobby time and settled for the late night drive thru which is always open. We even had a bit of trouble ordering at the drive thru, but who hasn't...

Though this may lead you believe that this late night adventure would rank sub-par it did the opposite. When you deal with fast food you should expect the unexpected. I mean at least it gives the patrons something to laugh about. These orders of Chicken and Waffles were great. The chicken had a thick and peppery batter. The waffles were light, fluffy, and buttery. There was enough syrup to drizzle a bit over the chicken which I feel is an integral part of experiencing Chicken and Waffle. 

To say the very least this was a great way to spend time with and talk with a good friend.