Easy Southern Chicken and Waffles

5 from 56 votes

The classic chicken and waffles is a well-loved breakfast combo. Try this Southern chicken and waffles recipe your family will surely love.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 1686kcal

Make the waffles according to your recipe. Follow package directions for store-bought waffle mix.
4 waffles
Prepare the chicken and cut it into bite-size pieces.
1 pound chicken breasts
Place a skillet over medium heat and put in the oil.
2 cups oil
While waiting for the oil to heat up, prepare your makeshift breading station. Place the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in separate bowls.
1/2 cup flour, 4 eggs, 2 cups bread crumbs
Dredge the chicken in flour, then dip it in eggs, and coat it with breadcrumbs. Dip it in eggs then coat it with breadcrumbs again for extra crispiness.
Fry the breaded chicken by carefully placing each piece in the hot oil. Cook the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
Remove the chicken from the oil once it has a nice golden-brown color and transfer it to a wire rack.
Place the waffle on a serving plate then top with the fried chicken. Drizzle the waffles and chicken with syrup. Serve and enjoy!
3/4 cup maple syrup

Pat dry the chicken before dredging it with flour. Excess moisture will prevent the flour from sticking to the surface of the chicken. When that happens, you won’t have a stable layer of flour to hold the coating of eggs and breadcrumbs.
Shake off excess flour when dredging the chicken. Aside from excess moisture, a thick layer of flour won’t help create a good layer of breading. Not removing excess flour is one of the common mistakes that causes breading to fall off the chicken after frying.
Don’t forget to season the chicken and flour. Sprinkle salt and ground pepper on the chicken before dredging with flour so they won’t turn out bland. Mixing a few herbs and spices into the flour for flavorful fried chicken is also best.
Let the waffle batter rest for a few minutes. Whether using store-bought waffle mix or making it from scratch, allow the batter to rest for a few minutes. This will allow the flour and wet ingredients to be well incorporated to produce light and fluffy waffles.
Drizzle with maple syrup before serving to ensure the chicken stays crispy. The moisture from the syrup can make the fried chicken’s exterior soggy when it’s drizzled ahead of serving the dish.