Who wants chicken and waffles? Where to find in Hawaiʻi

HONOLULU (KHON2) — It’s National Chicken and Waffles Day!

Although lots of regions love to claim that they are the inventors of the ono sweet and savory dish chicken with waffles, only place that can be confirm.

But before we get into the origins of pairing fried chicken with waffles, let’s take a look at where the component parts were first created.

Chicken that has been marinated and fried in an oil has been around since at the Roman Empire. Chickens were domesticated around 6,000 BCE in various parts of South and Southeast Asia and spread into Egypt.

West African tribes were known to fry many of their foods, and chicken was not excluded from this. Some believe that it was this tradition of fried foods that led to the Southern creation of fried chicken that has become so prevalent in the United States.

Hannah Glass is credited with creating the southern fried chicken concept that we have all grown to love. Her cookbook was published in 1747. She was English but lived in Virginia. There is some conjecture as to whether the recipe was hers or the recipe of a slave who cooked in her kitchen.

As a staple food for many southern households, fried chicken has taken up a very special place in their favorite meals for several cultures around the world in our modern times.

Meanwhile, waffles originated in The Netherlands. It easier to trace the creation of waffles as they are directly related to the Catholic Church.

According to the stories, waffles are linked to communion wafers. The ancient Greeks created a flat cakes that were cooked between two iron plates. This influenced the creation of communion wafers when the Vatican was first conceptualizing rites of passage for their new religion.

But it was during the Middle Ages that wealthy families began making their own, tastier wafers that they called waffles. These waffles were cooked between two iron plates that were engraved with family crests and crosses.

When the Pilgrims that had set sail to colonize Turtle Island (what is now known as the United States, Canada and Mexico, they first made a pitstop in The Netherlands where they met up with some Anabaptists. These Anabaptists introduced waffles to the English colonizers who loved them and took the concept and recipe with them to their new colony in Plymouth Rock.

But it wasn’t until Jazz came to NYC that chicken and waffles became the dish that we know today.

Richard “Dickie” Wells opened Wells in 1938 in Harlem. He fed jazz musicians who were getting off in the wee hours of the morning his take on a meal that is between dinner and breakfast and began serving chicken and waffles. From that point, the dish exploded in popularity.

So, where can you find the best chicken and waffles in Hawaiʻi? Let’s take a look.

On Oahu

1. Pancakes & Waffles BLD located in Kalihi and Waimalu.
2. Bimi is located on Kapiolani Boulevard.
3. Scratch Kitchen in Kakaako.
4. Guieb Cafe located in Kalihi, Wahiawa and Aiea.
5. Eggs ‘N Things located in Koʻolina, Saratoga, Ala Moana and Waikīkī.

On Hawaiʻi Island

1. Whatta Waffle located on Kilauea Avenue in Hilo.
2. Coconut Grill on Banyan Way in Hilo.
3. Willie’s Hot Chicken on Pawai Place in Kailua-Kona.

On Kauai

1. Daddy O’s located in Lihue.
2. Lava’s on Poipu Beach in Koloa.

We couldn’t verify any places on Maui that offer chicken and waffles.

We hope you have an amazing National Chicken and Waffles Day!