The Soul Food Born of the Harlem Renaissance

Nothing beats the sweet and savory soul food combo that is chicken and waffles. But, was it meant for breakfast or dinner? Turns out, for the man credited with the dish's creation: it was both. Joseph T. Wells was a restaurateur in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance, and the chicken and waffles dish for which he became known was the fuel for this American cultural movement.

This story is a part of our Flavors series, where we do so much more than play with our food. Come with us as we dive into deliciously different and tastefully off-beat stories in the culinary world.

[haneul]

when I was visiting in America, I tried chicken and waffles, and it’s honestly really good lol

[JakeLovesSteak]

Dammit. Now I want chicken and waffles. Thanks a lot.

[kev]

as a kid...I loved to mix my foods and eat weird things...I would invent like some weird food combinations...and as a kid I used to eat my fried chicken with my waffles, but I didn't know it was so iconic

[nothin]

This is not not completely true. Jazz players during the Harlem Renaissance would play get off late at night and go to diners for food. Some musicians thought it was late enough to still want chicken while others thought it was early enough to want waffles. They finally combined it together to create a chcken and waffles plate.

[hedgehatchet]

Fried Chicken + Waffles + Maple Syrup + Tabasco Sauce = Perfection!

[Moody]

Chicken and waffles goes all the way back to the 1600's with the Pennsylvania Dutch.

[shepherd]

This reminds me of the cake and bacon from the fairly odd parents
And the bacon pancakes from adventure time

[steveheredia-aguilar]

So that’s where it came from. Man, this channel is so amazing.

[nancymcnafferson]

I have never tried chicken and waffles, but I love chicken and I love waffles. I don’t see why that wouldn’t be delicious together.

[ItsaRandomista]

But my cousin from Atlanta said chicken and waffles is not a thing there.. SOMEONE is lyin.. Or mistaken

[newplaceswithnavean]

these comments are so negative...its just chicken and waffles. it is a thing ( especially down here in atlanta ) and this was in the 1920s. There was no more slavery !! Blacks werent equal but they weren't slaves. that crap ended in 1865. why can't yall just say "interesting" instead of talking about slavery and how thats not supposed to be soul food? 😒

[issacclark]

The man playing Joe T. Wells is absolutely handsome! I'm saying that as a dude - that man is perfection!

[bitmad]

Yeah serve this in my school cafeteria in North Carolina

[livestreettheaters]

My great grand pops and great uncle #harlem 👑

[evelynmuniz]

It's not complicated. If you didn't have breakfast meat leftover you improvised. Whatever you had the night before with pancakes, grits, are waffles

[timetellersunion]

Man those southerners know what food is now add a bit of soul from a northerner and yum

[psifrost]

What’s the song name to the background 😭😭😭😭 i can’t find it anywhere

[wheatifer]

I've been trying to run down the origin of this dish. "They" say it's southern. People have argued over it. My husband and I have discussed it. We, personally, had never even heard of this until the last 10 years or so. I do not believe this originated anywhere near the south. My mother is from chesterfield, SC. It doesn't get much more country and southern than that. She never made chicken and waffles. She did make fried cornbread, hoecakes, potato pancakes, grits, fried chicken, turnip greens, rutebegas, sausage gravy, biscuits, fried fishtails, fatback, pinto beans, blackeyed peas, cornbread dressing, cornbread, coffee toast, creamed corn, potato salad, coleslaw, pound cake, bread pudding, and hundreds of other great things to eat..but not once did she ever even talk about chicken and waffles. My husband's mother is also from south Carolina. Same there. Glad to see this video clearing up the origins. It's not from any kind of South I've ever seen.

[Randomboi-gsqf]

Wow i just thought that someone really wanted sausage and pancakes lol

[thatsilentguy]

Damn my stomachs doing the Harlem Shake...