Nashville Hot Chicken Waffle Towers Recipe

Name: Nashville Hot Chicken Waffle Towers Recipe
Prep time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: For the waffles; 1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar; 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder; ½ tsp (2.5 mL) salt; 1¼ cups (310 mL) milk; ¼ cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, melted; For the towers; 1 Taylor Farms Nashville Hot Mini Chopped Salad Kit; 6–8 breaded chicken tenders; Hot honey, optional

Nashville Hot Chicken Waffle Towers Recipe with Package

The only thing that’s perhaps better than Nashville hot chicken? Probably Nashville hot chicken and waffles. But what if there was a way to top that? Specifically, a literal tower of Nashville hot chicken and waffles topped with our Nashville Hot Mini Chopped Salad Kit! So many good things in one tasty tower. And it works even better than you can imagine. But you don’t need to imagine anything, because you can make it a reality with this recipe. You’re the waffle tower foreman now. Happy constructing!

Total TIME:
35 minutes

Active TIME:
20 minutes

SERVINGS:
2

Ingredients

For the waffles

1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp (30 mL) sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
½ tsp (2.5 mL) salt
1¼ cups (310 mL) milk
¼ cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, melted

For the towers

1 Taylor Farms Nashville Hot Mini Chopped Salad Kit
6–8 breaded chicken tenders
Hot honey, optional

Directions

Preheat a waffle iron. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and melted butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined.
Cook the batter in the waffle iron until golden and crisp. This should make about 6 waffles, depending on the size of your iron.
Air fry the chicken tenders according to package directions until crisp and cooked through.
Toss the Nashville Hot salad with its dressing and toppings.
Build each tower with a waffle, a layer of salad, and chicken tenders. Repeat, adding a third waffle and finishing with more salad and chicken. Drizzle with hot honey, if desired, and serve right away!

What came first: the chicken or the waffle?

Chicken and waffles have a longer, richer history than you may think, and it spans two very different timelines. In the mid-1800s, Pennsylvania Dutch communities paired unsweetened waffles with chicken and savoury gravy, which is the earliest known version of “chicken and waffles.” By the 1860s, the dish was widespread and became a somewhat common Sunday supper. But unlike modern brunchier versions, there was no syrup in sight — the waffles soaked up the gravy in place of bread. Not a bad start in the least.

The fried chicken version most people know today has its own story. Black communities in Baltimore and Philadelphia routinely held chicken-and-waffle dinners in the late 1800s. By the 1930s, restaurants and clubs in Harlem were serving fried chicken with waffles, including the famous Wells Supper Club. The dish became a widespread favourite among late-night diners, especially hungry musicians coming in after a show.

In the 1970s, Harlem native Herb Hudson opened Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles, bringing the fried chicken version to an even wider audience. Today, you’re likely to see that version topped with syrup or hot honey. And don’t worry, the Dutch version is still enjoyed to this day, especially around Amish communities in Pennsylvania. So they both share the same accurately descriptive name, but each has its own history and culinary approach!