If you're not familiar with PA Dutch Chicken and Waffles (also called Amish chicken and waffles), this is a delicious, wholesome comfort food you'll want to try. Lancaster County-style chicken and waffles feature roasted chicken and creamy homemade gravy served over fluffy from-scratch waffles. It's a unique Pennsylvania Dutch dish, just like chicken pot pie or shoofly pie.
While the South has a version with crispy fried chicken and maple syrup, the Pennsylvania Dutch version I grew up with uses chopped/shredded chicken and savory gravy over fresh waffles. It's a whole new level of comfort and flavor.
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Why You'll Love PA Dutch Chicken and Waffles
- Authentic Amish Comfort Food: Enjoy the rich flavors of Lancaster County with tender roasted chicken, creamy gravy, and fluffy from-scratch waffles.
- Versatile and Easy: Use leftover chicken, a rotisserie bird, or cook from scratch - this recipe works any way you like.
- Perfect for Any Meal: Whether it's breakfast, brunch, or a hearty dinner, this dish is a family favorite that always impresses.
- Made-from-Scratch Goodness: Fresh waffles and homemade gravy take this classic to the next level. It's comforting, wholesome, and totally satisfying.
How to Cook the Chicken/Shortcut Options
To make Pennsylvania Dutch country chicken and waffles, we'll begin by talking about the chicken.
While this Amish recipe suggests roasting a whole chicken for chicken and waffles, there are various options for cooking chicken when preparing this dish.
It's easy to roast a whole chicken, and roasting it adds delicious flavor. Simply take a whole chicken, dry the skin with paper towels, rub it all over with butter or oil, and sprinkle it with seasonings. Roast the chicken in the oven at 375 degrees F. for approximately 1 ½ hours or until the internal temperature, at the thickest part, reaches at least 165 degrees.
It really doesn't matter though, whether you use chicken breast, chicken thighs, stewed chicken, or a whole roasted chicken. Feel free to use your favorite chicken recipe. You can slow-cook a couple of chicken breasts, use leftover chicken, or even repurpose leftover turkey.
A quick and easy option is to buy a ready-made rotisserie chicken. It's delicious, super handy, and it's inexpensive.
However you choose to cook the chicken, the goal is to have approximately four cups of cooked shredded tender chicken.
Prepare the Chicken
When using a whole chicken to make chicken gravy for waffles, you will need to debone it (remove all the bones from the meat). Then you can use the bones to make bone broth.
After cooking and deboning the chicken, pull or cut the meat into the desired size pieces. Keep the chicken warm until ready to serve.
Waffles
Waffles serve as the base for this Pennsylvania Dutch chicken dish.
Now, there's no sin in buying frozen waffles to use, but they are nowhere near as tasty as homemade waffles. (My husband thinks store-bought frozen waffles taste like cardboard. lol)
If you want to truly experience authentic Amish chicken and waffles, you will need to whip up a batch of fresh waffles. (You will need a waffle maker - affiliate link.)
Use your favorite waffles recipe or try my recipe for fluffy waffles which I shared in another post. Made with melted butter and whipped egg whites, it is my favorite waffle recipe!
How to Make the Gravy for Chicken and Waffles
Homemade gravy is the final touch to Amish chicken and waffles.
To start the gravy, melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour, and cook it together to create a roux. Then, whisk in the chicken broth and finish by adding heavy cream (or half and half) for richness and creaminess.
Whisk frequently and bring it to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and add the seasonings. To make it like the Amish recipe, we only add a bit of salt, pepper, and parsley. Personally, I feel like it needs a bit more seasoning.
My family enjoys dishes with just a bit of a kick. So we sprinkle Tony's Creole seasoning (affiliate link) and paprika into many of our savory dishes, this being one of them. Feel free to season as desired.
How to Serve PA Dutch Chicken and Waffles With Gravy
Freshly made, crispy waffles serve as the best base for classic chicken and waffles. So you may want to wait to cook them until you have the chicken prepared. Or you can always pop them into the toaster for a quick reheat just before serving.
There are two options for serving the chicken and gravy: either mix the cooked chicken into the prepared gravy or keep them separate. Allow everyone to customize their waffles by adding the preferred amount of chicken and then pouring gravy on top.
I have a child who isn't fond of gravy, so I opt to serve it separately. In my childhood, we used to combine the chicken with the gravy, spooning the mixture over the top of the waffles and adding a touch of maple syrup. It's great either way.
If you get a chance to eat at a restaurant in PA Dutch country that features Pennsylvania Dutch food, you might find chicken and waffles on the menu.
Before I got married, I was a waitress at Yoder's Country Restaurant & Buffet in New Holland, PA. They have a buffet featuring PA Dutch food and used to have chicken and waffles on the menu. (I haven't been there in many years, so I don't know what it's like today.)
More PA Dutch Recipes
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PA Dutch Chicken and Waffles Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 (3-4 pound) whole roasted chicken - approximately 4 cups of pulled or shredded chicken meat (leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken works great)
Gravy:
- ¼ cup butter (4 Tbsp.)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup heavy cream (or half and half)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Waffles:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 6 tablespoons melted butter (approx. ⅓ c.)
Instructions
Chicken:
- Roast a whole chicken or purchase a rotisserie chicken. Pull the meat off the bones and cut or shred it into the desired size pieces.1 (3-4 pound) whole roasted chicken - approximately 4 cups of pulled or shredded chicken meat
- Place the prepared chicken into a covered dish and keep it warm in a 200℉ oven until ready to serve.
Gravy:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the melted butter and whisk together until slightly golden.¼ cup butter (4 Tbsp.), ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Slowly add the chicken broth while whisking. Continue whisking until the gravy achieves a smooth consistency. Add the cream, and bring it to a full boil, whisking frequently.2 cups chicken broth, ¼ cup heavy cream (or half and half)
- Remove it from the heat and add the seasonings.1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- To serve, add the chicken to the gravy and serve over fresh waffles. Or you can opt to serve the chicken and gravy separately.
Waffles:
- The instructions and details on how to make waffles are in another post (found here).
Shirley
I have added leftover Asparagus to the gravy and chicken and it added a nice flavor. My family loved it.
Anna
Awesome!!
~Chrissie O.
This is *EXACTLY* the way my grandmother (from the South; she lived in the St. Louis, MO, area, and was a classic "Belle") served it. I remember being quite confused the 1st time I saw "chicken and waffles" with fried chicken! No, no, no... Creamed chicken w/ gravy is where it's at!! I'm not the maple syrup fan, but I can imagine that'd give a sweet-savory vibe to it. And YES: sometimes I'm lazy and just beat in the eggs to my waffle batter. But the fluffiest, lightest waffles EVER are where you take the extra time to do the whole 2-step, get those amazing peaks, and gently, gently fold in the whites...
Hmmmm.... I think I know what's on tomorrow's menu!!! lol THANK YOU for posting!!
Anna
Thank you so much for your support and taking the time to leave a kind comment.