Chicken and Cheddar Green Onion Waffles

      Miss Shirley’s cafe in Baltimore, Maryland is popular for brunch menu items, including their chicken and cheddar green onion waffles. I tried the chicken and cheddar green onion waffles when I went to Miss Shirley’s for my birthday many years ago. Miss Shirley’s has been featured on the Food Networks, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and has won multiple awards. Overall, it’s a perfect place for families to gather and enjoy special meals together.

      To make the chicken, it usually goes through a special process. It’s a boneless chicken breast cut into pieces. It has to be thawed, marinated with buttermilk, coated with benne seed, and flour. It’s then deep fried and drained from the grease to give a crispy crunchy texture. It is drizzled with Honey Mustard Aioli. Finally, the chicken is served as a side to the waffles.

      The waffles aren’t your typical waffles. To make the waffles, it has to be made with a flour batter. However, the waffles are made with Cheddar Green Onions. The batter is poured into the waffle maker, and has to stay there to be heated and form small squares all over the waffle. With that, it’s fluffy but also slightly crispy. It’s more of a savory waffle since the chef serves it with Peppadew Jalapeño Butter, and dusts it with Cajun Spice 22. This is what makes it a special kind of waffle and was perfect to enjoy on Miss Shirley’s menu during my birthday. 

     On my birthday, many years ago some friends and I went to Miss Shirley’s in downtown Baltimore. Once I arrived at the parking lot, I had to walk down this bridge to get into the building structure where Miss Shirley’s was located. We had to take the elevator down to the restaurant and there was this long line of customers waiting to be seated. They usually give their customers a pager so once the pager goes off, the customer would know they can be seated. I was anticipating my pager to go off to get in and enjoy their delicious food. One by one my guests were slowly arriving. We looked forward to what would be on the menu that day.

     Once seated, I greeted my guests, and we talked about how things went for them getting here. They expressed that things went well and some of them were thoughtful enough to bring me birthday gifts. There were about 6 of us meeting that day. The server comes and gives us each a menu. The menu is white, filled with various menu items, with colorful writing and pictures. Most entrees were about $18. There was so much to choose from! 

     I eventually chose the chicken and waffles due to me having some history with it. Growing up, my mom would make us a big hot breakfast on Sundays before we went to church. It usually included pancakes or toast, eggs, grits, bacon and orange juice. Pancakes are similar to waffles but they are formed in one circle without squares indented in them. They are also softer and served with syrup. My mom would also fry chicken in a deep fryer with about 8 cups of grease in it. I also made waffles when I was in college. I lived in an athletic dorm so the athletes and I had access to different food bars to choose from. One bar was a waffle maker with different fruit and syrup to choose from. It was the perfect time to learn how to make chicken and waffles in a residential setting and later I would learn how popular it was on tv.

     I became more intrigued by the food when I saw Martin, which is a television show that portrays my hometown, Detroit. He mentioned going to Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles, California. With that, on my first trip to California prior to going to Miss Shirley’s in Baltimore, I had to go to Roscoes to see what they had to offer. Although their version of chicken and waffles doesn’t include the unique spices and flavors that Miss Shirley’s provides, it was a treat! I think the main takeaway is that certain soul food restaurants are taking more of an upscale approach to dining. In turn, the southern culture aspect of chicken and waffles has become popular. 

     When I found out that Miss Shirley’s was on the Food Networks, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, it really confirmed the popularity it was gaining. I think this publicity in the public helped customers become more interested in going to Miss Shirley’s and trying out their chicken and cheddar green onion waffles. Part of their decor is that they like to post all of the famous people who visited there, their awards and various statements from people regarding what they liked about it. With that, it’s not just the food item itself that is popular, it’s the popularity that the restaurant has gained in the Baltimore, MD community. 

     Finally, I would definitely recommend the chicken cheddar green onion waffles dish to friends and family since I have enjoyed it myself. I haven’t seen any food that I wouldn’t eat in Baltimore. With that, it’s great that they usually have wonderful food options to choose from.