These chicken and waffle bites are a great short-cut version of homemade chicken and waffles. I used frozen mini waffles and frozen chicken bites, then added some pickles and hot honey. This whole appetizer will take you less than 20 minutes from start to finish and is a great brunch dish to share with friends or a great party appetizer to serve while watching football.

Chicken and waffle bites using frozen chicken nuggets and frozen mini waffles. Pickles are added to it as well as some hot honey.

Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and waffles is an iconic breakfast dish. This soul food dish is popular all around the country, but it origins come from the Pennsylvania Dutch, Harlem, and the American South. The savory flavor of fried chicken pairs perfectly with the lightly sweet taste of waffles. Then they are served hot and fresh with some warm butter and maple syrup.

Chicken and Waffle Bites made with frozen chicken and frozen waffles.

I first tried chicken and waffles in Los Angeles when my sister took me to Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. I have been hooked ever since. Perfect crisp fries chicken served on fluffy waffles with butter and syrup. I have eaten chicken and waffles at other restaurants through the years and I thought it would be fun to make a quick version of this to bring to a brunch one day.

Many grocery stores sell their own version of mini waffles, and then you can either use your favorite brand of chicken nugget or use Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks like me. I bought some “bread and butter” pickles to add to these because I really love the combination of pickles and fried chicken so I added it all together and I loved it. If you aren’t a fan of pickles, you can leave this out. Once cooked, I drizzled a little bit of hot honey over it which adds just a touch of spice and sweetness.

Air Fryer Chicken and Waffles

You can either add both the chicken and waffles to a baking sheet and cook them together in the oven, or you can cook them separately (as space allows) in your air fryer. I opted to use my air fryer and let the chicken cool slightly as I was cooking my waffles. The chicken takes a little more time to cook so the Air Fryer made it really easy.

This appetizer comes together so easily using frozen chicken and waffles, but also because I use my air fryer. If you are looking for another easy to make recipe, check out my Loaded Fries recipe using frozen French fries.

In the air fryer, I cooked the chicken for 9 minutes and the waffles for 4 minutes. Cook the chicken first and let is cool slightly while you are cooking your waffles. Mini waffles come in fours. So you can usually fit anywhere from 8-16 mini waffles at a time depending on the size of your air fryer. Don’t separate them until after they are cooked.

If you are taking these to a party and want to serve them hot, cook them ahead of time without the pickle and then reheat at 300F until warm. Add the pickles after you reheat them or serve them on the side.

close up of a chicken and waffle bite made with frozen chicken, frozen waffles, pickle slices, and hot honey.

Ingredients to make Chicken and Waffle Bites

Frozen Fried Chicken Bites – I buy the Just Bare brand from Costco, but most grocery stores now carry this brand. I just always have my freezer stocked with these because they are so good and make an easy meal.

Frozen Mini Waffles – Eggo is the most well known brand of frozen waffles, but some grocery stores have their own version. If you cannot find mini waffles, you can cook regular frozen waffles and cut them into quarters.

Pickles – I like “bread and butter” pickles because they are slightly sweet, but any pickle slices will work.

Hot Honey – You can find hot honey in most grocery stores. Mike’s hot honey is the most well known brand, but I like the one from Trader Joe’s. Hot Honey is not very spicy, but if you are making this for someone who hates spice, you can use a little maple syrup instead.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN AND WAFFLE BITES

16 Frozen Chicken Bites or nuggets
16 Frozen Mini Waffles
16 Pickle slices “bread and butter” pickles
Hot Honey or maple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook the chicken according to directions on the packaging. If you use the Just Bare lightly breaded nuggets, they cook at 350F in the airfryer for 8 minutes or at 375F in the oven for 23 minutes.
Cook the waffles in your airfryer at 390F for 4 minutes or cook them in the toaster until golden brown. You can also cook them in the oven at 450F for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Once the chicken and waffles are cooked, lay a waffle down on a plate, then add a pickle slice, and then add a chicken bite. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Drizzle a little hot honey or maple syrup over the chicken and waffle bites.