Historic Recipe: Chicken and Waffles

This historic, classic comfort food recipe comes from Grandma's Wartime Kitchen: World War II and the Way We Cooked. It's perfect for recent sub-zero temperatures and serves as a good way to stretch the family's poultry supply.

Waffles
1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs, separated
1 TB melted butter
3 TB shortening (only needed if your waffle iron isn't non-stick)

Chicken Gravy
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups cut-up leftover cooked chicken (cut into 1 inch pieces)
2 TB finely chopped pimiento, optional
1 TB finely chopped fresh parsley

Note: The recipe called for leftover cooked chicken, but I used some of the turkey meat I had in the freezer from the first week of rationing. Also, I did not use the pimiento and used dried parsley instead of fresh.

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place a baking sheet or oven-safe place in the oven to heat. Preheat waffle iron.

• Prepare waffles: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat together milk, egg yolks and butter in a small bowl. Beat egg whites with an electric beater until stiff peaks form.


• You'll have three bowls (flour mixture, milk/egg mixture and egg whites):

• Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add milk mixture and stir just until all dry ingredients have been moistened. Fold in beaten whites.


• Brush waffle iron with shortening (if needed) and bake waffles. Remove waffles to oven to keep warm until all have been baked.

• Prepare chicken gravy: gradually beat broth into 1/3 cup flour in a heavy saucepan. Add 1/4 tsp salt and the pepper.

• Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently until thickened. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Sit in chicken, pimiento (if using) and parsley. Keep warm until all waffles have been baked.

• Top waffles with chicken gravy and serve.

Overall, the family was pretty pleased with this recipe: warm, comforting and tasty. That said, I think the 2 cups of turkey was more than enough. When we make this recipe again I will probably only use 1 cup of diced poultry. Also, the waffles had a very bread-like texture, very similar to a biscuit. In the future I might just pair the gravy with biscuits, which require less attention. Or, I will use a different waffle recipe that creates a nice, light and crispy waffle.

Either way we will definitely be repeating this recipe again during the rationing year!

--Rational Mama