Torani announces the syrup flavor in late March on its Facebook page and the cult comfort-food-flavor garnered thousands of comments and media attention. On April 1st, when fans were fooled, the fan demand for Chicken ‘n Waffles syrup inspired Torani to make it real. According to Torani’s Senior Scientist, Pat Wong, the flavor combination was ”by far the most unusual and most difficult challenge,” and this coming from a company that has a long history of crafting trendy and unexpected flavors from Blood Orange to Bacon.

 

So what came first, the chicken or the waffle? The beginning of chicken and waffles is difficult to pin down, but one of the original theories claims that Thomas Jefferson brought a waffle machine to the U.S. from France in the 1790s, and that began a waffle craze. Waffles embraced by the African American community were paired with fried chicken and recipes began appearing in cookbooks. Others believe the true origin began in the 1930s during Harlem Jazz’s prime at the Wells Supper Club. When the jazz musicians walked into Wells after a long night of playing, they wanted a combination of dinner and breakfast, and the staff created the crispy, crunchy, salty, sweet combination of chicken and waffles.

 

Staying true to the well-loved flavor combination, Torani fans will enjoy the perfectly captured essence of crispy fried chicken and buttermilk waffles, topped with a sweet maple finish. With flavorful experimentation, Torani recommends recipes ranging from flavored butter to vinaigrettes to southern inspired cocktails. Or just keeping it simple and drizzle over golden waffles.