Review: KFC's Chicken & Waffles And Strawberry & Crème Pie Poppers — Don't Waffle On These Hot New Items

In the annals of perfect food pairings, the first ballot of hall of famers has to include peanut butter and jelly, eggs and bacon, burgers and fries, cookies and milk, and cheese and crackers. While perhaps not reaching such heights, no one should sleep on the dynamic duo of chicken and waffles. While we may have no clue who first put the two together, these opposing salty and sweet browned goods first started seeing their names joined by an "and" in print by at least 1866. The crowded platter of chicken and waffles proved to be well suited for any meal of the day, and found greater popularity in the 20th century. Colonel Sanders started working his magic on fried chicken starting in 1930, and 22 years later, Kentucky Fried Chicken was launched as a franchise. While KFC had dabbled in breakfast in the past, the idea to put its fine fried chicken next to a waffle didn't come to fruition until November 2018. That initial offering proved to be in such demand that it was brought back that following spring and then seemed to disappear into the ether.

Now, after a long break from stores, KFC is dusting off its Chicken & Waffles recipe and giving eaters another chance to try it out this spring. For this special comeback, the chain is also introducing a dessert to further sweeten a meal — Strawberry & Crème Pie Poppers. Now that all this stuff is back on the table, will their sweetness sweeten our hearts, or perhaps run sour? The Takeout took both of them out to see where the truth lies in this double dip chew and review.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

KFC is reintroducing Chicken & Waffles to its menu for a limited time run. The chicken offered in this pairing is the same old ones you can order anytime from KFC — tenders or fried chicken pieces. They come with a side of special Belgian Liege-style waffles, and accompanying syrup cup, supplied by Mrs. Butterworth's. At the same time, KFC is introducing another new flavor of its Poppers dessert line — Strawberry & Crème Pie.

In its original run back in 2018, Bob Das, then Head Chef for KFC U.S. said, "As the fried chicken experts, we had the chicken part covered. We went through 15 different variations before landing on our unique Belgian Liege-style waffle, which is sweeter and doughier than American-style waffles. The two combine seamlessly to create an extra delicious dish that KFC fans will love." They did love it, and now it's time for its second encore. In a statement, Catherine Tan-Gillespie, President, KFC U.S. said, "We believe Chicken & Waffles is an American icon. Flavorful, juicy and freshly fried secret recipe chicken, paired with sweet, golden waffles and gooey syrup—it's bold, it's delicious, and it's back on our menu just in time for Mother's Day!"

Chicken & Waffles returns to KFC's menu starting April 28, and along for the ride is a newbie dessert Strawberry & Crème Pie Poppers. These are limited time only items and will be available at participating nationwide KFC locations, while supplies last. Both can be ordered anytime KFC is open for business, in-store at the counter, at a kiosk, or drive-thru where available. Advanced ordering for dine-in, pick-up, or delivery can take place through KFC's app and website. Chicken & Waffles can be found many places within KFC's menu, including "The Latest" and "Combos," and Strawberry & Crème Pie Poppers can be found under the "Sides, Sweets, and Sauces" submenu.

There are several poultry-shaped options when ordering the Chicken & Waffles. You can order standard fried chicken pieces or Original Recipe Tenders. A box containing two fried chicken pieces, or three tenders, comes with a single Liege-style waffle and a cup of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup. Either iteration goes for the suggested retail price of $7. There are also options to turn them into combos, some with more pieces of chicken and waffles, which includes a side and drink. For hungrier appetites or larger parties, there's the Chicken & Waffles Fan Favorites Box, which includes a four-piece set of fried chicken, a dozen KFC nuggets, four waffles, and four syrups or other sauces dipping sauces of your choosing. That box runs at the suggested price of $25. A waffle and cup of syrup can be purchased à la carte for $1.99, or as a four-piece for $7.49. Extra syrup or dip cups are always an option, at an additional cost. The Strawberry & Crème Pie Poppers are available to order in a four or 10-piece set. Prices may vary by location, and are most likely higher when ordered for delivery or third parties.

One waffle nets an eater 70 calories, 20 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbohydrates, and 7 grams of protein to the total. Mrs. Butterworth's syrup is a mélange of all kinds of syrup, including high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and cane syrup, and received contributions from the likes of salt, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, and good old molasses. Mrs. Butterworth's comes in a 1-ounce cup, which adds the following to the totals: 110 calories, 80 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and 22 grams of sugars, including 22 grams of added sugar.

The Original Recipe Tenders starts with a boneless, skinless chicken breast meat, which is breaded and seasoned with salt, unspecified spices, nonfat milk solids, egg white solids, and garlic powder. It contains the common allergens gluten, milk, eggs, wheat, MSG. A single Original Recipe Tender nets an eater 170 calories, 6 grams of total fat, .5 grams of saturated fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 400 milligrams, 20 grams of total carbohydrates, and 11 grams of protein. For the fried chicken, there are the standard four pieces available — breast, thigh, drumstick, and wing, with varying nutritional values. Consult KFC's online nutritional guide for further information. An order of the Strawberry & Crème Pie Poppers nets an eater 70 Calories 70, 4.5 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of protein.

KFC's waffle looks like a compact affair, visually, but it is rather thick-looking on closer inspection and mighty heavy to hold. The texture is slightly greasy, with the waffle iron impressions well structured and cavernous. It looks perfectly cooked, like it was just made (even if it probably wasn't), with one side browner than the other. What is most important right here and now is that these were no skimpy, flimsy waffles. I brought the waffle up to my nose for an inhale. I was immediately loving its essence, as it omitted all the right waffle-y notes, and then some, bordering on the great smell of a funnel cake.

Before I tinkered with the chicken and the syrup aspects of this journey, I wanted to try the waffle solo. Its exterior exudes like it would be super crispy, but an actual first bite was more of a soft one, which still packed a nice crunch. The waffle had a lovely built in sweetness that played well with the more salty and starchy-aspects of the batter. To be honest, it tasted so good on its own, I was not sure the accompanying syrup was even necessary to join the cause.

Alas, this is chicken and waffles, and I didn't want to offend Mrs. Butterworth. Her syrup is no real maple stuff, but has a winning taste nonetheless, which has kept it a pantry staple for six decades. The syrups obviously works well on the waffle, taste-wise, and thanks to its fortified patterned structure, it held the syrup quite well within each near-perfect square. Next, I brought an Original Recipe Tender into the mix, making a pseudo-open faced sandwich, which made for a sticky situation, but a deliciously crunchy one at that. Fried chicken is the more natural partner for waffles over tenders, and KFC's fried chicken is meatier and juicier than the tenders, but it wasn't as easy a combo to eat in unison. Nonetheless, it didn't make it any less delicious.

I am well versed in the Pie Poppers line of desserts made by KFC. My first experience with them was fresh from the test kitchen fryer at KFC HQ (then, in actual Kentucky proper), like its sweet spot hitting Apple Pie ones, and with some really fun flavors that have still yet to see the light of day at KFC's near you and me. These little guys are slightly over 2-inches long, and are rich in exterior textures, with a buttery and flaky shell, crisped ends, and small diagonal slits in the middle which reveal its colorful pie-like filling. While the Pie Popper line is relatively new, the two-step combo flavor of Strawberry & Crème had a previous run at KFC in the form of an actual slice of pie, back in 2018. Now, it's being employed in a more snack-able form.

I tried these Strawberry & Crème Pie Poppers after my most satisfying plate of chicken and waffles, which now seemed like an almost too hard, sweet act to follow. While these Poppers' smell couldn't match what KFC's waffles had luringly offered up, they still had an appealing allure to them. The real fun began with that first bite, where the shell is crusty-crunchy, and almost felt like it was coated in sugar crystals (that's a good thing). The interior turned out not to have too much going on inside, physically, with a mere tiny dollop of the fruit filling, bits of soft cream cheese, and a liner of looser breading at the bottom, separating it from the flakier exterior. No matter what was inside, it added up to a neat treat that had a nice lean delivery of the promised strawberry and crème filling. It wasn't overly sweet, but just right.

As this was my first experience with KFC's waffles, I was both truly surprised and thoroughly impressed with the ones it is serving up. I also really enjoyed eating them in tandem with both KFC's tenders and fried chicken pieces. The Colonel's super solid tenders worked well to create a full bite that included both, but the fried chicken pieces had its own strengths, especially for those looking to capture more of the juicy goodness of its chicken meat. Then again, the waffle was just so excellent on its own, I'm not sure it needed to be paired with the chicken and could exist as its own menu item. If KFC ever wanted to get fully back in the breakfast game, these waffles may be a first great giant leap forward.

As for these new Poppers, the more kinds of Poppers to pop into one's mouth, the merrier the eater. I'm still not so far removed from basking in the fun and yum that are the Potato Poppers, and the Strawberry & Crème ones are another strong contender from this family. I wonder what flavor is next in the pipeline for KFC in 2025. May I suggest a cheesecake danish, with icing on the outside?

While Mrs. Butterworth's syrup doesn't have the bona fides of being tapped from a tree in Vermont, and yet she still proved to be quite the big dipper here for my entire meal. The waffle didn't need her, but I couldn't resist her charms. I couldn't keep myself from dipping everything in sight into her cup, from my tenders, pieces of fried chicken, and even the Pie Poppers. Nice work Mrs. M. I know you're working at KFC for just a temp job, but I can foresee a more permanent role for you here.

In advance of their release in stores, the kind folks over at KFC sent over an two orders of Chicken & Waffles, one with two-piece of fried chicken, and the other with three chicken tenders. Also included were the new Strawberry & Crème Pie Poppers for review. Both were eaten in my home, in the order one would probably eat them in — entrée first, followed by dessert. The items were taste tested by myself, as well as one other person. While their comments on the food were duly noted, the final conclusions were drawn upon my own dining experience and how they met with my own personal tastes.

The criteria taken into consideration for this chew and review is based on both products' flavor, appearance, smell, texture, value, uniqueness, temperature, KFC-ness, overall lovability, and likelihood of wanting to order it again. The short answer is... please don't leave us again waffles. And for you dear reader, do not waffle on any of these hot new hot items before they disappear. Sweet dreams, and realities my friends.

Static Media owns and operates The Takeout and The Daily Meal.