I don’t eat junk food like I did years ago, especially potato chips. I’ll take corn chips instead. Though I like the vinegar and sea salt ones. Further, I have a ferocious sweet tooth. No qualms there.
However, these are probably the worst thing I’ve tasted since a test-marketed lime & pepper beer in 1997 that tasted like Fruit Loops. And I’ve enjoyed Sumatran weevil-grub flavored chips, or some such other stuff, from the international aisle.
But God, if Dylan Thomas had eaten 18 of these instead of whiskys, he’d be just as dead. An insult to the brain indeed!
If I still ate potatoes, I’d be on this in a hot minute. I love novelty flavors. Once in a while, they’re pretty good. The cheeseburger Doritos were damn good. Not taters, but same point.
Not too much of a potato chip fan myself, but the sriracha flavor just tasted like BBQ with some added heat. Perfectly edible, though. I can’t see myself trying the chicken and waffle chips anytime soon.
Yeah, “chicken in a waffle” (as I mentioned in the foodie trend thread) doesn’t taste at all of chicken, but the maple syrup flavor is there. I don’t think they’re bad at all. I’d have them again. But nothing I’m particularly craving.
Sriracha tasted just like Flaming Hot crossed with Sour Cream and Onion. It’s about the same level of heat as Flaming Hot, so use that as your metric.
I haven’t tried the garlic cheese bread one, but it seems pretty obvious to me that it’s going to win the popularity poll.
Interesting. I didn’t know about the PA Dutch version of this dish. On first account, it seems disgusting compared to the soul food version (which is fried chicken and waffles–I mean, what’s not to like?) but I’m now intrigued. (ETA: Oh, I see it’s just a plain waffle, so not like a breakfast waffle with maple syrup and chicken stew on it. That makes a lot of sense.)
Not so random question: were you a chicken-and-waffles fan before trying these?
I have been craving chicken and waffles (Phil the Fire, why did you close for a third time???) all week, and was shopping hungry, so when I saw these I snatched them up. They aren’t bad. I’ve almost finished the bag, and will probably buy another one. They are only slightly sweet, and I think they’d be perfect with a dip made with the hot sauce that HAS to accompany the maple syrup. I can sort of taste something beyond the maple flavor, but they need the extra kick of some heat.
The closest chicken and waffle place around here now is in the 'hood, and my coworker told me even she wouldn’t go there after dark. So I’m just going to have to perfect my own. Except I make crappy fried chicken.
(Now that two people have commented on this flavor combination, or at least one regarding potatoes, the other potato chips):
See, I don’t think that at all. Intermingling maple syrup and hash browns (and sausage) at breakfast was not particularly weird, in my experience. They all taste quite nice together. My thing is I’m not sure I want a potato chip to taste like breakfast, but I don’t think the maple & potato flavor is particular odd.
Expected the worst from Chicken and Waffles and got Sriracha instead. Unimpressed. Garlic and cheese could be good but I broke down and got a new popcorn popper. Garlic powder, salt, and butter could be good on that.
ETA: Garlic salt has too much salt and not enough garlic.
I’m hesitant to try any of the new flavors. I’ve only seen Sriracha and the garlic and cheese chips. I’m totally avoiding the Sriracha ones since real Sriracha just tastes all sugar to me. Sugar flavored chips don’t sound appetizing to me and neither do maple flavored ones.
So, when they are coming up with these flavours for chips, do they have an actual end result that they are looking for or do they just toss flavours together and decide, “Hey, that tastes like pizza!”?
I ask because I remember about 15 or so years ago there was a Pizza flavoured chip. Then a few months later they came out with a vegetarian pizza flavour. I just can’t imagine the head honchos sitting around spit-balling about why the pizza flavour wasn’t selling so well.
“We’ve completely alienated the vegetarian pizza eaters! They don’t want to eat our vegetable product that doesn’t taste like meat at all. I know, lets make a flavour that doesn’t taste like vegetarian pizza! That will get them on board!!”
I bought a bag of Chicken & Waffles out of sheer curiosity. They’re OK. No hint of chicken except …something…in that first bite, but it disappears. (Like Herr’s chips at the 7-11, something like ‘prime rib flavor’ - first bite has a meaty taste, which disappears.)
From what I gather, there are many many odd flavor of potato chips in many many other countries. I know they certainly wouldn’t fly here in with real 'Muricans who would be scared off. Until the end of time what’s on the shelf here is same old, same old, same old handful of usual suspects. Plain, BBQ, hot, vinegar, sour cream & onion, cheesecheesecheesecheesecheese. The Herr’s chips were a real find, and I look for them, or anything unusual.
It was actually a contest. Lay’s has been running their “Do Us A Flavor” contest for at least six months (probably more) and has been taking new flavor suggestions from the public. They picked the something like six or something flavors that were most liked by their internal tasters and put them up to a public vote.