Chicken + Waffles Chips, Recipe Coming Soon!

Momma Told Me: Finger licking good!

It will come as no surprise that the woman who covered Candy Corn Oreos, and Carrot Cake M&M's is dredging up the recent Lay's 'Do Us a Flavor' collection. In fact, I've heard some of my readers have actually been wondering when these fan submitted potato chip flavors would show up here on Momma Told Me. The truth is, I've had all 3 of these whimsical salty snacks (Sriracha, Chicken and Waffles, and Cheesy Garlic Bread) on hand for months. I had made it a personal mission to hunt them down when they first hit shelves back in April, but supplies were so scarce locally I held onto my bags for months, waiting for the right social occasions to pull out these culinary talking points. For those unaware, the chips that have taken over social media the past several months were fan suggested flavors; the result of a Lay's nationwide quest for the next big chip flavor. As it turns out, Cheesy Garlic Bread received the most consumer votes, and will make it's way into permanent production. Personally, this was the dullest of the 3 flavors for me- but I also noticed the flavor expression was lacking in all 3.

I'll admit, I've only eaten 'Chicken and Waffles,' together, twice before. However, I love the thought of syrup smothered waffles, with their playful little pockets of mounding syrup, and I don't turn down a properly battered piece of fried chicken; so reasoning stands I would love them together. Unfortunately for Lay's, it seems they downplayed the flavor notes in all 3 of their Do Us A Flavor creations. My initial Chicken and Waffles Lay's experience was a bit of a let down. The chips had the classic, light, crisp of a Lay's Original chip, but the flavor was not as intense as I would have liked. I expected more flavor (chicken grease?) , more sweet and spice. Perhaps a stronger maple flavor with a hint of cinnamon and pepper to create the classic pairing on my palette. The bag, itself, smelled delectable, but the little potato wafers failed to live up to the mouth-watering graphics on the bag.

So what is to become of Chicken and Waffles potato chips? Well, was we've discussed before, curious flavor combinations such as this are quite popular overseas, and brands such as Dortitos have been producing snack time oddities such as this for sale in Asia for years. As shocking as it may sound, the average American consumer palette is actually quite tame; even with the snack cakes and gallons of fizzy soda. While Chicken and Waffles chips did not make the cut here in the US, you can rest assured they will ride the wave overseas where curious foreigners will have a laugh at our country's expense. Because, after all, these three flavors are what America chose, and surely must represent our country's delicacy preferences, right? Oh, Lay's, this was a bit of a disappointment- don't promise golden, syrupy, chicken goodness and put out a bland piece of crisped potato. If you're going to be bold, be bold!

So, for those keeping count, on the Chicken and Waffles product battles that's Torani Chicken and Waffles Syrup: 1, Lays Chicken and Waffles Potato Chips: 0. If you're a fan of this Southern dish, do yourself a flavor, pun intended, and pick of a bottle of the Torani syrup instead. Then, stay tuned for a special Chicken and Waffles inspired recipe on our site. Perhaps all hope for these chips is not lost after all.

Did you try any of the Lay's Do Us A Flavor chips? What did you think?

What Daughter Says: It's foodie faux-pas like this that inspire me to get into the kitchen and whip up something truly exciting.