The sweet-heat flavor trend has been growing and is expected to outpace nearly all other culinary categories in the next several years
KFC is jumping into the “swicy” category with a new, limited-time matchup featuring Mike’s Hot Honey. Starting Feb. 9 KFC’s Tenders and Fried Chicken will be available with Mike’s Hot Honey on DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub, while the new offers will be available at participating restaurants starting Feb. 10.
The KFC/Mike’s Hot Honey collaboration features two $7 box meal deals:
• Three-Piece Original Recipe Tenders with a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey, plus the choice of an individual side and a biscuit.
• Two-Piece Fried Chicken coated in your choice of Original Recipe or Extra Crispy and drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey, plus the choice of an individual side and a biscuit.
Additionally, KFC’s $25 Fan Favorite’s Box includes four pieces of bone-in chicken drizzled in Mike’s Hot Honey, a 12-piece of KFC’s nuggets, Secret Recipe Fries, four biscuits, and your choice of four sauces (including Mike’s Hot Honey as an option).
“Combining KFC’s flavorful fried chicken with the bold, sweet heat of Mike’s Hot Honey just makes sense. Crispy, juicy, salty, spicy, sweet – it’s food alchemy that’s meant to be,” KFC U.S. chief marketing officer and development officer Catherine Tan-Gillespie said in a statement. “These new meal deals are so irresistibly finger lickin’ good, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.”
While supplies last, fans can try a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey on all of KFC’s nuggets, tenders, sandwiches, and more.
Mike’s Hot Honey was founded in 2010 and can now be found in thousands of restaurants and retailers across the country.
“Like so many Americans, I grew up on (KFC’s) iconic fried chicken buckets and it was one of my very first drizzles when I first created Mike’s Hot Honey," founder Mike Kurtz said in a statement. "The sweet heat pairs perfectly with their Original Recipe chicken and I am so happy everyone will have an opportunity to enjoy this delicious combination.”
Several chains have embraced the “sweet-heat” flavor trend in recent years, including Outback, which launched a “Sweet Heat Season” menu in 2023 and KFC sister chain Pizza Hut, which launched a Hot Honey Pizza in partnership with Mike’s Hot Honey that same year. Starbucks introduced Spicy Lemonade Refreshers last year. According to market research firm Datassential, hot honey’s growth is projected to outpace nearly all other flavors over the next several years.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
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