Slim Chickens has teamed up with Dr Pepper for a new limited-time chicken flavor rolling out across the US.
The fast-casual chicken chain launched Dr Pepper Blasted Tenders, Tender Bites, and Wings nationwide on September 14, bringing the soda brand’s signature flavor to its hand-breaded chicken.
The collaboration will only be available for a limited time, with Slim Chickens planning to remove the Dr Pepper-inspired option from menus in November.
Slim Chickens’ Dr Pepper chicken isn’t made with the soda
Despite the name, Slim Chickens isn’t soaking or marinating its chicken in Dr Pepper. Instead, Dr Pepper Blasted is a proprietary sweet and savory dry seasoning blend inspired by the soda’s 23 flavors. The seasoning is applied by hand after the chicken comes out of the fryer, coating the breading.
Customers can add the seasoning to Slim Chickens’ tenders, Tender Bites, and wings at domestic locations without paying an additional charge.
“We don’t add flavors to our tenders lightly; tenders and sauce are the whole reason people know us,” Slim Chickens chief marketing officer Patrick Noone said.
“Dr Pepper Blasted cleared that bar. It is bold, it is unmistakable, and the only place in the country you can get it is at Slim Chickens.”
Keurig Dr Pepper Senior Vice President of Foodservice Trish Riddle said the collaboration was designed to give fans another way to experience the soda’s flavor, with its launch deliberately timed around football season.
“There’s nothing else quite like the one-of-a-kind taste of Dr Pepper, and we’re always looking for new ways to bring that flavor to life for our fans,” Riddle said.
“Slim Chickens has done exactly that with Dr Pepper Blasted. And there’s no better time to introduce it than during football season, when fans are gathering for tailgates, watch parties and game-day traditions built around great food, great company and an ice-cold Dr Pepper.”
Slim Chickens also has ties to college football, having been founded in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 2003 near the University of Arkansas.
“There is a reason we picked September,” Noone added. “Football is when our guests are most locked in, and now they have a new way to enjoy the tenders they already love. Whatcha Pickin’? This fall, we think we know.”
The Slim Chickens collaboration isn’t the first time Dr Pepper has taken its signature flavor beyond the soda aisle.
Earlier this year, Dr Pepper teamed up with Johnsonville to launch a limited-edition sausage infused with its signature 23-flavor blend, continuing the brand’s push into unexpected savory foods.
