If you thought Baskin-Robbins had concocted every ice cream flavor imaginable, the dessert chain is serving up a bold new take on a Southern-fried classic.
Baskin-Robbins debuted a new flavor of the month on Wednesday: "Chick'n & Waffles," a sweet-and-savory take on a popular brunch item. The company makes it clear: The buttermilk-flavored ice cream doesn't contain meat. Rather, it features crispy bite-sized chunks that mimic the flavor of fried chicken and waffles, in addition to maple-syrup-flavored swirls.
"At Baskin-Robbins, we pride ourselves on bringing innovative flavors to market, which is why when we saw the growing popularity of Chicken & Waffles on menus, we knew we had to create a bold flavor that would change the way our guests enjoy Chick'n & Waffles," Hannah Suits, director of brand marketing for Baskin-Robbins, said in a statement Wednesday. "This flavor is a frozen twist on the iconic brunch dish, re-created in a deliciously deconstructed concept that is unique to our shops."
Baskin-Robbins isn't the first to experiment with the unconventional flavor of ice cream. It's been tried once — at least — before. Last year, a Michigan pastry chef made headlines by exploring a chicken-and-waffles ice cream flavor "steeped in KFC seasoning and buckwheat," Eater Detroit reported. Yummy.
The avant-garde flavor marks the latest in a voluminous library of more than 1,400 flavors that have been served by the Massachusetts-based frozen dessert franchise. The multinational chain, however, traces its roots to much simpler times in Southern California.
Baskin-Robbins was founded by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, beginning with Robbins' Snowbird Ice Cream in Glendale in 1945 with 21 flavors. A year later, Baskin opened Burton's Ice Cream in Pasadena. The duo, who were brothers-in-law, merged into a single enterprise in 1958.
Its menu of flavors later expanded to its signature 31 flavors, one for each day of the month.
The company hasn't shied away from pop culture moments — such as the 1958 flavor "Baseball Nut," which marked the Dodgers' move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, a vanilla-flavored ice cream with raspberries to "heckle" the umpires.
The jury is still out on the franchise's chicken-and-waffles-inspired flavor. But those who'd like to give it a try can do so at more than 2,500 locations nationwide.
