People sweat enough in summer, but chain restaurants are adding fuel to the fire by turning up the heat on menus. Spicy items abound this week, just as the temperature starts to climb. While most of the hot stuff is on the food side, some drinks are also getting the spicy treatment. But there are also plenty of refreshing beverages rolling out to quench the fire and help consumers keep their cool.
Summer of spice
Tapping its Italian roots, Olive Garden spices up three pasta dishes with Calabrian chilies, a pepper native to Italy. The chilies flavor a Calabrian cream sauce that imparts spicy notes to Spicy Sausage & Peppers Rigatoni tossed with bell peppers, sliced sausage, pasta and a blend of Italian cheeses, as well as Spicy Chicken & Peppers Rigatoni where the sausage is swapped for chicken. The final item, Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini, returns to the menu after a successful run last year. It features grilled sirloin tips, shrimp and bucatini pasta tossed in the Calabrian cream sauce with spinach and tomatoes. Plus there’s a new appetizer: Calabrian Hot Honey Chicken Bites. All are available through July 19.
Calabrian chilies add heat to Spicy Chicken & Peppers Rigatoni at Olive Garden. | Photo courtesy of Olive Garden
Jack in the Box teams up with Hot Ones, the hot sauce line and YouTube game show where very spicy chicken wings star along with celebs. On offer are a Hot Ones Sriracha Curly Fry Burger with jalapeños, cheese and Sriracha sauce; a Buffalo Chick-N-Tater Melt with a fried chicken patty topped with bacon, a hash brown, cheeses, cheese sauce and Buffalo sauce on a croissant; and Hot Ones Sauced & Loaded Fries. The fast-food chain also has junior versions of the burger and chicken sandwich.
Over at Chick-fil-A, the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich returns, layered with a spicy fried chicken filet, pimento cheese, pickled jalapeños and honey on a toasted bun. The Honey Pepper Pimento Grilled Chicken Sandwich features the same build with grilled chicken rather than fried.
Chicken is also the platform for spice at Whataburger, with the launch of the Hot Honey Crisp Whatachick'n Sandwich. It’s composed of a breaded and fried chicken breast with red pepper cheddar cheese spread and chili crisp hot honey on a potato bun.
Sonic's Tropical Cream Slush blends coconut and pineapple. | Photo courtesy of Sonic
Meanwhile, the Tropical Heat Sonic Smasher is making its debut Sonic. The spicy burger features two smashed Angus beef patties, melted pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce and mayo topped with jalapeño-pineapple glaze on a potato bun. The new Tropical Cream Slush, a blend of pineapple and coconut swirled with soft serve, may cool the palate, as can the celebratory Red, White & Blue Slush Float.
Pizza gets a hit of heat at Donato’s with the new Mike's Hot Honey Meaty Alfredo. The pie is topped with pepperoni, sausage, smoked provolone cheese and chili seasoning, then finished with Mike's Hot Honey and Alfredo sauce. For those looking for a milder choice, the chain also rolled out Chicken Vegy [sic] Alfredo and Triple Meat Alfredo pizzas.
Twin Peaks fires up the drinks side of the menu with a Spicy Margarita. It’s a traditional mix of tequila, simple syrup, lime juice and pineapple juice, but the glass is rimmed with Tajín chile-lime salt the cocktail is garnished with jalapeño and lime.
Quenching the fire
Beverages are seeing a lot of menu action, and June is no exception. Cold brew has arrived at Taco Bell, a first for the fast-food giant. The basic cold brew coffee is made with a proprietary blend of medium and dark roast Arabica beans, but there are currently three line extensions brewing at Live Más Café locations in Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas and Southern California. These include Purple Velvet Cold Brew topped with purple horchata-inspired cold foam; Caramel Dulce Cream Cold Brew topped with caramel cold foam; and Vanilla Cream Cold Brew topped with vanilla cold foam.
Chick-fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich is not the only hot news. The chicken chain is also into pineapple, dragonfruit and peach to give its beverage menu a summer glow. There’s a Pineapple Dragonfruit & Sprite drink; Pineapple Dragonfruit Lemonade and Frosted Lemonade; Pineapple Dragonfruit Sunjoy, a lemonade-iced tea blend; and Pineapple Dragonfruit Iced Tea. On the peach front, Chick-fil-A is doing a Peach Frosted Lemonade spun with the chain’s Icedream frozen dessert as well as a Peach Milkshake.
Watermelon is the fruit of choice at Tropical Smoothie Café. The Watermelon Mojito Smoothie blends watermelon with strawberries, lime and mint. And at Cowboy Chicken, Watermelon Tea is on hand through the summer, along with Strawberry Lemonade.
Chicken rules the roost
With the word “chicken” in its brand name, naturally Cowboy Chicken is leading off summer with several new chicken items—this time, more portable. There are two new wraps, including the Southwest Chicken Wrap with chicken tinga, guacamole, black bean spread, lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded cheese and jalapeño ranch dressing in a flour tortilla, and the Chicken Avocado Wrap, featuring the fast casual’s signature rotisserie chicken with avocado, greens, cucumbers, feta cheese, and green goddess dressing in a spinach tortilla. A Strawberry Pecan Salad is geared toward lighter appetites.
Jersey Mike's chicken salad is back. | Photo courtesy of Jersey Mike's
Chicken salad is back at Jersey Mike’s after making a big impact last year. The house-made chicken salad features chunks of roast chicken breast in a creamy mayo dressing with diced celery and black pepper seasoning. Customers can choose chicken salad as an option in a sub, wrap or bowl.
And Wings and Rings rolled out two chicken-focused bowls. The BBQ Chicken Mac Bowl is made with white cheddar mac & cheese topped with barbecue chicken, scallions and crisp Sweet Smokin’ Onions, and the Buffalo Nacho Mac Bowl combines creamy white cheddar mac & cheese with Buffalo crispy chicken, red onions, tomatoes, fresh jalapeños and crunchy tortilla strips. The bowls run through Aug. 8.
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