Hot Ones Launches New Frozen Chicken Strips In 2 Fiery Flavors
Spicy sensation Hot Ones has released a new line of frozen chicken strips available in select grocery stores nationwide. These new spicy snacks — released in collaboration with John Soules Foods and FoodStory Brands – join a lineup of offerings inspired by First We Feast's award-winning YouTube series, "Hot Ones." The chicken strips come in two flavors that are based on well known hot sauce flavors from the "Hot Ones" show: spicy garlic and smoky habanero, which are formulated to taste similar to Classic Garlic Fresno and Los Calientes Rojo, respectively.
In a press release, First We Feast Creator and General Manager Chris Schonberger said, "Fans have loved saucing their chicken with our famous hot sauces, but now we're excited to deliver the Hot Ones experience directly on the chicken strip in one convenient package." John Soules Jr., CEO of John Soules Foods, is hopeful that fans of the show will be pleased with the strips, saying that the team prioritized "bringing together authentic Hot Ones heat and flavor with perfectly crispy, whole chicken breast."
A new venture in a successful franchise
In 2021, Hot Ones made its first appearance on store shelves with its Walmart-exclusive boneless chicken bites, which came unflavored and packed with a variety of sauces that customers could add after cooking. The new strips, however, have a different format, featuring a spicy seasoning added right to the breading. The chicken strips are available nationwide for purchase in Kroger grocery stores and its affiliates as well as select Walmart locations.
In recent years, First We Feast has increasingly capitalized on the massive popularity of "Hot Ones," which contributes heavily to the platform's subscriber count of over 12 million people and its roughly 2 billion collective video views. Fans have seen everything from restaurant partnerships, such as the Hot Ones Shake Shack menu items, to branded the hot sauce collections featured in "Hot Ones" interviews, to brand collaborations such as a custom footwear collection with Reebok.