Pepsi-Chicken Chips By Lay's Added To Weird Potato Chip Flavors, Snack Epicureans Delighted

PepsiCo, the Purchase, N.Y., company that owns Pepsi and Frito-Lay, combined its iconic Pepsi flavor with chicken-flavored chips which went on sale in China.

The chips launched in late August in China and news of the new snack has finally made its way across the seas to the U.S. to potato chip epicureans. The Pepsi-chicken chips join the ranks as the newest flavor put out by Lay's, including lemon tea, cucumber and hot-and-sour fish.

While for many, the chicken and cola combo may seem odd, according to Ad Age, the flavors are prevalent in China. Cola chicken is a common recipe in China where chicken wings are tossed in wok then caramelized in soy sauce and cola.

And if you still think it sounds weird, IBTimes went on its own international adventure in chips in March, trying all sorts of flavors from Thailand's Hot and Spicy crab chips, to Spain's prawn, garlic and peppers (Gambas al Ajillo) chips to Thai Nori Seaweed chips, just to name a few.

According to Ad Age, the idea came about from PepsiCo's CMO Richard Lee during a recent researched and development session. Lee said Lay's was looking for a fusion-themed chip.

"We thought it would be really cool to have a cola combined with chicken. ... It's a very popular dish in China," Lee told Ad Age. "Also it would be very cool to involve one of our most-iconic soft drinks."

The combo of Lay's and Pepsi was a mutually beneficial collaboration, according to China Market Research Group's Ben Cavender, who said the cola company was looking to expand its brand in China.

“Coke and Pepsi have both stalled out in terms of growth potential in China," he said. "It’s important for them to be developing new products and driving into these growth categories. I think Pepsi is probably better-positioned with the packaged food that it has to really make some gains there.”