You’ve probably had spicy chips (if you have not, we have suggestions). And you’ve probably had honey barbecue chips (we like Lay’s Honey Barbecue, fwiw). But hot honey potato chips feel like new info, right? Beloved Pennsylvania potato chip purveyor Utz just dropped a collab with chile-infused honey brand Mike’s Hot Honey: Utz Mike’s Hot Honey potato chips. Will a straight-up sweet condiment work as a flavoring for a savory snack? We tasted these new Utz chips to find out.
These are as wacky as they sound. When you first take a bite, you get slapped with honey sweetness. As you chew, that gives way to some much needed saltiness, and then the finish is genuinely very spicy. The heat settles on your tongue and in the back of your throat. They definitely get less weird as you continue to eat them, but that initial burst of honey flavor is pretty out there if you’re a savory snack purist.
As always, the quality of the chips themselves is outstanding. They’re thin, light, and crispy, but they still have so much potato flavor. And I love that Utz chips aren’t as oily as Lay’s. If you’re in the mood, you can really eat a bunch of these without feeling like you did shots of vegetable oil.
I don’t think this flavor is for everyone (it’s probably not for me, to be honest). But the flavor is certainly accurate to its inspiration, so if hot honey chips sound good to you, you should absolutely give these a try.
Credit: Liv Averett / Utz
Rating:
7/10
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Gwynedd Stuart, Sporked’s managing editor, is an L.A.-based writer and editor who spends way, way too much time at the grocery store. She’s never met an Old El Paso taco or mozzarella stick she didn’t like.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!