Fried chicken and donuts are the Romeo and Juliet of finger food, a true match made in foodie heaven. Putting them together in a donut should be illegal because of how indulgent it sounds, but somebody's gone and done it.
A new Melbourne food business has just combined crispy chicken and donuts together into the newest food hybrid. Called "Donugs," they've been the talk of Australia recently after making a big splash on their version of Shark Tank. There, owner Crag Carrick was able to walk away with an astounding $100,000 AUD ($74,000 USD) offer for his brand-new venture.
Each "Donug" starts out the same, with a panko-crusted ring of ground chicken flavored with a secret blend of spices. From there, toppings can vary, with the most advertised one being a cheesy Dijon bechamel with black salt and chili flakes.
Carrick's wife (a top chef in Melbourne) helped him develop the concept as he searched for a last-minute food entry for a chicken nugget festival. According to the BBC, the Donugs sold out in just 6 hours at their debut, and the same thing happened again at a second festival. Afterwards, Carrick went on Shark Tank, and things took off from there.