There’s Now A Dr Pepper Dry Rub For Chicken Tenders

Dr Pepper’s 23-flavor formula has made its way into plenty of unexpected places over the years. Chicken tenders can officially join the list.

Slim Chickens, a fast-casual chicken chain with more than 300 locations, has teamed up with Dr Pepper for a new dry seasoning inspired by the soda’s famously mysterious blend of 23 flavors. The limited-time Dr Pepper Blasted seasoning can be added to the chain’s hand-breaded tenders, Tender Bites, and wings at no extra charge through November 16.

And before you start picturing somebody dumping a two-liter into the fryer, that’s thankfully not what’s happening here.

Inspired by Dr Pepper rather than made with the soda itself, the sweet-and-savory dry rub goes onto the chicken by hand as soon as it leaves the fryer, allowing all that seasoning to cling to the crispy breading. No Dr Pepper brine or marinade involved.

For Slim Chickens, the collab also switches up how the chain typically plays with flavor. Its extensive sauce lineup has traditionally done much of the heavy lifting, including a yearlong “Ranch Remix” series featuring a different housemade ranch flavor every month.

“We don’t add flavors to our tenders lightly—tenders and sauce are the whole reason people know us,” Slim Chickens Chief Marketing Officer Patrick Noone said in a statement. “Dr Pepper Blasted cleared that bar. It is bold, it is unmistakable, and the only place in the country you can get it is at Slim Chickens.”

Dr Pepper Blasted seasoning is available at participating Slim Chickens restaurants through November 16 at no additional charge.