Red Rooster releases 'most divisive' menu item yet with key ingredient more than half of burger-lovers opt to pick off
Red Rooster is not messing around when it comes to its menu, with the fried chicken giant announcing their newest addition... and it has the potential to be the chain's most divisive burger to date.
Featuring pickles as the hero of the burger, the Picklebird burger is now available on Red Rooster menus nationwide.
It's exactly as it sounds – fried chicken with pickles in between succulent soft potato buns – but the Picklebird's release begs the question: Do pickles even belong on chicken burgers in the first place?
Take a look at the burger here.
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Red Rooster's new burger, the Picklebird, features one of the most divisive ingredients in modern times. Supplied
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Science does argue in the affirmative, and not just for chicken burgers.
Rather, an independent report authored by award-winning Oxford University Food Scientist Professor Charles Spence in 2022 posits that every type of burger is enhanced by the presence of a pickle.
Pickles, Spence argues, are the optimum method to maximising the oral-somatosensory experience of eating a burger, for many reasons – namely, the acidity of pickles help cut through rich umami burger notes, resulting in a perfect balance between the two tastes.
In addition to providing a satisfying pop of colour to the meal, they also, according to Spence, help provide a more appealing bite thanks to the texture contrast between pickles and other ingredients, which also brings a sonic crunch sound that's music to the ears.
Just because science says so, however, doesn't mean everyone agrees, with that same report showing that 51 per cent of burger-lovers choose to remove pickles from their burgers should they be served with the brined gherkin.
Red Rooster has seen this research and taken it on as a challenge, including in the Picklebird not just tangy Chipotle pickles on their own, but also a sweet special Pickle Mayo.
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Red Rooster is also releasing Smokin' BBQ Crunch Fried Chicken for a limited time only in NSW and ACT stores. Supplied
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It's a burger the chain says will surprise and delight fried chicken afficionados, not just because of the pickle but also because of what else lies between the soft toasted buns – fresh, succulent chicken tenders with the signature crunch coating on the outside, fresh tomato and lettuce, and, of course, a slice of cheese.
"There is no 'right or wrong' way to eat a burger, however, keeping pickles inside your burger is the best way to get the full potential out of every bite," Spence wrote in his report.
"It appears that the characters on Bob's Burgers definitely do add pickles to each one – and they're the experts!"
Also available from today for a limited time only is a new flavour of saucy fried chicken, the Smokin' BBQ Crunch.
Featuring the chain's sticky and deliciously smoky BBQ sauce, the new snack is exclusive to stores in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (excluding airports and stadiums).
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