Convenience store CU recently announced on the 13th that it will launch two unique snacks flavored with spicy chicken to align with the globally trending 'Swicy' trend. Swicy is a combination of spicy and sweet, and it is a global culinary trend that has rapidly spread among overseas Generation Z through various social media.
First, CU plans to target the summer ice cream demand by introducing spicy chicken ice cream called 'I'm Not a Spicy Chicken' (3,000 won). The product differentiates its appearance by resembling a chicken leg, a representative K-food menu item, and applies the concept of spicy chicken-flavored stir-fried noodles, which has become a global bestseller.
The product is coated with spicy chicken-flavored chocolate for added crunch with spicy chicken corn and includes milk ice cream in the center. It offers a combination of sharp spiciness followed by sweetness.
In addition, CU will launch 'Spicy Chicken Leg-shaped Bread' (3,000 won) from Bakehouse 405 as a generous and enjoyable spicy-sweet snack. This croquette-shaped product contains a mix of spicy chicken sauce, corn cheese, eggs, and macaroni inside a bread shaped like a chicken leg, harmonizing sweetness and spiciness.
Swicy food is becoming a new food culture that resonates with the tastes of Generation Z, who are eager to enjoy complex and different flavors, unlike older generations who are unaccustomed to spiciness. In recent months, spicy-sweet K-food items, such as tteokbokki and seasoned chicken, have gained popularity through various global content, prompting domestic and foreign corporations to actively introduce stimulating and addictive swicy products utilizing gochujang seasoning and spicy chicken sauce.
In fact, CU recorded a 27.2% increase in sales of swicy food flavored with gochujang, chipotle, and spicy chicken sauce over the past three months (May to July) compared to the previous year.
Joon-hyung Cho, head of the snack foods team at BGF Retail, noted, 'As the influence of global culinary trends has grown through social media, we prepared unique products to satisfy customers' curiosity,' and added, 'In the future, CU will focus its product capabilities across all fronts to introduce differentiated products aimed at providing new experiences for consumers.'