We asked Philly’s ‘Chicken Man’ about Acme’s new salted caramel rotisserie chicken. It ‘disgusts’ him.

It seems Acme Markets is trying to lean into fall’s brand of pumpkin spice and everything nice. But customers say some ideas are best left to the drawing board.

Recently, the grocery chain rolled out a salted caramel-flavored rotisserie chicken in its hot-and-ready section. The bird retails for $7.99 and its ingredients include “caramel flavor, natural vanilla flavor,” salt and sugar.

In South Silly, a private neighborhood Facebook group with more than 12,000 members, locals responded to a photo of the chicken posted this week in horror and disbelief.

“Very cursed,” one commenter wrote. “Was it mislabeled?” wrote another.

But this is a very real chicken. It’s listed on the store’s online stock list (read into it what you will, but the store’s listing says “image coming soon”). Acme’s website also shows a root beer rotisserie chicken option, which South Silly members confirmed they’ve seen, too.

Of course, proteins that play with the balance of sweet and savory aren’t new. Root beer and colas are commonly used to marinate meats or create slurry sauces. Caramel-bourbon glazes are laid atop burgers and pork chops, too. But in South Silly, critics who have tried Acme’s version say recipe developers got this one wrong.

The original poster on Facebook — who did not return The Inquirer’s request for comment — concluded that it was a “chicken posing as a dessert” and said, “it’s not it.” They ended up masking the meat in ketchup.

It’s unclear if the sweet chickens are seasonal or here to stay. Acme did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

On TikTok, one content creator was also unimpressed.

“Acme, count your last days,” the creator wrote. “[The] chicken ain’t even died for all this.”

As we try to get to the bottom of this rotisserie chicken mystery, it made sense to reach out to Philadelphia’s foremost subject matter expert: “Chicken Man.”

Last year, Alexander Tominsky of South Philly went viral for consuming 40 rotisserie chickens in 40 consecutive days, earning his cool new nickname.

Tominsky is no stranger to Acme’s chicken selection. He told The Inquirer that Acme’s location on Passyunk has the best chicken salad. He enjoys ordering it by the half-pound and puts it on his bagels.

But in this case, he said, the grocer has gone too far.

“The idea of a salted caramel rotisserie chicken disgusts me,” Tominsky said. “Those ingredients should be spared for candied apples. But there are some real sickos out there that may find it thrilling and delicious. So maybe it’s a good idea? No shame either way.”

“Chicken Man” is a purist, it turns out. During his self-imposed chicken challenge, he would strictly get plain rotisserie chickens — no flavors or fancy bastes. “Ideally, the driest one available,” he said. “That way, it would be hard to eat. Sauces were never in the mix.”

When asked if he’d consider trying Acme’s salted caramel flavor, Tominsky didn’t hesitate.

“I do not plan to try one,” he said. “I still have no appetite for rotisserie chicken.”