REVIEW: Honey Brunches of Oats Chicken & Waffles and Maple Bacon Donuts Cereals

It’s odd to see onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, marjoram, sage, and thyme in the ingredients list for a breakfast cereal. But there they are on the side of the box for Limited Edition Honey Brunches of Oats Chicken & Waffles Cereal.

Oh, this is NOT an April Fools joke.

Even though I have the skills, software, mischievous disposition, and a nearby FedEx Office to print what I need to create fake packaging, Honey Brunches of Oats Chicken & Waffles and Maple Bacon Donuts Cereals are real. Pinch yourself, slap yourself, tickle yourself, or drop your phone on your toe to prove you’re not dreaming.

Post has rolled out these two flavors to celebrate National Cereal Day, which is celebrated annually on March 7 and celebrated almost daily by those who have a large dedicated section in their kitchen for cereal.

Chicken & Waffles combines waffle-shaped maple cereal, savory chicken drumstick-shaped pieces, and frosted and unfrosted flakes. Maple Bacon Donut comes with dark-colored smoky donut-shaped loops and frosted and unfrosted flakes. To be honest, eating unfrosted flakes is scarier than chomping on chicken-flavored cereal.

Even though chicken and bacon are in the names, the meat flavoring is artificial, and Post makes sure to let you know with disclaimers that say no chickens or pigs were harmed in the making of either cereal.

Both have that sweet underlying aroma that’s present with any Honey Bunches of Oats variety. That smell is a good start, but it doesn’t lead to a satisfying finish.

When eaten alone, I could taste the onion powder, garlic powder, etc. used with the chicken-shaped pieces and the artificial smokiness in the cereal loops. I could see myself eating the former as a snack, even though it seems weird to have them in a bowl of cereal and I don’t think of them as tasting like “fried chicken.” But the acrid smoky flavor from the latter doesn’t sit right with my tongue. Perhaps “smoky” isn’t the right adjective. It’s more like sweet burnt flavored.

As odd as it sounds to have those flavors in breakfast cereal, most of the savoriness gets lost among the sweeter components. With the chicken pieces, there are moments when I taste it, but for the most part, the maple stands out. The bacon-flavored loops also fade into the rest of the cereal. Thankfully, the burntness isn’t too noticeable, but all the different flavors seem to negate each other in an unusual way that creates a bland tasting cereal.

As you can tell, if I had to choose one over the other, it would be Chicken & Waffles by a lot. It’s 95 percent waffle/maple flavored, which makes for a decent cereal, but I wish I could taste more chicken.

With both it’s disappointing they aren’t either great tasting or really gross. If they were great tasting, I’d encourage you to buy them so you could experience the magic. If they were really gross, I’d encourage you to buy them for novelty sake and so you could experience the horror. But since they are neither, I don’t think they’re worth your time or money, or a good way to celebrate National Cereal Day.

Thanks to TIB reader Dale M for sending me both cereals.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 11 oz. box (Chicken & Waffles)
Size: 13 oz. box (Maple Bacon Donuts)
Purchased at: Giant Eagle
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Chicken & Waffles)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Maple Bacon Donuts)
Nutrition Facts: (3/4 cup without milk) Chicken & Waffles – 110 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 40 milligrams of potassium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Maple Bacon Donuts – 110 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 45 milligrams of potassium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.