Lately, Americans can’t get enough spicy food. Whether it’s snacks, meats, or even condiments to add when a dish just isn’t hot enough, the spicy food trend isn’t going away anytime soon. While some brands are perfecting their spicy aiolis or calling up Mike of Mike’s Hot Honey for a collab, Olive Garden has it pretty easy when it comes to adding spice to its menus, thanks to a popular Italian ingredient that brings the heat: Calabrian chilis.
The spicy peppers hailing from Calabria are gaining popularity, especially among at-home pasta brands. Rao’s and Sauz sell Calabrian chili-filled pasta sauces, while Sfoglini offers a dried pasta that’s infused with the spicy flavors.
Last year, Olive Garden tried its own hand at a Calabrian chili pasta with the launch of Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini. Now, after fans called the menu item “quite literally the best dish [they’ve] ever had at Olive Garden,” the restaurant chain is introducing a whole Calabrian-spiced menu.
Olive Garden Launches New Calabrian-Spiced Menu Items
Credit: Allrecipes / Olive Garden
On June 1, Olive Garden is adding new Spicy Sausage & Peppers Rigatoni and Spicy Chicken & Peppers Rigatoni to its pasta menu, plus mixing the Calabrian chili spice with the trendy hot honey flavor for a new Calabrian Hot Honey Chicken Bites appetizer.
The new rigatoni offerings feature your choice of sliced sausage or grilled chicken with bell peppers, all tossed in the same spicy Calabrian cream sauce as the Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini. Both rigatoni dishes are also topped with a blend of Italian cheeses.
Olive Garden’s Spicy Sausage & Peppers Rigatoni and Spicy Chicken & Peppers Rigatoni will join the existing Calabrian Steak & Shrimp Bucatini on menus for a limited time.
These three entrées start at just $12.99 and also include endless breadsticks and soup or salad.
The Calabrian Hot Honey Chicken Bites are joining Olive Garden’s appetizer offerings, and will start at $10.99. The breaded, crispy chicken bites are tossed in a sweet-and-spicy Calabrian hot honey sauce and served with ranch for dipping.
The entire Calabrian spice menu will be offered for a limited time from June 1 through July 19 at Olive Garden restaurants nationwide. However, Olive Garden eClub members can enjoy early access to the dishes when they dine in until May 29.
Olive Garden is officially bringing the heat this summer—and we don’t want to miss out.
Read the original article on Allrecipes
Dining and Cooking