The Nostalgic Fried Dessert Chi-Chi's Fans Will Definitely Remember From The '90s

If you're a true '90s kid, it's likely you have some core memories of eating at Chi-Chi's — perhaps you even have one of the chain's signature birthday celebration sombreros floating around in your attic. For many of us, one memory of the Tex-Mex chain stands out even more than being surrounded by servers as they sang the Chi-Chi's happy birthday song: the crispy, crunchy, delightfully sweet fried ice cream.

Listed on the menu as a "Chi-Chi's Specialty," the fried ice cream was coated with little crunchy cinnamon pieces (they tasted like an especially flavorful bite of Cinnamon Toast Crunch — like you get from the bottom of the bag, all loaded up with extra cinnamon and sugar dust). The interior was somehow-still-perfectly-cold French vanilla ice cream, and you could pick your own toppings (in our opinion, caramel and whipped cream was the way to go). Chi-Chi's restaurants across the country shut down in 2004, disappointing fried ice cream, seafood nachos and enchiladas, and Mexican crab pizza fans everywhere. Those who wax nostalgic for the chain are in luck, however — a location has reopened in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, and plans are underway regarding a new Chi-Chi's franchise model.

If you want to try to recreate Chi-Chi's fried ice cream at home (and don't live near the open location in Minnesota), we've got you. If you simply take ice cream out of the carton and try to fry it, you'll end up with a goopy mess. Instead, scoop ice cream onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, let it get super-solid in the freezer, and then coat it in crunchy goodness and fry it. You don't need to fry it for long (we're talking seconds, not minutes) since you're not actually cooking anything — you're just trying to create textural and temperature contrasts between the hot, crunchy coating and the cool, soft ice cream.

The best part about recreating '90s Chi-Chi's nostalgia with fried ice cream at home? You can put your own spin on it. While there's nothing wrong with sticking to the cinnamon-sugar coating, you've got other options to spice it up. Try using Tajin seasoning (it's loaded with tasty ingredients that give it some serious tang) for a spicy, citrusy twist, or try going with a dash of straight-up cayenne to give your fried ice cream a serious kick. There are other popular treats from the '90s that we'd all like to taste again (Munch 'ems, anyone?), but we have a feeling your first bite of homemade Chi-Chi's-style fried ice cream will transport you right back to the days of Fruitopia and Crystal Pepsi.