COEUR d'ALENE - Bird's the word in a market that has been powered by pepperoni.

Domino's is now delivering chicken to its customers - but not the way you're used to. Called Specialty Chicken, Domino's newest product line features boxes of a dozen bite-sized, lightly breaded boneless chicken breast pieces smothered in sauces, cheeses and other goodies.

In spreading the word of the Domino's bird, local franchise king Jim Hightower whisked 10 boxes of specialty chicken to The Press newsroom Wednesday for a taste test and the review you're reading now. Jim's going to like the results, but first, a bit about that chicken.

There are four options: Crispy bacon and tomato; classic hot buffalo; spicy jalapeno/pineapple; and sweet barbecue bacon. A box of the bird bits fits into Domino's value menu nicely - $5.99 each. While nutritional information wasn't available Wednesday, newsroom volunteers concluded that the morsels won't be making their way into Weight Watchers deliveries anytime soon.

But they certainly did pass the taste test.

Reporter Devin Heilman was all smiles after going for the spicy stuff.

"The jalapeno pineapple bites are a kick in the mouth," she said. "I love the spice. This flavor would appeal to customers who like it hot."

There's a decent kick from the buffalo too, she said.

"It's a great buffalo flavor with a good balance of the cheese and sauce - not too overpowering," she said.

Reporter Jeff Selle, a hard man to please and the winner of numerous awards in barbecue competitions, took just one bite of the crispy bacon and tomato offering.

"This kind of food just isn't my thing," he said. "But I will say the meat's quality - better than Chicken McNuggets."

Newsroom assistant Camie Wereley gave high marks to three of the four products. She wasn't too keen on a sauce that topped the bacon and tomato sample. Otherwise:

Spicy jalapeno - "Delicious, but be advised, the jalapeno is hot!"

Barbecue bacon - "Awesome!"

Classic buffalo - "Good, but unremarkable."

And then there was Shawn Gust. In addition to being The Press's chief photographer, Gust is a chef who has graced several kitchens in local fine restaurants. He's at least as critical of food as he is of photos.

While he enjoyed the noontime "work assignment," Gust did suggest there's room for improvement.

"The product is like a chicken nugget casserole," Gust said. "I don't like how the crispness of the breading is lost to the moisture of the toppings. The flavors are pretty straightforward, especially the classic buffalo and barbecue with bacon. An improvement to the bacon and tomato variety would be to add basil, which would add another layer of fresh flavor."

But for every Gust of wind, there's a breeze of Maureen. City editor Maureen Dolan summarized her taste experience this way:

"It's like chicken-crust pizza. Sounds like a fast food piece de resistance, and it almost is.

"Gooey, garlicky goodness - that's the best way to describe the Crispy Bacon Tomato version. The breaded white meat chicken bites are moist, yet crispy like the bacon. The white garlic parmesan sauce, tomatoes and melted cheeses are perfectly balanced with the chicken."

• Did you know?

Domino's introduced buffalo wings to a worldwide audience in 1994.

"Since then, whole restaurant chains have been built based on that one food item, and it won't surprise me if this one gets replicated in the same manner." - Jim Hightower