A bag of chips running low, an empty jelly jar, and a bottle of barbecue sauce. That’s all it took for Jeff Daniels to accidentally invent the sandwich that has grocery stores scrambling to restock their shelves.
The actor’s wild creation — a pita layered with creamy peanut butter, crushed Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips, and barbecue sauce — went viral after he dropped the recipe on national television.
And people everywhere have been racing to their kitchens to try it.
A Late-Night Interview Turned Into a Food Phenomenon
Daniels unveiled his go-to sandwich during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Feb. 19.
The moment came during “The Colbert Questionert,” a recurring rapid-fire segment, when Colbert hit him with what seemed like a softball: “What is the best sandwich?”
The answer left Colbert and his audience completely baffled.
Daniels rattled off his “personal favorite”: circular pita bread (without an air pocket), a quarter-inch layer of creamy peanut butter on half of it, crushed Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips, and a layer of your favorite brand of barbecue sauce.
With the ingredients intact, all that’s left is to fold it over and eat it.
“It could be my three favorite tastes,” he said. “It’s like visiting three countries at once. And they’re all in your mouth.”
“It’s fun to eat in front of other people, too,” he joked.
The Accidental Kitchen Origin Story
The sandwich wasn’t some calculated experiment. Daniels was home one day and wanted to make himself a PB&J with a piece of pita bread. He only had crumbs of chips at the bottom of the Ruffles bag, so those joined.
When he opened the refrigerator, he realized he was out of jelly. So he chose BBQ sauce instead.
“I squirted the smoky syrup over the peanut butter and chips, folded over the pita, and took a bite. I loved it so much, I offered to make it for the family,” he said in an interview with The Detroit News, published March 2.
“They promptly ordered pizza,” he joked.
That kind of cobble-it-together cooking — making something from whatever’s left in the pantry — is how plenty of the best kitchen discoveries happen.
Everything You Need to Recreate It Yourself
Here’s the full breakdown, based on Daniels’ own description:
The bread is circular pita, the kind without an air pocket. This is the sturdy, foldable variety — not the type that splits open into two halves for stuffing. It works as a flexible, neutral base that lets the fillings do the talking.
The peanut butter goes on next: a quarter-inch layer of creamy, spread over half of the pita.
Daniels has a longtime affinity for Jif. He told The Detroit News in an email, “As a kid, I believed Jif peanut butter was named after me.” He doesn’t mandate a brand, though.
Then come the chips: crushed Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream potato chips.
“Whenever I open a bag of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream potato chips, I tend to eat more than just one,” Daniels added in his interview with the outlet. The ridged texture and bold seasoning bring crunch and tangy savoriness.
Last, a layer of your favorite barbecue sauce. Daniels has a personal go-to: Sweet Baby Ray’s. He accidentally referred to it as “Sweet Baby James” during his Colbert interview.
“I always thought if it was good enough for James Taylor to write a song about it, it was good enough for me. I have since learned to finish reading labels,” he continued in his email to The Detroit News.
Fold the pita over. Eat. No toasting, no melting, no complicated technique.
The Internet Does What It Does Best
In the two weeks after the clip aired, people across the country rushed to their pantries to throw this sandwich together. Many took to social media with their reactions. Some loved it. Others didn’t have the palate for it.
The response grew large enough that grocery stores reportedly felt the impact. If you were wondering why your local store was running low on peanut butter, Ruffles, and BBQ sauce — this is why.
And if you’re still skeptical about whether this combination actually works, there’s a credentialed voice backing it up.
Today author and registered dietitian Heather Martin “laughed out loud with the first bite” before describing it as “finger-licking good.”
That’s genuine, visceral enjoyment from someone who evaluates food professionally. Not a polite nod — a real reaction.
In his interview with The Detroit News, Daniels revealed he was just as baffled by the response as people were about his favorite sandwich.
“I’m not a foodie but I am a connoisseur of things that taste good,” he told the outlet in an email, adding that he was “stunned” by the reactions.
