The Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich debuts same week as McDonald’s Spicy Chicken McNuggets; Jack in the Box also debuts spicy fried chicken product.
This week, McDonald’s introduced a new spicy version of its iconic kid-friendly Chicken McNuggets,. Not to be shut out or perhaps by coincidence, quick-service rivals Chick-fil-A and Jack in the Box are also promoting fried chicken products this week.
San Diego-based Jack in the Box recently brought back Spicy Chicken Strips to the menu. Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, considered by McDonald’s franchisees as one of the brand’s biggest threats, is testing a new Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich.
The Chick-fil-A culinary team said the limited-time sandwich is a twist on the brand’s Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich - a brand first.
“This is the first variation of the Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich we’ve tested as a seasonal item,” Chef Stuart Tracy, a senior culinary developer, said in a statement.
The sandwich comes with the original filet topped with honey, pimento cheese and mild pickled jalapeños. Like other sandwiches, it is served on a toasted bun.
It is available, starting this week, for a limited time at participating restaurants in upstate South Carolina and the Asheville, North Carolina area. Starting cost: $5.39.
Tracy, the chef behind the original indulgent sandwiches at Butcher & Bee in Charleston, S.C., took inspiration from the standout flavors that make for best “melt-style” sandwiches.
That led to a “savory, salty, sweet and melty” sandwich that appeals to a wide variety of flavor palates, the company said.
Chick-fil-A said during preliminary consumer testing, the sandwich “won in a landslide” when compared to other sandwich concepts under development.
“We have a feeling guests will love it.” Tracy said.
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