The battle to oust Popeyes as king of the chicken sandwich is heating up.
KFC is the latest fast food chain that has renewed its menu with a new chicken sandwich. At the end of February, diners across the country will be able to order the new sandwich, which will replace its current offering.
Owned by Yum Brands Inc., KFC said its crunchy Colonel Sandwich was not “up to our legacy as experts in fried chicken,” the company said in a statement.
The new sandwich, which was tested in Orlando earlier this year, is a double loaf of bread that is more crunchy, served on a brioche loaf, and includes the colonel’s classic or spicy mayo and more pickles. thick.
“They tested the pickles with eight variations in thickness and brine before we landed our pickle,” KFC U.S. Marketing Director Andrea Zahumensky said in a statement earlier this year. “And to get our perfect muffin bun, we collaborated with six different bakeries and tested over ten formula reviews in order to find the right one to hug the biggest fillet ever in the right way.”
Popeyes, owned by Restaurant Brands International, sparked the chicken wars in 2019 with a $ 3.99 sandwich that was so popular that it sold out in many restaurants. This caused other chains to try to compete, including burgers like McDonald’s.
This week, the Golden Arches announced that they will be releasing three new versions of a crispy chicken sandwich in February. And Shake Shack has announced this week a limited edition Korean-style chicken sandwich that will be available in its U.S. stores until April 5th.
Korean-style Fried Chick’n will be paired with Korean-style chips, the company said.
Burger King, also owned by Restaurant Brands International, could also join the battle, as it has been trying a “hand-battered crispy chicken” sandwich in Arizona, according to restaurant analyst Mark Kalinowski.
The new KFC sandwiches will be available for the first time today in selected cities such as Chicago, Kansas City, Louisville, Portland and San Francisco, and by the end of February, 4,000 KFC locations in the United States will have the $ 3.99 sandwich. said the company.
“KFC has had a good year with the same store sales that have been better than average store chain sales,” Kalinowski said.
But the 68-year-old chain has a lot of competition and was removed from its pedestal as the dominant chicken chain some time ago by Chick Fil A, Kalinowski added.