Restaurants Bet Big on Chicken Sandwiches
KFC, Shake Shack and McDonald’s are heating up the QSR wars with tangy and spicy offerings.
Jan 08, 2021 | 2 min read
NEW YORK—Bawk! The chicken sandwich wars are back, as Americans continue to eat less beef. This year, several big name restaurant chains are adding new chicken sandwiches to their menus.
“This has been an ongoing battle,” Peter Saleh, managing director and analyst covering restaurants and food distribution at BTIG told CNN Business. “The chicken poultry segment is a little bit more popular these days with consumers. Everybody’s trying to capitalize on that.”
First up is Shake Shack’s new Korean-inspired chicken sandwich, now available at U.S. locations for a limited time. The Korean-Style Fried Chick’n features a spicy-sweet gochujang-glazed crispy chicken breast over a white kimchi slaw and toasted sesame seeds. Shake Shack is also adding two other Korean-inspired menu items—Korean Gochujang Chick’n Bites and Korean Gochujang Fries.
Later next month, McDonald's will debut a trio of chicken sandwiches, USA Today reports. The new menu items include a Spicy Chicken Sandwich with a spicy pepper sauce, a Crispy Chicken Sandwich with pickles and a Deluxe Chicken Sandwich with Roma tomatoes and mayonnaise.
"We believe it’s going to jump-start our chicken journey, build our chicken credentials and get people to start looking at us differently," said Joe Erlinger, McDonald’s USA president, last fall. "We’re excited about the moves we’re making to meet—and exceed—customer expectations for great-tasting chicken. That is how we will start to build our chicken credibility."
Finally, KFC will also have a new chicken sandwich in all U.S. stores by late February, CNBC reports. The sandwich will take the place of the Crispy Colonel sandwich. Already, select KFC locations in nine cities, including Chicago and Louisville, Ky., will have the sandwich, which features double-breaded chicken breast filets with pickles and mayo or spicy sauce.
“Many customers hadn’t considered KFC as a part of the chicken sandwich conversation, but anyone who tastes this sandwich will know, without a doubt, that we’re playing to win,” said Andrea Zahumensky, chief marketing officer of KFC U.S.
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