Bear in mind the superior aged times when fast food stuff menus all over the place had been acquiring pelted with chicken sandwiches? We struggled to continue to keep up with all the new offerings, conducting a lot of flavor tests, and at the stop of 2021, we concluded we’d like to see less of them hit the sector in 2022. On the other hand, it is now 2023, and if you’ve seen, there is been no end in sight to the chicken sandwich parade. But we have found a new microtrend in the hen sandwich landscape lately: as rapid foods chains are shifting their angle of attack, they’ve strayed away from simplicity and begun introducing extra toppings.
New toppings, similar sandwich
Choose, for example, Wendy’s Italian Mozzarella Chicken sandwich, which is nevertheless now on the menu nationwide. When the detail is decked out with a fried mozzarella patty, a slice of mozzarella, and marinara, it is all on best of the exact same fried chicken breasts that kind the core of its standard Primary Hen Sandwich. It’s pretty much like the poultry’s hiding out amongst all those accessories.
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Burger King debuted its possess Italian Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich within weeks of Wendy’s launch this presenting had a similar make to Wendy’s, sans the exclusive mozzarella patty. Without having the further pizzaz of the fried cheese layer, it fell rather flat.
Notably, Popeyes—the sandwich purveyor that kicked off the complete sandwich struggle in the initially place—seems to be pushing the boundaries of the chicken sandwich in a diverse way. Alternatively than slather a bunch of things atop its existing chicken fillets, the chain has debuted the Blackened Hen Sandwich, which is intensely seasoned and not breaded at all. Flavor is remaining concentrated in the poultry, instead than every thing that surrounds it.
Which new chicken sandwiches are on the horizon?
Burger King is very first up with a new spherical of rooster sandwiches to kick off the new yr. These are all in the Authentic Rooster Sandwich format, which is BK’s name for the oblong chicken sandwiches formed more like a sub. Notably, the most recent just one is Mexican impressed:
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Mexican Primary Rooster Sandwich: Topped with ghost pepper cheese and crispy-fried jalapeños on a sesame seed bun
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Italian Authentic Rooster Sandwich: Launched earlier, this one is topped with marinara sauce and melted Mozzarella cheese
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American Initial Rooster Sandwich: Topped with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise
As you can see, it’s the similar sandwich with some spiffy new outfits, though the “Mexican” nature of the latest release seems tenuous at best ghost pepper cheese doesn’t specifically scream “Mexican cuisine” to me. Irrespective of whether or not a new established of toppings will revive a stalwart sandwich is yet to be viewed, but we really don’t consider the rooster sandwich levels of competition is over—not by a extensive shot.
Chicken sandwiches are however fantastic for enterprise
On its facial area, the hyping of rooster sandwiches on each and every quickly foodstuff menu tends to make sense: If you’re not in the mood for a burger, chances are you can be convinced to access for one thing with chicken in it, no matter whether a box of nuggets or a sandwich or some Chicken Fries. But powering the scenes, there is a bigger purpose why hen is remaining pushed so aggressively.
Poultry costs are currently on a downward development, which means rapidly meals giants are primed to make a ton of funds via wider income margin, even if product sales are normal. Obviously, some chains will intention for the stars with their new offerings, but even if not all the debuts are winners, a shiny new release is nevertheless guaranteed to make some good revenue. Thanks to TikTok and YouTube, our curiosity about new menu merchandise has never been a lot more primed to end result in a journey to the push-through.
When we’re surprised—and a minor tired—by the ongoing momentum powering the industry’s push toward chicken sandwiches, the simple fact is that rooster sandwiches are great for enterprise. We be expecting to see far more of them this calendar year, just a very little additional gussied up. But really do not hope for too many legitimate improvements beneath the hood.
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