Food & Beverage

McDonald's, Burger King promos hold off chicken sandwich-starved hoards

A preview of Burger King's upcoming player in the Chicken Sandwich wars, coming later this year. (Photo provided)

February 17, 2021

If there's one thing well-established in quick-service-dom, it's that customers have a wicked hankering for fried chicken sandwiches. Now, two of the world's largest burger QSRs — Burger King and McDonald's — have launched campaigns to hold off those hungry hoards, while they ready their players to enter the chicken sandwich battlefield.

Although both chains' incarnations of the primadonna of poultry on a bun are still officially in staging, they are crowing all over the barnyard about the sandwiches' launch datess

At 18,800-unit Burger King, a news release pledged that the chain wouldintroduce a chicken sandwich "later this year," but won't accept any of what it called "burger-joint-quality" chicken sandwiches.

"What if hand-breading were to chicken what flame-grilling is to burgers? That's been our guiding filter to bring a delicious chicken sandwich to guests in a way only BK can," Ellie Doty, chief marketing officer, Burger King North America, said in the release. "We'll take the time to get it right and our guests will definitely taste the difference."

The company has been creating this piece de resistance de chicken since 2019 and began testing it in September in both original and spicy versions. Described as a "thick-cut white meat chicken breast that is freshly breaded by hand," the sandwich comes on a toasted potato bun with pickles and a signature sauce and an option to add lettuce and tomato. The company, however, has not provided a launch date.

McDonald's, on the other hand, is releasing its sandwich Feb. 24, but customers visiting CHKNDrop.com at noon, Thursday and pay $5 may qualify to get an early taste on Feb. 23.

Contents of McDonald's Crispy Chicken Capsule.(photo provided)

The sandwich, which comes in Crispy, Spicy and Deluxe, is served on potato roll with pickles and dressed with Spicy Pepper Sauce.

CHKNDrop.com will allow customers to access an audio track created by producer Tay Keith on 7-inch vinyl, and they'll also receive a limited-edition hoodie with the words "crispyjuicytender" as well as a waveform design of Tay Keith's track running up one sleeve.

"We know fans can't wait for our new Crispy Chicken Sandwich to hit restaurants, so we're celebrating them and this moment with a drop like no other," David Tovar, vice president of U.S. Communications, said in the release. "We're excited to give fans early access to this sandwich and exclusive swag they can't get anywhere else to memorialize this great addition to our menu."

McDonald's is based in Chicago.