Fast-food chains have gone into competitive overdrive with their crispy chicken sandwiches ever since Popeye’s premiered its wildly coveted version in 2019. Now Taco Bell is jumping into the ring.
For starters, McDonald’s rolls out a re-engineered crispy chicken sandwich this week, claiming it was “years in the making.” It uses an all-white meat fillet, “exactly like the kind you’d buy in grocery stores,” the company adds. Lightly battered, it’s served on a buttered potato bun with pickles.
A new and improved crispy chicken sandwich at KFC also makes its national debut this week. The quarter-pound breast is double-breaded and served on a brioche bun with pickles and a choice of mayo or spicy sauce.
And then there’s the new loaded jalapeno-popper version announced recently by Wendy’s just as Burger King continues testing a hand-breaded chicken sandie that will be available later this year.
Though leave it to Taco Bell to create a hybrid of a sandwich and taco while giving it a faux-Mexican twist.
Their chicken breasts are marinated in jalapeno-spiked buttermilk, then sprinkled in “Mexican spices” and enveloped in ground tortilla chips. They’re tucked into puffy bread that folds like a taco, and garnished with creamy chipotle sauce.
Priced at $2.49, the creation will be sold for a limited test run starting March 11 in Nashville, Tennessee and Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s expected to become available nationally by late summer.
I love crispy chicken and I love Mexican, so I will definitely try this when it’s available near me. I’ll bet it goes well with a Margherita !