After a successful test run in Florida last year, the KFC quick service restaurant chain is kicking off 2021 by rolling out a premium, extra crispy chicken sandwich at more than 4,000 outlets across the United States. The new product boasts a quarter-pound of white meat, double-breaded, extra crisp chicken breast filet, a toasted buttery brioche bun, crispier and thicker pickles, and a choice of either classic for spicy mayonnaise.
Presented as 20% larger than the Crispy Colonel Sandwich offerings customers are familiar with, the premium grade rendition is being positioned to compete against popular chicken fillet sandwiches offered by Chick-fil-A, Popeyes and other quick service restaurants.
“We tested the product in Orlando last spring and nearly doubled sales expectations, so we knew that we had a winner,” said Andrea Zahumensky, KFC’s chief marketing officer in the USA. “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.”
The Louisville, Kentucky-headquartered Yum Brands company’s food innovation department tested each ingredient for the new offering to find a winning combination that complements its popular Kentucky Fried Chicken mainstay. The team tested pickles with eight variations of thickness and collaborated with six different bakeries on more than ten recipes in order to find the right bun to hug the chicken breast fillet in just the right way.
Customers will have a variety of options to choose from when purchasing the new KFC Chicken Sandwich, will sells for $3.99 à la carte. A combo meal, which includes KFC Secret Recipe Fries and medium drink, goes for $6.99.
The latest product debut is part of the brand’s food innovation strategy, which last year included the launch of Secret Recipes Fries across the USA.Flavored with a blend of seasonings, the fries have a signature KFC taste as distinct as the chain’s renowned 11 herbs and spices and pair well with KFC Extra Crispy Tenders and the new Chicken Sandwich.
