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If you've been following the fried-chicken wars over the past two years, you might've noticed that a crispy, perfectly seasoned bird can make people lose their actual minds.
Fast-food giant Chick-fil-A had already established its pickle-dressed chicken as an icon, but when Popeyes launched its new crispy chicken sandwich in 2019, it resulted in all-out brawls and even a fatal stabbing. McDonald's recently announced a new trio of chicken sandwiches to join the competition, too, but today, KFC—one of the world's preeminent poultry authorities—levels up its game with a massive newcomer.
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Weighing in at a quarter pound (and 20 percent larger than the brand's already popular Crispy Colonel Sandwich), the new KFC Chicken Sandwich is massive, meaty, double breaded and only $3.99. The meat? All white. The bun? Brioche.
It's the end result of a wildly successful test run in Orlando last year, not to mention countless recipe trials (the KFC kitchen team collaborated with six separate bakeries on 10 bun recipes alone). It's reportedly crispier than its earlier counterpart, and the pickles are thicker, too. You can get it slathered in classic mayo or spicy sauce, and every sandwich is more or less guaranteed to be piping hot and crunchy, as these babies are made to order.
"Many customers hadn't considered KFC as a part of the chicken sandwich conversation," says KFC U.S.'s chief marketing officer, Andrea Zahumensky. "But anyone who tastes this sandwich will know, without a doubt, that we're playing to win."
Of course, there's a slight catch: You won't be able to order the KFC Chicken Sandwich in various flavors, à la the smaller Crispy Colonel Sandwich, and not everyone can try it today. The newbie launches in select stores in Chicago, Kansas City, Louisville, Portland, St. Louis, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle and Tulsa, but rest assured: All 4,000 KFC locations in the U.S. are set to offer the latest contender in the fried-chicken wars by late February.
Want to see if your local KFC is offering it? You can check this website, which will be updated with new locations daily, and even sign up for email notifications. Just, please: No brawling.
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