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RetailMcDonald's

McDonald’s Is Wading Into the Chicken Sandwich Wars

By
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
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By
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 2, 2019, 12:06 PM ET

The nation’s biggest burger chain is turning its attention to chicken sandwiches.

McDonald’s has begun testing a chicken sandwich in Houston and Knoxville, Tenn. The moves comes after Popeyes saw staggering success with the introduction of its own chicken sandwich and continued sales growth at Chick-fil-A.

McDonald’s has faced substantial criticism from its franchisees for failing to have a chicken sandwich offering as Chick-fil-A grew. While McDonald’s has offered the McChicken sandwich for a long while, it was not seen as a viable competitor. The brand’s Chicken McNuggets have been a popular menu staple for decades.

The chain announced the trial via a Tweet Sunday afternoon. It is, in fact, rolling out two versions of the sandwich. The Crispy Chicken Sandwich, it says, is topped with butter and crinkle cut dill pickles while the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich is topped with tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo. Both are served on a buttered potato roll.

Houston. Knoxville. Lunch tomorrow? No beef. 🐔 😉 pic.twitter.com/ElVyhy2U4S

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) December 1, 2019

CNBC reports the trial will run through Jan. 26.

McDonald’s entry in the market comes roughly a month after Popeyes resumed sales of its chicken sandwich, which proved so popular at its launch that the company it sold out of its entire two-month inventory in just two weeks.

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About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

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