Burger King will soon join the chicken sandwich wars. Here’s what you need to know

Good news for chicken sandwich fans — there’s a new one hitting the market in 2021.

Burger King announced Wednesday that it will be releasing a hand-breaded chicken sandwich nationwide this year, though the chain didn’t say when.

Burger King’s sandwich will come in two versions — original and spicy — featuring a breaded white meat chicken breast topped with pickles and a signature sauce on a toasted potato bun.

Customers will be able to add lettuce and tomatoes.

The new release won’t be Burger King’s first chicken sandwich.

The chain sells several, including a few iterations of its Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which boasts a breaded chicken filet, lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise.

This will, however, be Burger King’s first take on what’s come to be known as the chicken sandwich — a thick chicken breast topped with pickles on a bun — popularized by Chick-fil-A.

Burger King said it started developing the recipe in 2019 and tested it in 2020.

The release will put the the sandwich in direct competition with Popeyes, which made a splash in 2019 when the restaurant took on reigning chicken sandwich champ Chick-fil-A with the the release of its own sandwich.

This launched what’s since been dubbed the “chicken sandwich wars.”

In the months that followed, several restaurant chains released their own chicken sandwiches, including Wendy’s, Church’s Chicken, Zaxby’s, Jack in the Box and Whataburger.

McDonald’s is set to release three fried chicken sandwiches nationwide Feb. 24. KFC is also rolling one out at the end of the month.

Chicken sandwiches have become a menu staple due, in part, to their versatility — customers are craving chicken and the sandwich provides value, flavor and a portable option for diners on-the-go, Forbes reported.

Chains also undoubtedly saw Popeyes’ massive success following its chicken sandwich rollout in 2019, which has proven to be one of the most successful menu additions in fast food history, according to the outlet.

This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Burger King will soon join the chicken sandwich wars. Here’s what you need to know."