Whataburger's New Spicy Chicken Sandwich Has People Talking
Joining in the chorus of new fast-food chicken sandwich menu additions, Texas's Whataburger chain just debuted its newest menu item, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich (via Fox Business). The Daily Meal called spicy chicken sandwiches a "Top Food Trend" for 2020, and the Whataburger Spicy Chicken Sandwich rollout comes after months speculation and even requests on social media (via ABC 13) for the San Antonio-based chain to add a spicy chicken sandwich to its culinary repertoire of burgers, fries, salads, shakes and malts, chicken tenders, breakfast options, and their basic crispy chicken sandwich, the Whatachick'n.
With the addition of the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Whataburger joins the ranks of Wendy's, Popeyes, KFC, and Chick-fil-A (via Meat and Poultry) who all rolled out much-hyped spicy versions of the fried-chicken-breast-on-a-bun combination. Whataburger's newest offering consists of a chicken filet, whose spice comes from "within," which presumably means the marinade, as opposed to just a spicy sauce or breading.
Whataburger's sandwich brings the heat
The marinated breast is breaded, fried crispy, and topped with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayo on a toasted bun, said Whataburger Vice President of Marketing and Innovation Rich Scheffler in a company statement. The social media response has been positive, that is, if you can stand the heat, which is described as having a delayed but definite kick. "It builds!" said one tester in this YouTube review by Melz&Chris. "That's a spicy chicken sandwich, right there, baby," the reviewer said.
How will it stack up to the current spate of spicy chicken sandwiches from Popeyes, Wendy's, McDonald's, KFC, and Chick-fil-A? Time will tell, but Melz&Chris likened it to a crunchier, spicier Chick-fil-A sandwich and said it was smaller than Popeyes' version. The new sandwich is available for purchase either in-store or for curbside and delivery through the Whataburger app. But spicy chicken lovers should act quickly. Whataburger says the Spicy Chicken Sandwich is a limited-time-only special.