Buffalo Wild Wings executive chef says his chain's chicken sandwich is better than Popeye's and Chick-fil-A's
- Buffalo Wild Wings rolled out its hand-breaded chicken platform, which includes two different chicken sandwiches, in August of 2019.
- The chain's executive chef Jamie Carawan said his chicken sandwich is better than those from Popeyes and Chick-fil-A.
- "I think the breading is better," Carawan said of BWW's chicken, which is hand-breaded and beer-battered with Lagunitas IPA.
- Carawan revealed the chicken sandwich's role in the overall turnaround plan for the chain's menu, here.
- Popeyes and Chick-fil-A engaged in a viral Twitter spat last year regarding which chain had the superior chicken sandwich.
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Forget about Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. Buffalo Wild Wings' executive chef Jamie Carawan says his sandwich should have won the chicken sandwich wars.
"I still think my chicken sandwich is way better," Carawan told Busines Insider.
Buffalo Wild Wings rolled out its hand-breaded chicken platform in August of 2019. The menu included a lineup of chicken items like chicken tenders, a southern chicken sandwich, and a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, all of which are beer-battered with Lagunitas IPA and hand-breaded.
The menu additions were all a part of the restaurant's menu revamp and overall culinary transformation, which Carawan said is meant to help the chain further its status as the great American sports bar.
"I think the breading is better and I think our Nashville hot chicken sandwich is something that is extremely flavorful, high-quality, and I think we're doing some really good things there," Carawan said. He added that Buffalo Wild Wing's chicken sandwich was already in test and market by the time Popeye's launched its chicken sandwich phenomenon in August.
After its launch, Popeyes engaged in a viral Twitter spat with Chick-fil-A over which chain had the superior chicken sandwich, spurring what became colloquially known as the chicken sandwich wars of 2019. Popeyes' sandwich, which was generally agreed upon as superior, sold out across the country after being available for just two weeks. It was later relaunched to similar hooplah.
"I think Popeyes did a great job with their chicken sandwich," Carawan said. "I appreciate what they've done there."
But Carawan is still a staunch believer in his own poultry creations.
"I think they're both outstanding sandwiches," he said of his southern and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches. "And I'd put them up against any other sports bar or any other chicken sandwich for that matter."