Burger King took cues from sister brand Popeyes to create a new chicken sandwich

• Burger King has announced its latest chicken sandwich.
• The sandwich will be available later this year as spicy or non-spicy, with or without lettuce and tomatoes.
• We spoke to Burger King's chief marketing officer about the upcoming sandwich.

Burger King has announced its latest chicken sandwich that will be available later this year as the infamous chicken sandwich wars continue to heat up again.

This isn't the fast-food chain's first chicken sandwich, but according to Ellie Doty - Burger King's chief marketing officer - this new iteration will be "simple and true" to the highly debated sandwich.

Doty isn't kidding when she stresses "simple." The sandwich will consist of four main components: fried chicken, a potato bun, apple cider vinegar-flavored pickles, and aioli with a blend of spices and herbs. Tomato and lettuce will come optional.

In total, Burger King will be releasing four versions of the sandwich: spicy or non-spicy, and with or without tomatoes and lettuce.

Burger King has been working on the product since 2019 and began testing it in September 2020. And finally, after over a year's long work, the fast-food giant's chicken sandwich will be released to the public later this year at an unannounced date or price.

"Having a competitive edge in chicken is definitely where the future is, and Burger King wants to be part of it," Doty told Insider in an interview.

The fast-food chain didn't want to "half-ass" its chicken sandwich, according to Doty. To prevent this, the chicken will be breaded and fried in-store instead of being pre-fried, frozen, and reheated.

This in-store, hand-breading process means adding the chicken sandwich onto the chain's menu will be a "significant change" for Burger King, and will set the sandwich apart from other fast-food chains vying for a champion chicken sandwich, according to Doty.

"It's about the preparation of the product that makes it great," Doty said. "Same is true for our Whopper."

Burger King may also consider exploring more chicken-based products in the future, according to Doty.

"We see what our sister brand Popeye's did and we believe the stakes have changed around a guest's expectation for chicken," Doty said.

The chicken sandwich wars may have seemed mum for a bit, but fast-food brands have been hard at work trying to stake a claim in the quiet ongoing war.

Earlier this month, Jimmy John's announced its own "Smokin' Kickin' Chicken" sandwich which will be available until March 21. McDonald's will also be unveiling three chicken sandwiches later this month. Wendy's reported their latest chicken sandwich in October 2020 a few months before Jack in the Box announced its own two new sandwiches.