Burger King Enters the Chicken Sandwich Wars With New Ch'King

Burger King is getting in on the Chicken Sandwich Wars. On Wednesday, the fast-food chain officially debuted their new, hand-breaded "Ch'King" chicken sandwich, an offering aimed at taking on the likes of Chick-fil-A and Popeyes. The sandwich was previously announced earlier this year and has been tested in select stores ahead of the nationwide rollout. Burger King has been testing the new sandwich, which comes in a regular and spicy variety, for approximately two years.

"We were the first in mainstream burger in QSR (quick service restaurants) to brand a burger the Whopper, [so] we want to be the first in mainstream QSR to brand a chicken sandwich the Ch'King," Ellie Doty, Burger King's chief marketing officer, told Yahoo Finance.

The new Ch'King will be available in two ways — original and spicy. It'll be served on the company's toasted potato bun and includes deli pickles and a proprietary sauce. If you want, you can get it deluxe with lettuce and tomatoes. The sandwich has a suggested retail price of $3.99 up to $4.99 depending on location, but with the recently-launched "Royal Perks" program, from June 3 through June 20, customers who order a Ch'King through Burger King's website or app will also get a Whopper for free.

The nationwide rollout of the Ch'King comes at a time when a demand for chicken sandwiches is not only driving restaurant traffic – chicken sandwiches are definitely having their moment – but is also contributing to a potential chicken shortage thanks to a higher demand for product. However, Burger King says they are prepared and have a strategy in place.

"We're not immune to macro forces, they hit us just like they hit everybody else, but we have put in place a very robust supply chain support system, we have a diversified set of suppliers," Doty said.

The announcement of the Ch'King isn't the only chicken-related menu news from Burger King this week. Earlier this week, the chain announced that it had brought back the fan-favorite crown-shaped chicken nuggets to restaurants in the Miami area for a limited time.

Will you be checking out Burger King's Ch'King sandwich? Who do you think is the current winner of the Chicken Sandwich Wars or are you just ready for another food trend? Let us know your thoughts about this and all things fast food in the comment section.