‘I need this in my life.’ Chick-fil-A tests pimento cheese chicken sandwich in NC, SC
How do you make a chicken sandwich more Southern? Add pimento cheese, Chick-fil-A says.
The restaurant chain said Monday it is testing a new menu item in parts of North Carolina and South Carolina: the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich. The “twist” on the original chicken sandwich is drizzled with honey and topped with pimento cheese and pickled jalapenos.
“Chick-fil-A is taking Southern comfort food to another level,” the company said.
But the seasonal sandwich will only be available for a limited time in select restaurants in upstate South Carolina and the Asheville, North Carolina, area. It launched Monday and will be available while supplies last.
Customers can check the Chick-fil-A app or call their local restaurant to see if it’s available.
A few franchises have posted about the menu addition on social media, and some users were disappointed to learn the sandwich wasn’t available near them.
“Ok so wait a second. I need this in my life,” one person commented on a Facebook post from a Chick-fil-A in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. “I live 7 hours away now...how long is this going on for?”
Others were eager to have it available nationwide.
“Dear people of this town, please don’t screw this up for the rest of us,” another commented on the post. “I need y’all to buy as many of these as you can. Sincerely, Everywhere else.”
For those who won’t get the chance to try the new sandwich just yet, Chick-fil-A rolled out other new menu items on Monday.
It added a new chocolate fudge brownie, a Mocha Cream Cold Brew and a Thrive Farmers hot coffee blend, McClatchy News reported last week. The brownie and hot coffee will be available year round while the cold brew will be available for a limited time at select locations.
The Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich has been in the works for over a year, Chick-fil-A said. It follows the “popularity of the seasonal Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich.”
“This is the first variation of the Original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich we’ve tested as a seasonal item,” Stuart Tracy, a Chick-fil-A senior culinary developer, said in an announcement. “We have a feeling Guests will love it.”
The sandwich “won in a landslide” during earlier “customer taste testing” compared to other potential new menu items, according to the company.
Customers who don’t prefer spicy food can get the sandwich without jalapenos.
“The jalapenos add what we call ‘entry-level’ spice,” Tracy said. “They give the sandwich just a little kick, bringing a Southwest influence that pairs well with honey and pimento cheese.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 1:03 PM with the headline "‘I need this in my life.’ Chick-fil-A tests pimento cheese chicken sandwich in NC, SC."
