It seems the “chicken wars” between fast-food restaurants are heating up once again.
Last week, McDonald’s introduced its new spicy chicken McNuggets, which will compete with Wendy’s spicy nuggets. Now, Shake Shack has entered the roost.
The restaurant known for its burgers announced Tuesday that its Hot Chick’n will be back for a limited time starting Tuesday. The item has been on the menu twice before. Now it's back and “ready to throw down in the chicken sandwich category,” a representative for Shake Shack said.
The spicy version of the restaurant’s Chick’n Shack sandwich is made with real chicken breast (no added hormones or antibiotics) that is slow-cooked in a creamy buttermilk marinade, hand-dipped into Shack-made batter, dredged through seasoned flour and crisp-fried. The chicken is then dusted with a guajillo and cayenne pepper blend, topped with Shack-made cherry-pepper slaw and pickles, all served on a potato bun.
Hot Chick’n is also returning with brand new Hot Chick’n Bites, Hot Spicy Fries and Hot Spicy Cheese Fries, made with the same guajillo and cayenne pepper dusting.
All four Hot Chick’n items are available in two spice levels, hot and extra hot, and will be at Shake Shack locations nationwide, some exclusions may apply. Guests who order Hot Chick’n through the Shack App or order.shakeshack.com can get access to a third spice level, fire.
"When developing our Hot Chick’n menu, featuring the Hot Chick’n sandwich and brand new Hot Chick’n Bites, Hot Spicy Fries and Hot Spicy Cheese Fries, we wanted to make sure we launched them in an elevated way, inspired by our deep culinary roots and emphasis on premium ingredients," said Mark Rosati, Culinary Director at Shake Shack.