The chicken sandwich wars might be heating up again.
On Monday, McDonald’s said it is adding three new chicken sandwiches to its menu Feb. 24. And this morning Shake Shack announced a Korean-inspired menu that includes not just a chicken sandwich, but also nuggets and fries.
“Straight from our South Korea Shacks, the Korean-Inspired Menu has landed in all U.S. Shacks to kick off the new year,” the company wrote in a press release. “This menu features three new items: Korean-Style Fried Chick’n, Korean Gochujang Chick’n Bites and Korean Gochujang Fries. Each packed with delicious flavors inspired by our teams’ work and travels in South Korea.”
For those wondering, Gochujang is “a red chili paste that’s kinda spicy, kinda sweet and packed with Umami flavor — a staple in Korean dishes,” the company wrote.
The sandwich is a Gochujang-glazed crispy, antibiotic-free chicken breast on Shake Shack’s white kimchi slaw featuring Choi’s Kimchi, which is made in Portland, Oregon.
The nuggets and crinkle-cut fries are each served with a Gochujang mayo sauce for dipping.
The restaurant is also adding a new shake to the shack. The Black Sugar Vanilla Shake is “toasty-caramel black sugar hand spun with vanilla frozen custard, topped with whipped cream and black sugar syrup.” Black sugar has a rich caramel flavor.
Culinary director Mark Rosati told CNN the creations were inspired by the Korean fried chicken restaurant scene in Seoul, which he and his team first experienced in 2015.
“We tried countless joints over the years, immersing ourselves in all of the different styles and finding what makes Seoul such a delicious and iconic city,” Rosati told CNN Business via email. “We have come to love the diverse flavor profile Korean fried chicken offers.”
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