Canadian Spicy Chicken Sandwich War Heats Up

 

So the other day I went out and tried the much hyped Popeye's Spicy Chicken Sandwich which finally released in Canada on Monday after waiting a year:

The sandwich was pretty good, but not life changing. Check out my full review. But this heavily marketed sandwich was just the first shot in what I call, The Canadian Spicy Chicken Sandwich Wars.

Not to be outdone by Popeye's, most of the major franchises out here have introduced their own versions, some with specials. Now unfortunately due to my circumstances I won't be trying all these (I'm actually sad about this) but you can go out and try for yourself.

KFC

The KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich. Is this one famous? I have not had this one, but it seems to be fighting right along with Popeyes. 

"Triple breaded, buttermilk marinated chicken fillet, drizzled with buttery garlic oil, 3 sweet pickles, double spicy mayo on a potato bun."

So they've gone with a chicken mixed in with garlic oil, and a potato bun. There's spicy mayo there too. It looks good to me. And TODAY ONLY - WEDNESDAY SEPT 16th 2020 you can get it for $2!!!

KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich

MARY BROWN's

Mary Brown's has been doing a big chicken sandwich for years called the Big Mary. Earlier this summer she rolled out the Spicy Big Mary, and even more recently the Buffalo Mary:

Spicy Big Mary:

"The new Spicy Big Mary sandwich features a Signature Big Mary whole breast fillet amped-up with a cayenne kick, cool crunchy pickles and spicy mayo on a sesame seed bun."

Buffalo Mary: 

"It’s our Signature Big Mary® whole breast fillet, slathered in spicy Buffalo sauce, paired with blue cheese or ranch dressing and topped with crunchy lettuce! Serve it on a brioche bun and it’s a handful of awesome!" 

Now every Monday the Big Mary is on sale for $3.99 - that's when I tried it and it was really good.

Not only that, you can get a free Big Mary if you download their App!

Mary Brown's Big Mary Options

McDonald's

This is almost in a different category. McD's has brought back their Spicy McChicken Challenge

Last year McDonald's introduced a vamped up McChicken sandwich; they slowly raised the heat starting with the Spicy Jalapeno, the the Spicier Habanero, and finished off with the Spiciest Ghost Pepper McChicken. I only did the Ghost Pepper McChicken, but it was actually spicy!

This year McD's dropped the Jalapeno and introduced the Scotch Bonnet McChicken available from September 1st-28th:

"If you love our spicy Habanero sandwich but want to kick things up a notch, this spicier McChicken® is for you! Topped with our creamy Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce. Perfectly breaded seasoned chicken and crisp shredded lettuce – all on a freshly toasted sesame bun."

Compared to the other chains, this sandwich brings the heat. But the chicken is not a breast fillet, but formed patty product. I like a good McChicken, but the sandwich is just not on the same level.

Spicy McChicken Challenge

WENDY's

Wendy's has had a Spicy Chicken sandwich for a while:

Last year they even had a Bacon Jalapeno Chicken Sandwich which I really enjoyed (especially with their Bacon Jalapeno topped fries). But just to be different during the CSCS War, they went with a BBQ & Bacon Chicken Sandwich:

"Sure, pickles are great but why does a chicken sandwich have to stop there? The BBQ & Bacon Chicken sandwich adds crispy onion tanglers, cheddar cheese and melty cheese sauce plus three strips of our signature Applewood smoked bacon. Oh and also pickles."

I mean it sounds good, I'd get it, and I understand trying to pivot the spicy chicken sandwich battle with something different, but this was the time to bring back the Bacon Jalapeno chicken sandwich in my opinion.

Wendy's BBQ & Bacon Chicken Sandwich

A&W

A&W is coming a little late to the game with a new Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich: 

"5 oz of crispy, crunchy chicken, sweet pickles and nashville-style aioli, all on a brioche bun. Only available at Toronto locations for a limited time."

I've not had this one, but it sounds good. The problem is that it's only available in Toronto right now. I hope that's just a test market for now and will expand. But I don't know.

A&W Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

So, what sandwiches have you had? What do you want to try? #lotwwants2know

Ander Christensen fights Boneless Wings

* I thought I had published this to the blog when it came out on September 2nd, but after an unexpected time of not attending to the blog, realized it was not. Crap.

Is this the hero we need right now?

 

Is this the hero we need right now? https://t.co/c09bwUvMPl

— LORD of the WINGS (@LordoftheWings) September 2, 2020

Here is an interview with Ander Christensen, the Nebraska man fighting for what we all know is true:

 

Boneless Wings are not wings. It's sneaky advertising lingo used to make you think you can just put wing sauce on a chicken product and still get chicken wings. Unless you actually debone the wing (and you can, like I did), boneless wings are just sauced up chicken fingers, or "saucy nuggs" as Mr Christensen says. I still enjoy "wet tenders" myself, but they are not, nor should be called, boneless wings.

COVID-19 Found with Frozen Chicken Wings - But it's ok

 If you were watching the news this week, you might have seen the same headline that doubled my fear of COVID-19:

Apparently China found cases of COVID-19 in frozen chicken wings that had been imported from Brazil. If COVID wasn't bad enough, it's going after chicken wings now?

But it seems things are not as bad as they sound according to WHO officials:

Some of the take-aways from the video:

• China has been testing on packaging, and tested a few hundred thousand samples and found less than 10 positive cases
• Virus can remain on surfaces, but can be in-activated on hands if you wash your hands or use alcohol base rub
• If virus is in food, as of August 12 2020 we have no examples of the virus being transmitted by food borne (consumed), the virus and other viruses are killed when the meat is cooked
• People should not fear food or food packaging but experts continue to do research

So simple rules to follow:

WASH YOUR HANDS

COOK YOUR CHICKEN WINGS

WEAR A MASK IN PUBLIC (nothing to do with food, just do it!)

So stay safe and wing on!!!

Some official News reports:  

https://globalnews.ca/video/7272545/coronavirus-who-officials-discuss-food-safety-after-frozen-chicken-wings-test-positive-for-covid-19/

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/chinese-officials-say-chicken-wings-imported-from-brazil-tested-positive-for-covid-19-1.5062531

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/13/asia/china-coronavirus-chicken-wings-intl-hnk/index.html

Anthony Bourdain 1956-2018

I took a social media break last week just before my provincial election (it was bad news enough) but when I came back, I had heard Anthony Bourdain had died.

At first I just kind of shrugged and thought yup, another celebrity suicide. Like the election, I didn't want to hear anything about it or to think about it at all. Generally I'm not affected by celebrity news or deaths, but I think like most foodies I know, Anthony Bourdain meant a lot to us, and I couldn't shake the news.

Bourdain was doing what many of us dream of; travelling the world, eating and talking about it. What set him apart from others, aside from the exotic locales, was his honesty (at least, what seemed like honesty, TV is always about manipulation). He didn't sugar coat his experiences. He went and ate everywhere. Fine hotels and fancy restaurants or back alleys and night markets. Bourdain went where the locales went. My earliest memory of experiencing Anthony was watching him on his show No Reservations on a small motor boat in what I remember being what I think was Vietnam and as they traveled on a river, saw a family eating on their home/boat and joined the family for their meal unexpectedly. The family showed him what an typical meal was like, and he ate what most Westerners would be squeamish to eat, especially when we saw them wash the dishes between meals in the dirty river water. But he didn't balk. He always showed great respect to the people, his hosts, the countries and the food.

What I loved about watching Bourdain, whether it was No Reservations or The Layover or No Limits, was that he was there to learn. He's a trained chef, but he wanted to learn what life (and thus food) was like every location he went to. He listened to the people, then told us the story with his voice and his perspective. He didn't seem to shy from giving his opinion, he didn't avoid complaining about something, but it never came across as whining or trivial. He wasn't a shining optimist, but he seemed to embrace adventure, food and life. And I think that what makes his suicide so hard. I thought he was a fighter, and I don't doubt he did fight, it's just that much sadder that whatever got to him, got him.

Suicide is never easy. In my former career, I dealt on a semi-regular basis with folks who thought about suicide, who attempted suicide, and that were overcoming attempted suicide. I've had friends think or attempt suicide. I've gone through several levels of suicide prevention training. I've had some very hard conversations, and seen people going through very difficult things. I don't know what Anthony Bourdain was going through, but I know whatever it was, it couldn't have been easy. Some people dismiss suicide as the easy way out, but there is nothing easy about it. If you are having trouble, if you are thinking about suicide, please reach out for help. If you are in Canada go to https://suicideprevention.ca/need-help/ for a crisis centre or call 911.

I feel sad at the loss of Anthony Bourdain. I can't shake the thought that we won't get to see more of him, of his travels, of his experiences. He did a great service for those of us who love travel and food, and he will be missed. So before I sign off here, I present this clip of Bourdain eating spicy wings with Anderson Cooper - I love it because a) they are eating wings b) how he seems to thirst for the spicy wings and the endorphin rush c) Anderson Cooper's reaction to the heat.

Rest In Peace Tony

Wingsanity is back at St Louis Wings

St Louis All-You-Can-Eat wing festival "Wingsanity" is back - for $19.99 it's all you can eat wings or boneless wings, all day long from May 18th to June 17th (father's day).

Will you go 'wingsane'?  I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I will, and it will be glorious.

Gold-Dusted Chicken Wings? They might be Au-right ...

Would you try Gold-Dusted Wings?

The Daily News is reporting that New York eatery's 2 locations of The Ainsworth are serving the gold-dusted wings. Created in collaboration with chef Foodgod (Jonathan Cheban), these wings are the epitome of elite treat.

"The prized poultry pieces are first soaked in a mixture of coconut butter, gold butter, chipotle and honey batter for 24 hours. Then, real gold flakes are sprinkled on top of the wings before they’re served with a side of gourmet dipping blue cheese.

Orders come 10 wings for $30, or 20 wings for $60 at The Ainsworth East Village (64 Third Ave.) and The Ainsworth Chelsea (122 W. 26th St). Showoffs have the option of splurging for 50 wings plus a bottle of Champagne Armand de Brignac — for a whopping $1,000."

Wow. Wow.

I'd try them because there actually does sound like some flavour in there ... but at $30 for 10 wings, well actually that's not that much more than some pubs and restaurants already . . .

Kelsey's Hot Wing Challenge = Free Chicken Wings for a Year TODAY MARCH 22nd 2018

Kelsey's has a hot wing eating challenge with the winner getting free chicken wings for a year!!!

It's TODAY and its different at every location (I talked to 4 and they are all doing it at different times) so make sure you contact your local Kelseys @ kelseys.ca

I'm going to compete - are you!??!?!

Arby's buys Buffalo Wild Wings

Well,  Arby's now really does have All The Meats.

For $2.9 billion dollars (billion) Arby's, is buying chicken wing chain Buffalo Wild Wings reported Forbes. Maybe signs were there when Arby's was advertising their Buffalo Chicken sandwich recently.

I gotta say, $2.9 billion seems ridiculous over evaluation to me. Mainly because I think Buffalo Wild Wings serves pretty terrible wings; I've been 3 times in my life and each time was super disappointing:

They are big, but every time I had them they were rubbery, tough and not at all crispy. Very commercial and no love.

On the other hand, I have rarely had a bad experience at Arby's. Arby's says they are going to keep BWWW independant, but what does any of this mean for either chain? What new food partnership might this make?

Uproxx ranks Best Wing Chains in USA

One of my online distractions is the info site UPROXX. I read it for movie and tv, but it also has news news, and food stuff. Checking it out today, I see they decided to rank chicken wing chains across the US of A.

This is their ranking briefly - with some of my commentary, but you can read the whole article down below, or go to the link HERE.


10.  Dominos
9.    Cheesecake Factory
8.    Pizza Hut
7.    P.F Chang's
6.    Buffalo Wild Wings
5.    Wing Zone
4.    Anchor Bar
3.    Hooters
2.    Wingstop
1.    Bon Chon


I have never had the privilege of having wings at the Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang's, Wing Zone, Wingstop or Bon Chon. Shocking I know, but most of these places do not have locations in Canada, and I haven't had the opportunity to go to them when I have been in the US.

That leaves Dominos, Pizza Hut, BWW, Anchor Bar, and Hooters.

DOMINOS
I have never been crazy about Dominos chicken wings in Canada. They are usually meaty but they are a soggy mess, baked and not crispy at all. The sauce is also weirdly sweet. The author of the article seems to suggest that theirs are fried . . . so they would probably be on the bottom part of my list too.

PIZZA HUT
Pizza Hut revamped their wings several years ago, creating Wing Street, where they started taking wings seriously. I think they did a great job of improving take-out wings. In-fact, I did a wing-by-wing comparison to Dominos a few years ago and found their wings were crispy, sauced well and tasty.

BUFFALO WILD WINGS
This is a chain that I just don`t get. I`ve been to it 3 times in the US and every time have been served disappointing wings. Large, yes, but mushy soft skinned wings with rubbery/tough chicken. This was at different locations. I would put these low on my list.

ANCHOR BAR
This is the Mecca of chicken wings. I've been to the original on pilgrimage, but I've also been to the franchise chains in Hamilton On and last January in Toronto near the airport. These are solid Buffalo wings, obviously.

HOOTERS
I've had great wings at Hooters and terrible terrible wings at Hooters. Actually I've never formally reviewed them on the blog (I did a few years ago go and take photos, but it was part of my phase where the reviews never made it to print). I have only been to the Hooters in downtown Toronto and generally it was for their AYCE wings. The worst wings I had there we were served BAD chicken, like it smelled foul and off and was grey mushy inside. Most times the wings came crispy/crunchy with a tasty sauce. But it's hard to get past that bad experience.


What about you - have you been to these places? What do you think of UPROXX's ranking?

UPROXX's

Power Ranking The Best Chicken Wing Chains In The Country

Chicken wings are kinda the best. They’re small delivery systems of savory, sweet, and spicy flavor. Throw some in a deep frier and then toss them in a great sauce … Brilliance. But deep frying food at home is a pain in the ass. Wings are something we tend to go out for. Hence almost every fast casual has an assortment on their menus and even pizza delivery has gotten in the game.

So where can we get the absolute best wings in America? To complete this masterful task we have to take a few things into consideration. First, let’s set aside the classic fried chicken joints — we can’t have Popeye’s winning every chicken-related competition. Let’s just focus on the fast food and fast casual wing-heavy places that are mostly nationwide, allowing us all a chance to check these picks out.

Sure, places like Hattie B’s in Nashville would probably win hands down, but they only have Nashville locations and one in Alabama. So Nashville hot chicken has to sit this one out. Though, if we ever rank the straight up best chicken in the country, regardless of size, be assured, they’ll be in the running.

Okay, let’s cut to the chase and rank some wings.

10. Domino’s

When it comes to wings Domino’s > Papa John’s. Where Papa John’s wings get a bit sloppy, Domino’s tend to be crisply fried and simply dressed in hot sauce. There’s not a whole lot going on otherwise. These are the sorta wings you order as an afterthought like, “Sure, fill up a pizza box of wings for me too, YOLO.”

9. Cheesecake Factory

If we’re talking fast casual, The Cheesecake Factory is the mountaintop. Sorry TGI Fridays and Applebees. So long Ruby Tuesday. The Factory (that’s what the restaurant’s acolytes call it, right?) buffalo wings are perfectly suitable as an appetizer. They’re crispy and saucy like any good buffalo wing. And that’s about it. They aren’t mind-blowing or transcendent. They’re just good — if you can find them on The Factory’s (we’re sticking with this one) insanely deep menu.

8. Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is one of those pizza chains where the wings aren’t an afterthought. The main reason being that they’re more creative with the saucing options. Their seven flavors are good wing options in general. Spicy Garlic, Hawaiian Teriyaki, and Cajun Style are among the best ways to get down on some Pizza Hut wings.

7. P.F. Chang’s

Back in the fast casual world, P.F. Chang’s dominates the wings selection. Dragon Wings are tasty AF. These are some of the better-dressed wings on this list with a great spice matrix of cayenne, soy sauce, orange, ginger, garlic, sesame, and sweet brown sugar. Add in a pretty decent bar to the mix and you’ve got a great place to eat some delicious wings during happy hour.

6. Buffalo Wild Wings

If you’re going out for wings, BWW seems like the second option you’d settle for when you find your favorite wing joint is closed. Don’t get us wrong, the wings are perfectly fine here — it’s what they do best after all. The Thai Curry wings are legit tasty. But there’s a bro-culture you have to deal with at the bars — which, meh. And the wings are just … pretty okay.

5. Wing Zone

This is where wings start getting more serious. Wing Zone’s locations mostly fall east of the Rockies where they fry up some serious wings that’ll satisfy your appetite for small pieces of deep fried chicken. Their Lemon Zinger and Garlic Parm flavors shine brightest alongside a pile of potato wedges. Their Nuclear Habanero Buffalo Wings pack enough kick to put a full grown buffalo down in the dirt.

You’ll need a lot of napkins for all that sweat that’ll be rolling off your brow, bro.

4. Anchor Bar

This is where it all started. Buffalo Wings were invented at this Buffalo, NY bar back in 1964. The Buffalo Wings from Anchor Bar started it all so they get some respect on this list, even though you can only get them in New York, Virginia, Texas, and California as of now. The wings are deep fried with a great sauce that has echoed through the ages. If you’re near an Anchor Bar, it’s absolutely worth dipping in for an order of the world’s most famous chicken wings.

3. Hooters

Hooters are everywhere. And, you know what, their wings are actually good. They hit the mark with perfectly crispy wings, dressed in a tasty sauce that doesn’t make the wings lose their crunch. Their Signature wings and Daytona Beach wings stand out as great additions to the wing pantheon. Plus, they serve bacon-wrapped wings for maximum #YOLO. Bacon plus wings equal very, very good.

2. Wingstop

Wingstop is everywhere as well. Their wings are near perfection. The crispily fried aspects of Wingstop’s wings is tasty on its own but it’s their sauces where things really start to shine. Habanero Mango is sweet and spicy in all the right ways. Cajun, Louisiana Rub, Hickory Smoked BBQ, and Teriyaki all hit the mark with deeply rooted flavors that wonderfully accent the crispy wing underneath. These are great wings.

1. Bonchon

Bonchon started out as a hometown fried chicken wing joint in Busan, South Korea. The wings were so delicious, Bonchon quickly spread across American, Asia, and the world. The wings are perfectly fried to crisp perfection and then dressed simply with heavy doses of umami and spice, alongside whispers of sweetness tying the whole wing together. Bonchon is the type of place that you may have never thought of going to. But once you eat there, it’ll be the only place you’ll ever want to go back to for all your wing needs.

#lotw31

Buffalo Latte from Tim Horton's

Tim Horton's has something new:

That's right, in 2 locations in Buffalo NY, they are serving a Buffalo Latte drink. Move over pumpkin spice!

That being said, I can't find any concrete information on this. I see it being reported on a bunch of news and food sites, but I can't find any original details.

I searched. Everyone keeps showing the same photo, but I can't find where it came from. There is no info on the Tim Horton's website. No news site has any info link. HOW DID PEOPLE FIND OUT ABOUT THIS!?!?! WHAT IS THE SOURCE!!!!


That being said I'm excited (not surprised) about any chicken wing culture addition, but would I try it? Well I don't drink coffee or latte's, so it's hard to say. Would you? Have you?

Kelsey's Chicken Fest 2017 ad

If you like Kelseys and you like chicken, Kelseys Chicken Fest might be for you. From Feb 27-March 26 2017 they have some special dishes for you to try out. I have not tried any and some things sound interesting, I've got some questions.

Of course, chicken wings was the first thing I looked for on the menu.

Is there a new wing flavour? Yes, Garlic Chili wings. I won't lie, the flavour doesn't excite me. I mean it sounds good, but just ok.

I'm calling BS on the little asterix that says you can't order this flavour on 1/2 price Thursdays. At $16 for only 10 wings, that's also BS! If it was a complicated recipe or a really unique wing but garlic chili?

Also sticking out - CAPTAIN CRUNCH CHICKEN FINGERS. This is out of the box thinking Kelseys! (If this was done to the wings, I would get the surcharge!). AND they drizzle it with garlic chili sauce in the end anyways.

Also of note to this blog is the "Bring It On Buffalo Chicken Sandwich" - sounds pretty tasty!

Deep Fried Twinkies also sounds good; question is, where is the chicken? All of the dishes have chicken; this one doesn't for sometime.

While I'm questioning things, when did Kelseys become a "Road House" and not "Friendly Neighborhood Bar & Grill" ? Or what I really mean (because I know when), why? Just simple marketing? What's going on here?


So is this "Fest" exciting enough for you to try? What do you think about the wings? Do you know why they are "Original Roadhouse" now?  I have more questions than answers these days . . .

"Toronto's newest food truck serves up stuffed wings" says BlogTO

BlogTO's talking about stuffed chicken wings and food trucks:

I do love chicken wings and I've been saying there aren't enough chicken wing food trucks. I'm going to try and check them out - let me know if you do too!

If you can't wait to find or want to try your own, I've dabbled in stuffed wings myself: Jalapeno Popper Wings.

TMZ interviews Ronda Rousey about wings

TMZ stopped Ronda Rousey, a mixed martial artist and recently turned actress in Furious 7 and the Expendables 3 and apparently a huge wing fanatic, to talk about wings in a quick chicken wing interview.

I have no idea how or why they started this line of questioning, but it's the fist time I was impressed with a TMZ interview:




Highlights:

• "I like mine super spicy"
• "someone brought me boneless breaded wings after I beat Sarah Kaufman and I cried. I literally cried. It has to be naked, an it has to have bones in it, and has extra hot sauce, and blue cheese"
• "I like to take the two bones split in half and suck it off entirely on both sides"

This Ronda knows what she wants in a wing and I appreciate that. The passion for the wing, and for eating them after beating the crap out of an opponent, means I won't correct her that it's a wingette and a drummette (all wing) and not a leg . . .

Hooters Wing Specials

Wing specials; even Hooters is in on the act:

also:

and this is also happening?

Is there a wing place not having specials on right now???

Boston Pizza Two-Four Wings

Boston Pizza is at it again.

They have to be the most 'wingovative' in their marketing campaigns around ordering wings. I mean in the past we have had Terry Peters, or who can forget Carl the Professional Wing Critic? It seems they are tapping into Canadian cultural psyche by appealing to beer and the Two-Four. For the non-Canadians reading this, a Two-Four is a case of beer with 24 beers. 

You get a box that is like a 2-4 with 24 wings. BP Wings Two-Four. Of course their campaigns always have a bit of humour by juxtaposing wanting wings in a box over a traditional basket.

I get excited when I see this kind of focus on a wing, but I had to stop and question what was going on here to:

First, I'm assuming this is a take-out thing, because why would you get a box in the restaurant? Then I started to question the costs.

24 wings are going to cost $29.99. You get 2 different types of wings ('all meat', breaded, fried, baked) and 2 sauces :

• 
  
• Naked
• Mild
• Medium
• Hot
• Thai Chili
• Teriyaki
• Amber Ale
• Spicy Samurai
• BBQ
• Chipotle BBQ
• Salt & Pepper Dry Rub
• Honey Garlic

and 2 dips:

BUT, you can order wings normally for $20.99,  

but maybe a double order isn't 12 wings . . . I don't know.

If you order, you get a chance to win wings for a year - which is great.


So have you tried the Wings Two-Four? Does this advertising campaign work for you? Have you checked out #BPwings24 ??? #LOTWwantsToKnow