If You'll Be My Dixie Chicken

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 6, 2006 3:30PM

It's often said that the best ideas are the ones that are stolen. With that in mind, leave it to McDonald's to test market chicken biscuit sandwiches in 800 stores, including a handful in Ohio and Michigan. Can Chicago, the Promised Land of the Great Migration, be far behind?

The sandwich is a response to the successes of the popular Chick-fil-A chain and Wendy's, whose premium chicken sandwich menu consistently outsells Hamburger U's. It could also be a preemptive strike to Wendy's soon-to-launch breakfast menu.

The sandwiches are heavily promoted in Southern states through billboards, radio spots, and other ads featuring Ronald McDonald, urging folks to join him in "doin' it Southern style." Normally when Chicagoist hears that, we're expecting some punch line about getting your corn from a jar, watching a bunch of men drive in a circle for three hours, or marrying your sister. Seriously, it makes sound business sense for McDonald's to test a chicken biscuit sammitch. Two major reasons for McDonald's resurgence have been via innovations in their breakfast menu and the introduction of premium chicken sandwiches, which have the initial allure of being healthier than, well, everything else on their menu. That is, until you look up the nutritional information for their premium grilled chicken classic sandwich. We'll wait.

Jeebus!

If you want to get your hands on an actual Chick-fil-A sandwich, the closest store is in Racine. If we knew that, we wouldn't have made our hosts in Nashville drive us out of the way for an order of waffle fries.