One of the most popular chicken restaurants (and fast food restaurants overall) is making a big change - one it hasn't seen since the chain was founded in 1946.

The iconic chicken sandwich that the chain is known for has had began with has remained unchanged since Truett Cathy founded the restaurant. It's a simple buttered bun, a fried chicken breast, and pickles. There has been a deluxe version, featuring lettuce, tomato, and cheese, and the restaurant also debuted a spicy chicken sandwich, but the traditional formula hasn't changed.

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Until now.

Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich

The new sandwich, the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich, will debut in stores nationwide starting August 28. The sandwich features the traditional bun and chicken, but that's it. Everything else is new.

The new menu item features pimento cheese and honey, and the usual pickles have been replaced by pickled jalapenos.

It's not the first time the sandwich has been introduced, mind you - originally, it was given a limited release in North and South Carolina. But that was back in 2020. It appears the chain was pleased with the results, and they've been working on a nationwide release, which is what we're now seeing.

Here's more on the sandwich from CNBC:

The Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich was a project five years in the making, according to Stuart Tracy, Chick-fil-A’s principal culinary lead. Chick-fil-A tasked Tracy with creating a spin on its chicken sandwich, and his team came up with nearly 30 different flavor options after more than a year. The chain tested the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich in 2020 in Asheville, North Carolina, and upstate South Carolina.

Tracy didn’t rule out Chick-fil-A permanently adding the menu item. After supply runs out, the chain will assess responses from customers and franchisees to decide if it’s worth bringing back.

Also coming to the restaurant is a new seasonal milkshake, the Caramel Crumble Milkshake. It features butterscotch caramel flavors and blondie crumbles, and it was menu-tested in Salt Lake City in 2021.

The Perfect Chicken Sandwich?

Chick-Fil-A has a very devoted fan base, and for the longest time many considered its signature menu item the "perfect chicken sandwich." It was simple and well-made, and it's a restaurant chain known for its quality and service. That's made it extremely popular.

But the famed "chicken sandwich wars" that began in 2019 fundamentally changed the landscape of the fast food industry. Popeye's released its chicken sandwich, which exploded in popularity and put the chicken sandwich as a menu item back in the spotlight. Other restaurants followed suit.

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Chick-Fil-A, however, remained relatively unchanged. It did re-introduce the spicy version of its sandwich last year, but the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken is the first major change the iconic sandwich has seen.

And, despite the explosion in the Popeye's sandwich's popularity from the jump, Chick-Fil-A remains the No. 3 restaurant chain by sales in the U.S., only being beaten out by McDonald's and Starbucks.