Look out Colonel a new chicken shop is planning to cross the pond. Nick gets a preview bite of Chik-Fil-A.
What he’s talking about is the pickles (gherkins to us) on a Chick-Fil-A (chicken fillet, geddit) bun. These don’t have to be the same individual size slices but they do have to cover the base the necessary amount to deliver the classic Chick-Fil-A taste experience that people crave.
The chicken sandwich was invented in Atlanta in 1946 by the company founder Truett Cathy. Invented is a perhaps bit of a strong word, it is after all just breaded, deep-fried chicken breast in a bun, but before that cooking chicken took too long for the average American fast-food eater, certainly longer than a burger.
Cathy found a pressure-fryer that could cook the chicken sandwich in the same amount of time it took to cook a fast-food hamburger and he was off. But not on Sundays, the founder’s religious beliefs mean the chain was and is always closed on Sundays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. His son has recently said that his Dad also needed a regular day-off at the end of every hard week and felt his staff did too.
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‘I like the basic original best,’ Rich says.’Bun, chicken and just the pickles,’ and through a mouthful I taste his point. The vinegary crunch of the gherkin goes well with the meat, the breadcrumb and the bun. There are of course far more variations available in American outlets, including grilled chicken versions for those avoiding fats, but Rich says it’s surprising how many people don’t want to change from the basic.
Plans to come to UK and Europe might be in hand but Rich says they aren’t just going to blunder in; solid research and an understanding of the different markets come first. After all, there is already a famous US chicken outlet in the UK that can’t be taken lightly.’Indeed,’says Rich,’but you know we keep our coating mixture top secret too.’