Popeyes and Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches: Battle heats up

It’s a battle of the chicken sandwiches.

A week after Popeyes first nationwide chicken sandwich was released, the fast-food chain started a Twitter feud with chicken competitor Chick-fil-A.

On Monday, Chick-fil-A, which launched a new item of its own last week with its Mac & Cheese, tweeted: ” Bun + Chicken + Pickles = all the (heart emoji) for the original.”

Popeyes retweeted the tweet and wrote “… y’all good?” 

The Twitterverse was a flurry with some saying they preferred Popeyes’ new sandwich to Chick-fil-A’s, which is best known for its chicken sandwiches and has been voted as America’s favorite fast-food chain year in surveys.

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Popeyes sandwich features its New Orleans-style fried chicken on a toasted brioche bun and starts at $3.99. Like Chick-fil-A’s sandwich, it also is topped with pickles and comes with either a spicy Cajun spread or classic mayo.

There were some tweets about being able to get a Popeyes sandwich on Sunday, a day when Chick-fil-A is closed.

“Chick-fil-A feeling the pressure??” @big_business_ tweeted Monday.

Popeyes has offered chicken sandwiches at select locations in the past, but this is its first nationwide chicken sandwich, which will be a permanent offering, the company said.

“Customers in our test markets loved the product, and we knew it was time to bring it to Popeyes fans across the nation,” Athayde said.

Have you tried Popeyes new sandwich? What did you think? Comment here or join the conversation at Facebook.com/usatodaymoney. 

Contributing: Rebekah Tuchscherer

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko