Fast-food companies lean into chicken offerings as popularity grows

Several major fast food companies are leaning into chicken. 

McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Wendy’s have each indicated in recent months that they are looking to ramp up their offerings of the increasingly popular protein. 

Fast-food giant McDonald’s on Thursday revealed McCrispy Strips would become a permanent menu item at all participating U.S. restaurants by May 5, something CEO Chris Kempczinski alluded to during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call in February as he detailed some upcoming plans for its chicken business. 

MCDONALD'S ADDING BRAND-NEW MENU ITEM: MCCRISPY STRIPS 

The return of the Snack Wrap is also in the works at McDonald’s, with Kempczinski telling analysts and investors at the time that the item would arrive in the U.S. "along with a few other markets" this year. The chain more recently hinted at the date of the Snack Wrap’s comeback with a social media post that said "snack wraps 0x.14.2025." 

McDonald’s is also looking to expand the availability of its McCrispy chicken sandwich from its more than 70 markets to "nearly all" by the end of the year, according to Kempczinski. As for the Chicken Big Mac, the company plans to "continue to pulse in" that sandwich as a "limited-time-only offering over time," he said.

"We’re excited about the significant opportunity we see within our chicken portfolio and see the potential to add another point of chicken market share by the end of 2026," Kempczinski said during the February earnings call. 

Taco Bell, meanwhile, has also been making more moves with chicken. 

The chain added crispy chicken nuggets to its U.S. menus on Thursday, roughly four months after their first limited-time stint in December.

Taco Bell’s nuggets appeared in nearly 1-in-6 Taco Bell orders during that limited run, according to the brand.

Their latest reappearance is the "first step in Taco Bell’s plan to add crispy chicken to menus permanently by 2026," the chain said in mid-April.

Taco Bell said the Crispy Chicken Nuggets "will be on menus for a limited time as one of several new creations the brand is exploring as it works toward making crispy chicken a permanent part of the menu" next year.

TACO BELL BRINGS CRISPY CHICKEN NUGGETS BACK

During the "Live Mas" event that Taco Bell held in early March, the brand said U.S. and Canadian customers can also expect to see crispy chicken burritos and tacos on a limited-time basis this year. 

At Taco Bell’s test kitchen, 95% of its innovations spotlight chicken, according to the brand.

Early last year, the chain rolled out its Cantina Chicken Menu, featuring items like the Cantina Chicken Burrito, Cantina Chicken Quesadilla and Cantina Chicken Soft Taco. Taco Bell said last month it is "aiming for Cantina Chicken Menu items to reach $5 billion in system sales by 2030."

Executives at Wendy’s, which has more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide, are also plotting to add more chicken to menus.

CEO Kirk Tanner said during the company’s earnings call in mid-February that Wendy’s has "plans to expand in fast-growing categories, including chicken and beverages." 

In a blog post after the company’s investor day in March, he similarly wrote that Wendy’s was planning on "expanding our chicken offerings to provide modern, craveable options to our customers" in addition to the chain keeping a "continued focus on our iconic square hamburgers and fresh, never frozen beef as our quality differentiator." The company has also rolled out Frost Fusions and Frosty Swirls this spring. 

WENDY'S ADDING NEW FROSTY DESSERTS TO ITS MENU

During the investor day, Wendy’s Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Radkoski said chicken "overindexes with all three of our key growth audiences, and based on trends with those audiences and why they’re eating chicken, we don’t expect the growth in chicken to slow down anytime soon," according to QSR Magazine.

She also reportedly said the chain’s "menu work" on chicken "is more intensive than ever before."

Wendy’s recently released a Cajun Crunch Chicken Sandwich as a limited-time offering as part of its spring menu.