Wendy’s unveiled its first new Made to Crave offering of 2023: the Ghost Pepper Ranch Chicken Sandwich.
"Our Made to Crave menu continues to be a powerhouse, creating unique, unforgettable flavor experiences for our fans," said Lindsay Radkoski, U.S. chief marketing officer for The Wendy's Company.
"Customers can't wait to try the products we add to this line-up, and I know spicy seekers will be back for another visit once they try the layers of Ghost Pepper we've put on top of our spicy chicken fillet. We take our position as the queen of spice very seriously, and the team really outdid themselves when creating this sandwich!"
According to a press release, the sandwich “dials up the heat,” featuring Wendy's signature Spicy Chicken, ghost pepper infused American cheese, ghost pepper seasoned crispy onions, lettuce, tomato, and a creamy ghost pepper ranch sauce.
Chicken in foodservice thrived over the past few years following the 2019 viral craze nicknamed the chicken sandwich wars. More recently, brands have begun to experiment with chicken sandwich flavors. Wendy’s experimented with the Italian Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich, while Burger King launched Mexican, Italian and American versions of the traditional chicken sandwich.
This may be the first Ghost Pepper chicken sandwich on the market, but Popeyes added Ghost Pepper Wings as a limited time offer earlier this year.
What’s scarier than Ghost Pepper spice?
To drum up support for the new spicy sandwich, Wendy’s partnered with McCann Canada for the “Don’t Be Afraid” campaign. The ad spots celebrate National Paranormal Day by asking consumers to tweet stories “scarier than Ghost Pepper spice.”
The Ghost Pepper Chicken Ranch Sandwich will be available for a limited time at participating Wendy’s starting May 1. The quick service restaurant also added Ghost Pepper Fries and a Strawberry Frosty to menus.
