The first flavor innovation in 25 years was introduced at Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken last month when the Spicy Bourbon Chicken Sandwich launched on the menu.
The 130-unit chain, which jumped into the chicken sandwich wars in 2020, is “first and foremost a bone-in chicken company,” said Dan Sokolik, VP of marketing for Lee’s, “but the chicken sandwich will be our platform for flavor innovation going forward.”
It starts with the sauce
Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken, now based in Shalimar, Fla., was born in Lima, Ohio in 1966, founded by the nephew of Colonel Sanders himself. His name was Lee, hence the brand’s name.
“We work with vendor partners on R&D and this fall we hosted an Innovation Summit at Lee’s headquarters kitchen,” said Sokolik . One vendor brought the spicy bourbon sauce and it worked really well as a pairing with the chicken sandwich.”
As a bonus, it was an off-the-shelf product that was readily available in a supply-stressed market.
The Spicy Bourbon Chicken is currently running as an LTO. It features a four-ounce, hand-battered chicken filet marinated in a special blend of seasonings, tossed in the spicy bourbon barbeque sauce and served on a warm brioche bun.
“We tested it with two operators in North Carolina and Ohio and sales were strong, plus anecdotal responses from consumers were very favorable,” said Sokolik.
First step in flavor innovation
Lee’s has other flavor variations ready to go in the pipeline.
“Nashville Hot is next up,” said Sokolik. “Although it’s been around for a while, many of Lee’s locations are in smaller communities where they haven’t been exposed to hot chicken concepts.”
The chain is once again partnering with a supplier to develop the sauce and the LTO should launch in early 2023. Also in the works are other sauces that were presented at the Innovation Summit that may be slathered on the chicken sandwich in the future.
Lee’s also has a deep pantry of dipping sauces for its chicken dippers, their version of chicken nuggets. “We were first to market with a couple of these flavors and they are unique to us,” said Sokolik.
One of these is Bonsai Sauce, a proprietary Asian-inspired sauce. “There’s a strong possibility that this will be on our chicken sandwich one day,” he said.
Artemis Lane, a group of former private investors including Ryan Weaver, Lee's current CEO, acquired the Lee's brand in 2021, and since then, the team has been ramping up menu innovation and working to identify future LTOs.
“This first menu enhancement in 25 years is just a stepping stone. As a brand, we are becoming more proactive [about R&D] instead of reactive,” said Sokolik.
This story has been updated to reflect more current information.