Chick-fil-A Has a Brand-New Sandwich for Summer, and I Tried It First

This is officially my go-to seasonal order.

If you’ve ever walked into a Chick-fil-A restaurant, you know that besides churning out chicken with a flavor unlike any other fast-food chain, the company prides itself on hospitality and efficiency. “My pleasure” is what you will hear in response to even the simplest expression of gratitude, and its double-laned drive-thru lines you often see in the South are a meticulously choreographed production (can we get the airport people to take notes?).

Another one of Chick-fil-A’s trademarks is its menu’s simplicity, which is why fans get so excited to see a new item coming, even if it’s only a seasonal one. While the original breaded chicken sandwich has delighted diners’ taste buds for almost 60 years, Chick-fil-A’s chefs know that variety brings in new customers and just keeps things fun. Whether it's last summer’s Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich or the unexpected Mango Passion Sunjoy right in the middle of winter, these limited-time items are usually worth the wait.

That wait for a new item is over because Chick-fil-A is launching a new sandwich and bringing back a summer favorite dessert for the 15th year in a row. I recently traveled to Chick-fil-A’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, to sample the new summer menu items, and now I’m counting down the days till they roll out to restaurants.

Chick-fil-A’s New Maple Pepper Bacon Sandwich

The new Maple Pepper Bacon Sandwich features a lemon-herb marinated grilled chicken fillet, maple-flavored brioche bun, green leaf lettuce, pepper Jack cheese, candied pepper bacon, and spicy bread and butter pickles. It sounds simple and unassuming at first, but the subtle flavors of each ingredient work together to create a light yet indulgent sandwich. The maple brioche bun is subtle enough to complement the bacon but not enough to feel like you’re eating breakfast.

My favorite part of the creation was the spicy bread and butter pickles, which added the perfect amount of heat without overwhelming the sandwich. “Pleasantly sweet with gentle heat” is how the brand describes it, and those approachable flavors are probably why I had almost polished off the whole sandwich when my new friend sitting next to me casually reminded me of all the food yet to come.

Christy Cook, Chick-fil-A’s senior culinary lead and employee of 20 years, is the mastermind behind the new Maple Pepper Bacon Sandwich, which was market-tested last summer in Lexington, Kentucky, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Cook said the sandwich's inspiration came from a desire to highlight the grilled chicken sandwich: “A lot of people forget that we offer this tender and juicy grilled fillet, and we wanted to feature that in a way that customers have not experienced before.” She wanted to create something that sits in that space between “not sweet or spicy” and “very sweet and spicy.” (I think she nailed it.)

She also revealed that the touch of maple came from one of her earliest food memories—tasting a maple leaf-shaped candy and discovering what has now become her favorite seasonal flavor. “I knew it was so different and complex compared to other sweet flavors I had experienced, so it’s just always lived in this place in my heart and mind.”

Chick-fil-A’s Iconic Peach Milkshake Returns for the 15th Year

Also coming this summer is the treat fans ask for (and get) every year. Introduced in 2009, the Peach Milkshake is a seasonal hand-spun milkshake that combines Chick-fil-A’s Icedream dessert with real peach purée, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Admittedly, this was my first time tasting the treat, but it’s not hard to see why this has become such a summer staple for fans. Instead of peach extract or artificial flavors, the company chefs know that real fruit produces the best results. It actually tastes like fresh peaches straight from a Georgia roadside stand or the classic summertime treat, peach cobbler.

The Maple Pepper Bacon Sandwich and Peach Milkshake will be available nationwide on June 10 while supplies last. Chick-fil-A usually runs these limited-time items for about 10 weeks, so here’s hoping we’ll have even more fun menu items to look forward to at the end of the summer.

Read the original article on All Recipes.