Burger King's New Plant-Based Chicken Sandwich Won't Be A Go-To Order For Vegans

Move over, Impossible Whopper, because Burger King is rolling out a new plant-based offering. The new Chick’n Sandwich is made with an Impossible Chicken Patty, and it’s meant to rival the fan-favorite Original Chicken Sandwich — but without any of the meat. OK, no meat means it’s probably fine for vegetarians (although you may want to read the fine print), but is Burger King’s Impossible Original Chick’n Sandwich vegan? Here’s what to know about what’s in the plant-based “chicken” offering.

Burger King, home of the Whopper, has been flipping Impossible patties since 2019, when it introduced the Impossible Whopper. Next up, was the Impossible Croissan'wich in 2020, and who can forget the Impossible Nuggets’ October 2021 test run? (It’s OK, I kinda forgot about it, too!) Well, the time has finally come for a new meat-free option that, well, looks like meat: the Impossible Original Chick’n Sandwich. The latest addition to the plant-based menu dropped on Aug. 22, but it’s not a straightforward debut. In fact, only customers in one U.S. city will get a chance to try it. IYDK, Burger King has been offering twists on its Original Chicken Sandwich for years with its Italian OCS, Spicy OCS, and Teriyaki OCS. It was not a question of if, but when, Burger King would add an Impossible OCS to the menu.

At launch, the Impossible Chick’n Sandwich is available at select restaurants in Ohio (more on that later), and the Impossible Chicken Patties are rolling out into stores, according to an Aug. 23 comment from Impossible Foods on Facebook. Now, let’s get into what this sandwich is all about.

Is The Impossible Chick’n Sandwich Vegan?

BK puts the spotlight on the Impossible Original Chick’n Sandwich’s plant-based patty, but is the sandwich vegan? For starters, the sandwich features an Impossible Chicken Patty sandwiched between a toasted sesame seed bun with a smear of mayonnaise and shredded lettuce. The mayonnaise doesn’t pass the vegan check. However, Impossible Foods suggested ordering it sans mayo to make it free of “animal-derived ingredients.” Although, it’s not clear whether Impossible products are certified vegan, despite being free of animal products.

Additionally, when it comes to Burger King’s plant-based chicken sandwich, you should know that the fine print on the Impossible Original Chick’n Sandwich discloses that the patties are cooked in the same fryer as chicken products, which could be a no-go if you’re on a strict vegan diet. Similarly, the Impossible Whopper patties are cooked on the same broiler as beef patties.

What’s In It?

The Impossible Original Chick’n Sandwich looks like and is expected to taste exactly the same as the Original Chicken Sandwich. The only difference being the Impossible Chicken Patty. Impossible Foods had chicken lovers taste test the patty in April 2022, and, according to data shared by the company, 88% of people strongly agreed the Impossible Chicken Patties taste like animal chicken patties.

If you’re looking for more nutritional deets, the Impossible Chicken Patty includes 10 grams of protein, 50% less saturated fat than the OG, and 30% less total fat than the leading animal chicken patties. And if we’re really digging deep, it’s also cholesterol-free.

Where To Get It:

Burger King fans in the Cincinnati area will be the first to get a bite of the Impossible Original Chick’n Sandwich at 47 Burger King restaurants. As of Aug. 25, there’s no word of nationwide expansion. Further decisions will be made after understanding guest feedback, product performance, and operations implications, Burger King told Elite Daily in an email.

Eat up, Ohio — we’re counting on you!

Editor’s Note: This post was updated on Aug. 26 after Impossible Foods deleted a Facebook comment that indicated the sandwich would also be available in Cleveland, which the brand says was posted in error.