The Big Crispy is getting a cheesy and pull-worthy upgrade. Since the Chili’s Grill & Bar casual dining chain introduced the chicken sandwich range earlier this year with six different variations, orders have jumped 175%. Now, the Dallas, Texas-headquartered restaurant operator is combining two fan favorites to create the Chicken Parm Big Crispy.
The new sandwich puts an unmistakably Chili’s spin on Chicken Parm by bringing together two favorites: Chili’s Big Crispy chicken sandwich and Fried Mozzarella layered with marinara sauce. It’s served with fries, white cheddar mac & cheese, and sides of marinara sauce and house-made ranch dressing.
“We’ve loved seeing how guests responded to the Big Crispy, and it got us thinking about how we could build on that with flavors we know they already love,” said George Felix, chief marketing officer and executive vice president of Brinker International, Chili’s parent company. “A Big Crispy topped with our Fried Mozz and marinara is craveable, over the top in all the right ways and unmistakably Chili’s. You won’t find a Chicken Parm with a better cheese pull than this.”
Chicken Parm isn’t actually Italian, and neither is Chili’s. But Florence, Rome and Venice sound pretty Italian. So on October 13, Chili’s restaurants in Florence, Kentucky; Rome, Georgia; and Venice, Florida began offering customers an exclusive first taste of the new Chicken Parm Big Crispy before rolling out the menu offering at other outlets across the USA on October 20.
In a full commitment to the unveiling, Chili’s enlisted reality TV icon Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi (pictured above), who, like the sandwich, is not actually Italian, for a tourism video filmed in the Bluegrass State’s Florence. “Because,” stated a press release, “when you have a not-actually-Italian sandwich in a not-actually-Italian Florence, there’s only one person to call.”
