DALLAS – Another foodservice operator is extolling the virtues of chicken thighs. Golden Chick announced a new menu innovation that features two crispy boneless thighs, battered fries, a Golden Chick yeast roll and 30-oz drink for $7.99. The chain’s promotion comes on the heels of recent news that Wingstop, a quick-service concept that specializes in chicken wings, launched a virtual brand called Thighstop.

The new Golden Chick combo will be available beginning July 19 for a limited time at all 208 Golden Chick locations.

“Fifty years ago, Golden Chick was known for being an exclusively bone-in traditional chicken restaurant, but in 1985 began using the whole chicken tenderloin or as we like to call it — the filet mignon of chicken, to make our original Golden Tenders,” said Jim Stevens, president of Golden Chick. “We believe that the boneless Golden Thighs & Fries is the next big step in delicious cuts of chicken that we are confident our guests are going to love.”

Golden Chicken, which is known for its fried chicken and chicken tenders, prepares chicken thighs with special marinating mixes and batters. Customers can pair their chicken with the brand’s newest signature dipping sauce – Tangy Golden BBQ or its popular Lotta Zing sauce.

“I’d like to say that we’ve ‘fixed’ the thigh, gone are the hassles of eating bone-in as we introduce our newest product — a skinless, boneless, marinated chicken thigh that is hand-breaded and deep fried to deliver an ideal crunch,” said J. Sullivan, executive chef at Golden Chick. “For months we worked with numerous chicken suppliers to find the same dippable, boneless satisfaction that our tenders provide.

“Now we are bringing in juicy, marinated chicken thighs that have been carefully butchered to remove the bone,” Sullivan said. “They are hand-battered and fried fresh to perfection just like our tenders. Once the recipe was refined, we introduced the Golden Thighs & Fries combo to a few of our restaurants to gauge guest’s reactions and feedback. The response has been great, and we cannot wait to introduce boneless thighs to our other communities this July.”