Do It for the Blog: Trying Bojangles’ Pimento Cheese

In the midst of the insanity surrounding Popeyes’ trendy chicken sandwich, a war amongst fast food restaurants broke out. Between Popeyes, Chick-fil-A and more, social media was abuzz debating which served up the best chicken sandwich. Seemingly lost in this chaos was Bojangles’ addition of pimento cheese to its menu.

I hadn’t heard of Bojangles until I moved to Virginia Beach. The fast food restaurant spans across southern states and is known for its crispy fried chicken and made-from-scratch biscuits. To be honest, I never felt the need to try Bojangles since I have several other fast food restaurants in my area.

It wasn’t until an early Saturday morning when I set out to try Popeyes’ new chicken sandwich. Sadly, there’s only one Popeyes in all of Virginia Beach. I showed up 15 minutes before they opened, but that was not good enough. The drive-thru was closed so all of the eager diners packed the inside of the restaurant despite signs saying that they were already sold out of the limited-edition sandwiches. Disappointed and still quite hungry, I headed back towards my apartment and decided to stop by Bojangles instead.

On July 29, Bojangles announced the addition of pimento cheese to its sandwiches. For my non-Southern readers, pimento cheese is a cheddar cheese spread made with mayo and pimento. Pimento cheese can be enjoyed a number of ways, but my favorite is simply spread on a cracker.

Bojangles introduced a melted pimento cheese as an add-on to its menu items, including the Cajun Filet Biscuit, Cajun Filet Sandwich and any other menu items, for just 69 cents.

“The spicy spread is the perfect complement to Bojangles’ beloved classics.” –Bojangles press release

I ordered the Cajun Filet Biscuit with pimento cheese, as well as a regular Cajun Filet Sandwich since I’d never had one. When I picked up the sandwich, I noticed that the biscuit wasn’t doing a great job at withstanding the hot cheese. I went in for a bite. While the biscuit did eventually fall apart, I do have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Bojangles pimento cheese.

I’d typically be incredibly hesitant to order something as sacred as pimento cheese from a fast food restaurant. However, Bojangles’ silky pimento cheese had a peppery kick that went well with the crispy Cajun chicken filet beneath it. The spice wasn’t so overwhelming that I needed a glass of milk, but it made for a nice morning wake up. It was just enough cheese to cover the filet, so every bite had some, without being overly messy and drippy.

If I try Bojangles’ pimento cheese again, it will definitely be on the Cajun Filet Sandwich. I think that the toasted bun will have a better hold than the biscuit. On my local Bojangles’ menu, this is called a Southern Filet Sandwich. You can also get pimento cheese on Bojangles’ side items as well. Pimento cheese fries anyone?

Bojangles’ pimento cheese is a limited time only menu item, so get it while you can. Fortunately, I think Bojangles’ pimento cheese supply will last longer than Popeyes’ chicken sandwiches did.