The big picture: Globally, there’s an arms race in nugget innovation, with mom-and-pop stores vying with chains to introduce new flavors — like Thai chicken nuggets at Phoenix’s Chick-a-Dee and Hawaiian nuggets at Pokemoto.

Vegan nuggets from companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are also arriving in force.

KFC began testing Beyond Fried Chicken, its plant-based nuggets, early this year. (Here’s one review.)

Flashback: Popeyes — which sparked the chicken sandwich craze three years ago, selling out in a mere two weeks — rolled out its new chicken nuggets a year ago.