Jollibee’s new chicken nuggets could juice sales

A buzzy new menu launch could help the chain win diners and market confidence as it eyes a U.S. IPO and franchised growth.

Jollibee will add chicken nuggets to its core menu starting on Thursday, according to a Wednesday press release.

The chain is also positioning the nuggets to serve as a potential multi-daypart draw. The nuggets come in five-, eight-, 15- and 30-count options. The smallest of those options could make for an individual snack, while the medium sizes serve for meals and the largest for group dining occasions.

While chicken has been an important sector for menu innovation in the last year or so, much of the innovation at QSR brands like Wendy’s and McDonald’s has focused on tenders, rather than nuggets. Both menu items serve as vectors for bold-flavored sauces.

Sauce is an increasingly important element in fried chicken chains’ menu strategy, and Jollibee’s nuggets come with one of six total sauce choices.

Jollibee has made other innovative changes to its menu in the last two years. Late in 2024, the brand launched Quenchers, Freezes and iced teas as premium, cold beverage options. These moves toward premium drinks and snackable, shareable, sauce-forward fried chicken, are well in line with the general trends reshaping U.S. QSR menus.

The chicken nugget launch comes as Jollibee is preparing its U.S. business for a potential IPO and could help the brand increase its sales at a key strategic moment.

Jollibee has been focused on expansion in the U.S. since launching its franchising program in 2025.

Its unit growth in the U.S. has been relatively slow — rising from 62 units in early 2023 to 81 at the start of this year per its franchise disclosure document — franchising could help speed that up. The brand ended 2025 with just three franchised locations in the U.S., with eight projected openings for 2026, per its FDD. But its strong unit volume, which averages roughly $4.9 million, could prove attractive to operators.