Launch of the Greggs Chicken Roll – what are people saying on social media?

April 15 2026

Hundreds of people on TikTok and social media have been posting taste tests of the new Greggs Chicken Roll and calling it their "new favourite", "an absolute winner" and a "very tasty alternative" to the original iconic Sausage Roll.

Others who've tried it aren't keen on the taste and texture, insisting "The OG sausage roll is always on top".

The launch of the Chicken Roll was all the more surprising as it came just nine days after sausage brand Heck put out an April Fool's Day post joking that they were launching a chicken sausage roll with Greggs.

People on Heck's post said they really wanted it, leaving comments like "If only this was true my dreams would be answered!!!"

As if by magic, Greggs launched their Chicken Roll the following week. Greggs described it as "a blockbuster release of flavour" and promised it's "worth rolling out the red carpet for, even for the toughest of critics".

Fans say "I hope we're keeping this on the menu"

One of the biggest fans on TikTok is Welsh content creator Rhys Doing Things who says the Chicken Roll is his "new favourite". He thought the roll he bought was "cooked to perfection" with a "golden crust" and "it doesn't feel as heavy as a pig sausage roll. Chicken is where it's at."

He hopes it's going to be a permanent item on the Greggs menu: "This better not be limited edition. I hope we're keeping this on the menu."

TikTok food reviewer Davina Challis thinks the Chicken Roll is just as good as the original Sausage Roll with pork: "The chicken itself is really nice. It's seasoned to perfection, so it does taste really good. The pastry is flaky, so I really can't fault it. This is actually just as good as a normal sausage roll if you want to opt for the chicken roll instead."

Becca Eats Everything posted a taste test of all the items on the new Greggs menu including the Chicken Roll which she prefers to the original. She told viewers, "They've done it pretty well. The chicken meat has a good texture and a good taste to it. I would say I prefer this to the normal sausage roll. It's seasoned really nicely."

Trea The Foodie said: "That's actually quite good. The chicken is actually well seasoned. For all you guys out there who don't eat pork, this one's gonna be for you, man. This is actually quite nice, I'm not gonna lie."

"The OG sausage roll is always on top"

Others reviewing the Chicken Roll say they found it too dry, especially if you don't have it with sauce, and lacking in filling, and still think the original sausage roll is the best.

Glasgow-based content creator Dazza thought the Chicken Roll he tried was "tasty" but the filling didn't go to the edge of the pastry. He thinks "it could be the greatest chicken roll" but "they need to flatten the meat".

Jack Eats Everything found a similar issue with the filling, saying it was "pretty hollow" and that Greggs are "a bit skimpy on the sausage meat." He thinks "It's nothing special. I wouldn't rush back for it. I'll probably just stick with a normal Greggs sausage roll."

Pippsda questioned whether the Chicken Roll has a long shelf life on the Greggs menu: "It's not for me. I'm not a massive fan. I don't think this will be around in six months. I just don't think they'll get the sales."

@gone.in.3minz has done a side-by-side comparison of the original Greggs Sausage Roll (which he rates 9/10), Vegan Roll (8.6/10) and Chicken Roll (5/10). He concludes that "The OG sausage roll is always on top".

Reaction to the Greggs Chicken Roll on Reddit

Like TikTok, Reddit gives brands an instant way to get insights into what customers think about new products they've launched.

There were hundreds of replies to a post in the r/Greggs subreddit from a Greggs employee asking customers what they think of the Chicken Roll. They said: "From my own test of it, I preferred it to a sausage roll..."

A customer posted in the subreddit after trying the Chicken Roll, saying: "It's good but doesn't have as much taste as the original Sausage Roll."

This thread in the r/greggsappreciation subreddit is from a customer who was "a little disappointed" by the new Chicken Roll. They explained: "So I took a trip to my local greggs today to try the new chicken roll as a life long greggs fan. I was rather disappointed. The pasty was spot on, very flakey and tasty just like the normal sausage rolls. But the meat didn't really taste of anything, it was very bland and just felt like it was missing something. What do my fellow greggs lovers think?"

Many of the comment themes across Reddit mirror the reaction on TikTok:

Redditors saying they like the new Chicken Roll:

• "I loved it! Tasted good. Had more flavour and seasoning than the regular one. But then again, I also prefer the vegan sausage rolls cos they’re more flavourful."

• "Better than the sausage roll tbh, for a couple quid is great"

• "Very tasty alternative to sausage roll, Will buy and eat again 😋"

• "Husband bought one today, genuinely very tasty"

• "The sausage rolls are cheap and cheerful, its about what I had expected and im happy for it."

• "I thought the one I had was a bit more garlicky than the vegan one, and just as moist/juicy. It was pretty good, but I think I'll probably still get the vegan one in future because I personally prefer actual meat to be drier 😅 I'm glad to have the extra option though!"

Recommending it as an alternative to pork:

• "As someone who can't eat pork, but is not vegetarian, I personally love this new option. I have had it both fresh and look warm, it's definitely better hot, but okay enough cold too."

• "It's for people who choose not to eat pork like me. If you compare it to a sausage roll (I remember how they taste) you'll be disappointed"

• "I mean I no long eat meat, but as a kid, I only liked chicken so I would have been so excited by this. Some people just like chicken, other people need to chill out. Even if you do like pork, maybe sometimes you just fancy a change"

Disliking the taste and texture

• "Just had a fresh hot one and I'm underwhelmed. I certainly wouldn't choose it over a proper pork sausage roll. It's ok but the seasoning is rather unpleasant and they smell quite 'school dinnerish'. I'm not great fan of the vegan sausage roll but it's way better than the chicken."

• "Disgusting lol, the texture and taste is so bizarre. It's as if it's a normal sausage roll where they took all the pork flavour out and replaced it with chicken 😅"

• "I ate one today, very bland and mushy, if you've ever had really cheap sausages from the chippy (that are tasteless) it's like those"

• "Very bland, very disappointing. It needs a lot more seasoning"

• "Tried one yesterday and I won’t be having another. Didn’t taste very nice and it was far too salty."

Preferring the original Sausage Roll

• "It's nice, but it's not quite as good as the sausage roll, I found myself eating it and just kinda wishing I had gotten one of them instead."

• "Had one yesterday, was just fine and i'd eat one again but the normal sausage roll is loads better flavour-wise. I'd have thought the chicken one would at least be seasoned but it's literally just plain chicken"

• "Bland but not offensive. The pastry does the heavy lifting. Proves pork is always the way to go."

Heck's April Fool's Day joke

The Greggs Chicken Roll launched just nine days after sausage brand Heck posted an April Fools Day Post joking they were teaming up with Greggs to launch a chicken sausage roll.

Heck posted: "IT'S HERE - Introducing the Chicken Sausage Roll 🔥 You asked. We delivered. HECK! Chicken sausage wrapped in that iconic @greggs flaky pastry bringing you the UK's first chicken sausage roll 👀 High protein. Seriously Tasty. Go on… get stuck in pet"People in comments said they wished it was true:

• "May be a joke but a chicken sausage roll sounds pretty good!"

• "Actually gutted that this is an April fool!"

• "If only this was true my dreams would be answered!!!"

• "I actually would really enjoy this if it was a real product"

Heck posted again after Greggs launched their Chicken Roll: "Dear Greggs, We see you’ve made our April Fool a reality... without us. You took our joke, rolled with it (literally), and baked it into something the nation’s now obsessed with. Fair play. But Greggs... we could’ve been iconic together. A true pastry-protein power couple. We’ll raise a sausage to your chicken roll moment - but if Britain decides it wants a HECK! Chicken sausage roll, you know where to find us. Our DMs are open. Our ovens are warm. And we throw a very good party. Love, HECK!"

Greggs replied to Heck on Instagram: "It’s taken more than a week to create our masterpiece. But great minds 😉"

Using Shooglebox AI to analyse reaction to a new product on social media

Shooglebox AI helps PR and marketing teams quickly gather, analyse and create instant outputs summarising the things people are saying about their brands on social media. A task that previously took hours can now be accomplished in a few minutes.

In this case, Shooglebox AI tools were used to analyse and summarise the main themes in the reaction across social media to the launch of the Chicken Roll – with each post represented by a card with an at-a-glance front and embed on the back.

Shooglebox AI was also recently used in a similar way to analyse and draft a blog about the launch of the McGriddle at McDonald's in the UK – with the tools again helping to quickly pull together a view of reaction across multiple social platforms.