Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has a new limited-time menu item that truly is golden.

The restaurant chain – on Thursday only and in just four locations – will offer a dish that is literally almost as good as gold: boneless chicken wings not only dipped in champagne but also coated in 24-karat gold batter.

Popeyes' locations cooking up the special recipe are in New York City (75 Lexington Avenue), New Orleans, Anaheim, California, and Elizabeth, New Jersey. Depending on consumer demand, Popeyes would consider bringing the gold-battered dish to additional locations in the future, the company says.

The Elizabeth, N.J., location, which opened in August, is Popeyes' 3,000th restaurant. That milestone led the purveyor of New Orleans-style fast food to this one-day, gold-dipped celebration.

“We wanted to share this celebration with our fans, so our chefs cooked up something extra special for them," Popeyes president Alex Santoro, said in a statement. The chain has locations in 30 countries. "It’s a fun way for guests to celebrate this milestone right along with us.”

The 24-Karat Champagne Wings come as part of Popeyes' Boneless Wing Bash, which includes six boneless wings, a choice of side dish, and a biscuit for $5 while supplies last.

That price is a lot more economical than the 24-karat gold dusted wings that hit the menu earlier this year at two locations of The Ainsworth restaurant in New York. Those sold for $45 (10 wings) or $1,000 for 50 wings and a bottle of champagne. The Ainsworth said each 50-piece wing order incorporated $200 worth of gold dust.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.

