Chicken sandwiches have rotate into a important fast-food battleground, alongside chains putting their own rotation on the traditional list item alongside distinct buns, sauces, and toppings.
I tried poultry sandwiches from McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Popeyes, and Bojangles, weighing flavor, texture, toppings, and cost to see which one was value ordering.
Each sandwich varied from classic, merely dressed options to bolder takes alongside Southern-inspired seasonings.
Here's how five fast-food poultry sandwiches compared.
McDonald's delivered a traditional poultry sandwich without much fanfare.
McDonald's crispy poultry sandwich, aptly named the McCrispy, was released amid the 2021 poultry sandwich wars and is accessible in classic, spicy, and — as of January 27 — a new, limited-edition hot-honey flavor.
It disbursal $7.69, excluding tax, at my local sequence in Brooklyn, New York.
The sandwich comes alongside a ample poultry filet, two pickles, and mayonnaise.
When I opened it, I noticed the sandwich had a extremely ray smattering of mayonnaise. As person who loves condiments, I established this a small disappointing.
I was enthusiastic to see how it would power the taste.
The poultry sandwich was juicy adequate without the excess mayonnaise, but it lacked the distinct crunch I was looking for.
The sandwich was moist but nearly soggy. The bun tasted beautiful synthetic but held the sandwich's contents together perfectly, and in conditions of size, I idea McDonald's nailed the bun-to-chicken ratio.
I'd command it again, but it didn't attack me away.
Wendy's served up a beautiful traditional poultry sandwich.
It came wrapped in document and disbursal $9.11, excluding tax, at my local Wendy's in Brooklyn, New York.
It came topped alongside lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayonnaise.
The lettuce looked a small limp on archetypal inspection, and there wasn't much of it either. However, the poultry filet was ample — it was practically spilling out of the bun.
Unfortunately, this poultry sandwich was underwhelming.
While this sandwich impressed me in conditions of size, the texture of the poultry filet let it down. It wasn't nearly as crispy as I would have liked, and it bordered on soggy.
The toppings additionally lacked flavor, although the bun was gentle and buttery, which I enjoyed. Even although it was the most costly sandwich, I didn't think it lived up to expectations.
Burger King's traditional poultry sandwich was up next.
Burger King offers a few distinct poultry sandwiches — this traditional Royal Crispy poultry sandwich, a spicy version, one alongside bacon and Swiss cheese, and its older first poultry sandwich, which is served in a longer bun alongside fair lettuce and mayonnaise.
The traditional Royal Crispy poultry sandwich expenses $7.49, excluding tax, at my local Burger King in Brooklyn, New York.
Burger King's poultry sandwich comes topped alongside lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.
This was distinct than the additional Southern sensation profiles served at chains akin Popeyes, McDonald's, and Chick-fil-A.
The amount of toppings was generous, I thought. Thick slices of tomato and lettuce leaves covered the complete poultry filet, and plentifulness of mayonnaise was smeared on top of its fluffy murphy bun.
The poultry filet was thick and juicy, but I wasn't insane concerning the toppings.
The tomato tasted a small limp, and the lettuce lacked a distinct crunch. However, the poultry itself really impressed me — it was thick and tender, alongside a rich, briny sensation that I enjoyed. I additionally liked the bun, which was fluffy but sturdy adequate to clasp the sandwich together.
I was remaining wishing the sandwich came alongside fair mayonnaise and pickles, so the poultry could really radiance through.
Popeyes had a awesome poultry sandwich, equal although it wasn't my favorite.
Popeyes practically invented the poultry sandwich wars following it introduced its signature sandwich in 2019, sparking fistfights, lengthy lines, and a ton of online discourse.
The sandwich may not be as talked concerning as it formerly was, but it's motionless a fan favorite. It disbursal $7.99, excluding tax.
The sandwich came alongside a additional generous serving of mayonnaise and two thick pickle slices.
Popeyes puts mayonnaise on the two buns and layers pickles under the poultry filet, environment it distinct from another chains.
The sandwich was delicious, but it didn't have fairly the identical impactful sensation as the winner.
The poultry filet crunched and flaked alongside all bite, and the thick pickle slices were really tart — they certainly weren't fair for show.
The sandwich was additionally moist and tender, without being a soggy mess.
Overall, I was impressed. However, another sequence clinched the win.
Bojangles' poultry sandwich delivered the most on sensation and value.
The sandwich, which the sequence updated in the consequence of the poultry sandwich wars, features a ample fried poultry filet on a buttery brioche bun. Its sensation overview is classically Southern, built about fried chicken, pickles, and mayonnaise.
The poultry sandwich disbursal $8.74, excluding tax.
The poultry filet is marinated in Bojangles' signature blend of spices and buttermilk.
Like the another poultry sandwiches, Bojangles' poultry sandwich was topped alongside mayonnaise, but it was thicker than the mayonnaise from another chains. It additionally came alongside two crunchy pickle slices.
Bojangles' procedure of marinating its poultry helped to infuse sensation profound into the flesh fairly than fair covering the surface.
What really stood out to me, though, was the texture.
The filet was hand-breaded and fried in-store, creating an extra-crispy, craggy covering that delivered a satisfying crunch alongside all bite. The pickles added equal additional crunch, alongside a bright, briny sensation that cut through the richness of the fried chicken.
The sandwich additionally had a subtle boot from the marinade — it wasn't overwhelmingly spicy, but it was adequate to add sensation and keep all nip interesting.
Together, the crispy breading and flavorful filet created a layered texture and sensation overview that set the sandwich distinct from its competitors.
The poultry sandwich wars are complete — for me at least. I province this sandwich the winner.
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Erin McDowell is a elder newsman on Business Insider's editorial partnerships team. She covers food, lifestyle, and amusement for Business Insider and its partner sites, including MSN, Apple News, and Yahoo.She graduated from Elon University in January 2019, anywhere she studied strategic communications and digital art. She has written for V Magazine, Milk.XYZ, OUT.com, Brides Magazine, and more. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
