Ranked: Fast Food Chicken Sandwiches
Popeyes’ sandwich had the hype, but it wasn’t our reviewers’ favorite. Image: The Midwood Argus
By AMELIA THORNHILL, CHARLOTTE LEE, and JINYU XU
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Nothing beats the feeling of sinking your teeth into a hot, juicy fast-food chicken sandwich. But not all are created equal. As most of the major chains now have their own takes on this classic, we did a taste test to find out which one deserves the crown.
Burger King Original Chicken Sandwich (★★☆☆☆)
We’ll start with the worst of the five: Burger King’s Original. For starters, it was $6.39, and because of the low quality of the sandwich, this feels like a robbery. The chicken seemed fake and processed, the bun was squishy and gummy, and the sandwich left a strange taste in my mouth. The chicken was too flat and uniform to be real and it was dry and not flavorful. There was also too much mayo for my liking (a theme throughout many of these). Eating this sandwich brought me so little joy, I couldn’t even bring myself to finish it. – Amelia Thornhill
Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich (★★★☆☆)
After standing in the long line waiting, my first impression was that this sandwich looked very plain and dry, taking away my desire to even take a bite. It only had a few slices of pickles, but the bun was thick and fluffy. When I took my first bite, the slightly spicy flavor spread through my mouth, making me want to go in for another. The chicken was seasoned perfectly, and the extra crunch from the pickles added more texture, balancing out the flavors of the soft bun and the salty chicken with a little pinch of sourness. However, my mouth got a little dry, and I got tired of the same, simplistic taste after eating only half the sandwich. I should also mention that Chick-Fil-A closes on Sundays, which may be a hassle for some. Considering it’s $6.50 for this sandwich, there are better values out there. – Charlotte Lee and Jinyu Xu
Popeyes Chicken Sandwich (★★★★☆)
When I bit into this sandwich’s tender fried chicken wrapped up in a soft bun, it had just the right amount of crispiness. And as you can imagine, there were a lot of crunches. The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich makes a great first impression. However, in the depths of its beauty and tastiness lies its questionable pickles, which were soggy and sour and definitely a letdown compared to the first few bites. But for only $4.99, I’d say it’s a steal. One more complaint, though: compared to other options, the amount of calories in this one are the highest – a whopping 690 – almost twice the amount of a McChicken. While that may seem dreadful, it’s worth every calorie. – Charlotte Lee and Jinyu Xu
Shake Shack’s Chicken Shack (★★★★★)
This was the most expensive out of the five we reviewed. For a whopping $9 after tax, I had really high expectations. It had a fluffy bun, crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, sour pickles, and buttermilk herb mayo. The crunchiness and juice of the chicken engulfed my tongue, and the lettuce was crunchy, fresh, and moist, balancing the saltiness of the tender chicken. It allowed more emphasis in the flavor while removing the oiliness from the chicken. The creamy seasoned mayo added more spice and flavor to the sandwich, much better than plain old ketchup or regular mayo. Although Shake Shack’s contender was the priciest, it was the only one packed thick with real ingredients, bringing out every flavor you’d hope to expect. – Charlotte Lee and Jinyu Xu
KFC Spicy Classic Chicken Sandwich (★★★★★)
If you’re looking for a sandwich to dazzle your tastebuds and dance in your dreams, go to KFC and get their Spicy Chicken. This one is unlike any other. It has all the qualities of the regular KFC sandwich: a brioche-like bun, audibly crunchy chicken, and juicy pickles, but adds another level of depth to the flavor with a spicy aioli-style sauce as opposed to the boring, overdone mayo on most of the other sandwiches. This one made me think of all chicken sandwiches in a new light and gave me a newfound appreciation for fast food. It’s the only fast food chicken sandwich I would go out of my way to get again. – Amelia Thornhill