ADub weighs in on Chicken Sandwich wars

[TheChamps990411]

I know you have all been waiting patiently for this, but the sample size needed to be taken to bring you the most informed information possible (think of me as the anti-chief of Chicken sandos) has grown exponentially in last 2 years as everyone and their brother in the quick service food industry has seemingly daily additions to be considered. As it stands in July 2021, I haven't yet had them all, but I've had more than enough to weigh in on the winners and losers.

So lets get down to business here.

Let's first tip our cap to Chick-Fil-A they were the first to make serious hay serving Chicken Sandwiches which other fast food outlets then tried to mimic the success of. They get credit for that, and their Sandwich is very good. But is it the best available right now? No it's not.

Here are the Sandwiches Ive sampled in the midst of the "wars"

Chick-Fil-A
Mcdonalds
Popeyes
Burger King
Wendy's
Zaxby's
Sonic
Arby's
Shake Shack
KfC
and Ill bonus throw a couple Local places in:
Bird Code
Haven Hot chicken


Lets get something out of the way here, because you are all expecting me to pimp Arby's on this. But they don't have the saying "Always trust content from Adub" around here for nothing. We give honest reviews here. So I'm here to tell you that Arby's was near the bottom of the list here on my Chicken sandwich review. The only one decisively worse was sonic. And Arby's and McDonalds is a tossup for who is better. They were both pedestrian barely adequate offerings in this lane.

Also, lets get Bird Code and Hot Haven off the dais here. They were both very good sandwiches. No problems there. Enjoyable. A little pricey for the category. However, I count at least 5 and possibly 7 of the National chain offerings as being better. Sorry hipsters.
I will not rank them in this list.



Without further ado here is the ranking list.


1)KFC
2)Zaxby's
3) Popeyes
4) (TIE!) Chick Fil-a and Burger King
6)Wendy's
7) Shake Shack
8)McDonalds
9) Arby's
10) Sonic

I will go on later in the thread to comment on the "why's" but lets get some discussion going.

Also interested in other peoples reviews, as I haven't been out west in a while and haven't been able to try the Jack in a Box and Carls jr. offerings yet.

Theyre all straight trash. I dont see what the big deal is about. I prefer grillled over fried in my sandwich but ive tasted all of those and id rather eat a shoe.

 

[TheChamps990411]

I couldn't help but reading this all in this guy's voice

That is a strange looking kid/guy? He also has creepy fingers.

 

[CTMike]

You know how every McDonald’s has that weird McDonald’s smell? The chicken absorbed it and the smell now has a physical form. It’s just off.

This is the most spot on description possible. Bravo.

 

[Yardigan]

I know you have all been waiting patiently for this, but the sample size needed to be taken to bring you the most informed information possible (think of me as the anti-chief of Chicken sandos) has grown exponentially in last 2 years as everyone and their brother in the quick service food industry has seemingly daily additions to be considered. As it stands in July 2021, I haven't yet had them all, but I've had more than enough to weigh in on the winners and losers.

So lets get down to business here.

Let's first tip our cap to Chick-Fil-A they were the first to make serious hay serving Chicken Sandwiches which other fast food outlets then tried to mimic the success of. They get credit for that, and their Sandwich is very good. But is it the best available right now? No it's not.

Here are the Sandwiches Ive sampled in the midst of the "wars"

Chick-Fil-A
Mcdonalds
Popeyes
Burger King
Wendy's
Zaxby's
Sonic
Arby's
Shake Shack
KfC
and Ill bonus throw a couple Local places in:
Bird Code
Haven Hot chicken


Lets get something out of the way here, because you are all expecting me to pimp Arby's on this. But they don't have the saying "Always trust content from Adub" around here for nothing. We give honest reviews here. So I'm here to tell you that Arby's was near the bottom of the list here on my Chicken sandwich review. The only one decisively worse was sonic. And Arby's and McDonalds is a tossup for who is better. They were both pedestrian barely adequate offerings in this lane.

Also, lets get Bird Code and Hot Haven off the dais here. They were both very good sandwiches. No problems there. Enjoyable. A little pricey for the category. However, I count at least 5 and possibly 7 of the National chain offerings as being better. Sorry hipsters.
I will not rank them in this list.



Without further ado here is the ranking list.


1)KFC
2)Zaxby's
3) Popeyes
4) (TIE!) Chick Fil-a and Burger King
6)Wendy's
7) Shake Shack
8)McDonalds
9) Arby's
10) Sonic

I will go on later in the thread to comment on the "why's" but lets get some discussion going.

Also interested in other peoples reviews, as I haven't been out west in a while and haven't been able to try the Jack in a Box and Carls jr. offerings yet.

I'm curious as to the timeframe it took to consume all of these (a week? weeks? months?)
You have 10 ranked. I don't think I've had fast food 10x in the last 5 years maybe...(tbh tho, have worked at home for a long time, with no travel the last couple years and really got into grilling my own food). Good to know the rankings though in case I'm ever on the road and need one.

 

[CL82]

Feels like this article belongs in here

I ask him what he looks for in a perfect piece of prepared poultry?

“I want it to be juicy inside and crispy on the outside. Those two contrasts are key to me,” he says. Just think about the opposite: dry on the inside and soggy on the outside. That’s just not a delicious bite anymore. You also want a little bit of that spice blend. When you’re done eating, that’s what’s going to be left on your lip. You want to be like, ‘Damn that was good.’ That’s going to take it from being just good to crave-able.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

'Chickens had begun to spread from Asia to the Near East thousands of years ago, but they were a spectator sport, not a food.'
Ancient Israelites first to eat chickens rather than make them fight - Archaeology - Haaretz.com
go ahead, take a perfectly fresh, brand spanking new piece of chicken foul, and place it in the fridge. check it's smell just a few short days later. don't handle it tho, unless ur accustomed to holding a handful of leeches in ur mitts.

 

[August_West]

I'm curious as to the timeframe it took to consume all of these (a week? weeks? months?)
You have 10 ranked. I don't think I've had fast food 10x in the last 5 years maybe...(tbh tho, have worked at home for a long time, with no travel the last couple years and really got into grilling my own food). Good to know the rankings though in case I'm ever on the road and need one.

actually 14 ranked now

probably 18 months.

 

[August_West]

Theyre all straight trash. I dont see what the big deal is about. I prefer grillled over fried in my sandwich but ive tasted all of those and id rather eat a shoe.

 

[HooperScooper]

Well I guess it could have been a worse comment from him. My all time favorite food thread comment was the guy who came out of nowhere (hadn't seen him post before and haven't since) who in the best sandwiches thread told us all we shouldn't eat sandwiches and he was much happier with grapes. It was just so out of place it was hilarious.

 

[Horatio]

Chik fil a is tasteless. BIRDCODE is delicious.

Exactly!!! Chik fil a is bland and the bun is cardboard. Extremely overrated. I’ve never had KFC or Popeyes current sandwiches but I knew KFC was gonna rank high because I personally use to make KFC and Popeyes chicken sandwiches as a teen in the 80’s.

 

[CL82]

'Chickens had begun to spread from Asia to the Near East thousands of years ago, but they were a spectator sport, not a food.'
Ancient Israelites first to eat chickens rather than make them fight - Archaeology - Haaretz.com
go ahead, take a perfectly fresh, brand spanking new piece of chicken foul, and place it in the fridge. check it's smell just a few short days later. don't handle it tho, unless ur accustomed to holding a handful of leeches in ur mitts.

Ancient Israelites first to eat chickens rather than make it fight.

“I can’t believe he lost that badly. You know what? I’m just gonna eat him.”

 

[Waquoit]

Well I guess it could have been a worse comment from him. My all time favorite food thread comment was the guy who came out of nowhere (hadn't seen him post before and haven't since) who in the best sandwiches thread told us all we shouldn't eat sandwiches and he was much happier with grapes. It was just so out of place it was hilarious.

It's still funny rehearing it now!

 

[Fishy]

Theyre all straight trash. I dont see what the big deal is about. I prefer grillled over fried in my sandwich but ive tasted all of those and id rather eat a shoe.

Go eat your shoe.

The grownups are busy doing a science here.

 

[Fishy]

Well I guess it could have been a worse comment from him. My all time favorite food thread comment was the guy who came out of nowhere (hadn't seen him post before and haven't since) who in the best sandwiches thread told us all we shouldn't eat sandwiches and he was much happier with grapes. It was just so out of place it was hilarious.

Like ten years ago, I decided that I would not eat anything with added sugar to it - went to ridiculous extremes with it for about a year. Had no reason to do it and had no good explanation as to why I was doing it, but I got it into my head to do it so I did.

Grapes became my absolute favorite food on the planet. You know how like purple grape gum tastes with that exaggerated flavor? That is what grapes started to taste like.

 

[Husky Alien]

Like ten years ago, I decided that I would not eat anything with added sugar to it - went to ridiculous extremes with it for about a year. Had no reason to do it and had no good explanation as to why I was doing it, but I got it into my head to do it so I did.

Grapes became my absolute favorite food on the planet. You know how like purple grape gum tastes with that exaggerated flavor? That is what grapes started to taste like.

The mind is a wonderful thing.

 

[JakeTheDog]

Well I guess it could have been a worse comment from him. My all time favorite food thread comment was the guy who came out of nowhere (hadn't seen him post before and haven't since) who in the best sandwiches thread told us all we shouldn't eat sandwiches and he was much happier with grapes. It was just so out of place it was hilarious.

Call me cheap but I'm not spending 10 bucks for a sandwich.I prefer to go to Aldi for their wide selection of grapes if I'm going to stuff my face,boring but healthy

 

[August_West]

What would happen if you took a day old Breast from BK chicken sandwich that you brought home from Michigan to CT last night in a laptop bag and reheated in in an air fryer and put it on a red lobster cheddar bay biscuit that the private jet I flew home was so generous to provide ( their perk for flying a few New Englanders from Michigan to CT was a 160 dollar bag ofwestern Michigan red lobster, their heart was definitely in right place, but a hilarious gesture nonetheless )

if this story sounds too far fetched to be true you’re in for a ( not so rude, or maybe rude depending on your stomach constitution) awakening.
im breaking new ground here

anyway we are about to find out what’s gonna happen

 

[August_West]

For introductory context.

cheddar bays on my lap in jet last night.

 

[August_West]

Me and co workers having a nice complimentary red lobster feast at 40000 feet last night

 

[August_West]

Last nights red lobster cheddar bay biscuits and a BK spicy chicken sando in my home right now.

 

[August_West]

Liftoff!

 

[August_West]

Verdict :

if BK and red lobster went into partnership it is top 2 or 3 easy.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Having BK right now, it's fine. Easily 4th after Birdcode, Chic FIL A, and Fowl Play imo.

 

[UCDaveD]

Anyone else been to PDQ? I have that and Chic Fil A on the same street and PDQ wins 9/10 times.

Also, I didn’t really think that it was possible to think less of many of you, but the affinity for Burger King proved me wrong.

 

[87Xfer]

I'd not been in our one local McDonalds in the 12 years we've lived here. But I'd read good things about their new chicken sandwich, and I'm a sucker for a fried chicken sandwich, so I tried it about 3 weeks ago. It was pretty horrendous. I couldn't tell if it was an actual unprocessed chicken breast, or a giant McNugget. And the sandwich itself was literally the chicken object, 2 pickles and a bun. Nothing else. It was about the driest thing I've ever eaten. I gave up 3/4 of the way through.

It looks like the "spicy" version at least has some sort of sauce on it, so maybe that's edible.