We Tried 12 Fast Food Chicken Sandwiches, These Are the 4 Best

I’m sure a lot of people are going to be pretty angry at me for this ranking of fast food chicken sandwiches. For whatever reason, people are deeply and passionately dedicated to specific chicken sandwiches. I mean, remember when someone got stabbed over a Popeyes chicken sandwich? It’s not hyperbole when people talk about the Chicken Sandwich Wars. People literally died! 

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The wars may have calmed down, but the fervent fandom hasn’t waned. Everyone has an opinion on the best fast food chicken sandwich. But has everyone tasted all the fast food chicken sandwiches back-to-back and compared them? I think not. I did that, though, with the help of my colleagues Gwynedd Stuart and Jordan Myrick. And, after pushing the limits of our stomachs, we found the best chicken sandwich. 

What we looked for in the best fast food chicken sandwich

• Juicy chicken. Obviously the chicken is the main attraction here, so it better be good. We looked for chicken that was moist and juicy and actually flavorful. 
• Crispy coating. We wanted a crispy coating that clung to the chicken and was well seasoned. 
• Squishy bun. No stale buns, please! 
• Fresh toppings. If you’re putting lettuce on your fried chicken sandwich, you better make sure it’s fresh and crisp. We dinged places for sad, wilted toppings. 

We tasted more than ten fast food chicken sandwiches and found four we can actually recommend. (Note: We didn’t include spicy chicken sandwiches this time—we’ll be sure to update this article when we do!) 

Best Fast Food Chicken Sandwiches, Ranked

Best Snackable

McDonald’s McCrispy

McDonald’s

If you’re looking for the best fried chicken sandwich at McDonald’s, the McCrispy is way better than the McChicken. It’s made with real chicken breast rather than extruded nugget stuff, it’s crunchier, and the bun is better. Yes, it’s more expensive (about double the cost at around $4.99), but it’s worth it. It’s a good, snackable size—most of the other sandwiches on this list are big—and it’s totally tasty in a very McDonald’s way. It comes simply topped with crinkle-cut pickle slices. And, TBH, it needs more. Add some onions and a sauce, though, and I think you’ve got yourself a super-satisfying sando.

Credit: Liv Averett / McDonald’s

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Crispy Batter

Popeyes Classic Chicken Sandwich

Popeyes

This is the best fast food chicken sandwich if you’re really in it for the batter. The big, thick chicken breast on this sammy is coated with lots of craggly, crispy fried batter with good, black peppery flavor. And the meat is pretty juicy, too, if a bit on the bland side. The brioche bun is pleasantly squishy—a nice contrast to the crispy, crunchy chicken. My one issue? The chicken sandwich we ordered came absolutely drenched in mayo. So. Much. Mayo. If you’re sensitive to such things (I really only like a swipe of mayo on a bun), then it might be a good idea to request “light mayo.”

Credit: Liv Averett / Popeyes

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Chicken Patty

Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich

Chick-fil-A

Let’s put politics aside and just talk about this chicken sandwich, shall we? Because it’s so good. If we were judging on chicken flavor alone, this would be the best chicken sandwich of the bunch. It’s famously brined in pickle juice and it really works. The meat is juicy and moist and so flavorful. Pro tip: If you don’t specify anything, it comes dry on a so-so bun with a couple of pickles. It needs sauce. Get the sauce. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Chick-fil-A

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Kentucky Fried Chicken Classic Fried Chicken Sandwich

KFC

KFC chicken rules. It’s tender and so flavorful in that very specific KFC way. And the crackly coating is just greasy enough. The brioche bun is good and squishy. The pickle slices really infuse the sandwich with tangy flavor. And this sandwich is BIG. At around $5, it’s a seriously good deal. It will fill you up, no prob. It checks all the boxes, and that’s why it’s the best fast food chicken sandwich. I look forward to reading your explanations as to why I am wrong in the comments.

Credit: Liv Averett / KFC

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other fried chicken sandwiches we tried: 

Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Raising Cane’s, Burger King Original Chicken Sandwich, Shake Shack Chicken Shack, Jack in the Box Cluck Chicken, Carl’s Jr. Hand Breaded Chicken Sandwich, Western Bacon Chicken Sandwich, McChicken