Mandatory Food Fight: McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King Battle It Out For ‘Best Chicken Sandwich,’ Each Making Note to Bring Real Chicken

Not so long ago, the humble chicken sandwich used to be the ugly duckling of the fast-food menu. Not so anymore. Now that the popularity of beef has basically been put out to pasture, there’s a food fight happening among the biggest drive-thru behemoths to lure customers in with innovative versions of crispy poultry patties and a slew of enticing toppings between two pillowy buns.

As of Feb. 24, McDonald’s has introduced not one, not two, but three new chicken sandwiches. There’s the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which features a fried fillet stacked with crinkle-cut pickles and served on a toasted, buttered potato roll. Then there’s the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, which is basically the same thing but smothered with Spicy Pepper Sauce. Finally, there’s the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, which is piled high with shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes, and mayo.

Photo: McDonald’s

Wendy’s is also jumping in the ring of the chicken craze. The chain beat Mickey D’s to the punch by launching its Jalapeño Popper Chicken Sandwich (pictured at top) a week before the home of the Golden Arches dropped its offerings. With jalapeño cream cheese, six slices of jalapeños, smoked bacon strips, and cheddar and pepper jack cheese, this sandwich promises to hit your taste buds hard.

“While everyone else is playing catch up and distracting consumers with stale chicken drops, we are listening and bringing exciting flavors and bold ingredients forward to help fans avoid the McStake of settling for the same boring chicken sandwiches from other fast-food joints,” Carl Loredo, Wendy’s chief marketing officer, said in a very salty press release.

Not to be left behind, Burger King also announced plans to offer a premium chicken sandwich. It’s boringly called the Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich, and involves an original or spicy chicken fillet adorned with pickles and a signature sauce on a potato bun (stop us if you’ve heard this one before). They will also have a version with (gasp!) lettuce and tomato.

Photo: Burger King

But don’t hold your breath on that one; it won’t be available until later this year.

“Since we aren’t down to half a** the process, we plan to introduce our sandwich later this year,” the chain said in a saucy press release. “We promise it will be worth the wait.”

It’s cute that these mass-producers of mediocre food are trying their hands at something new (by which we mean real chicken rather than those Frankennuggets we all know and love). But if we want a proper chicken sandwich, we’ll hit up Popeyes and take on the heavyweight champ of chicken sandwiches. Everything else is just a cheap imitation.

Cover Photo: Wendy’s

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