CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ever since Popeyes introduced its chicken sandwich in late 2019, trolled Chick-fil-A on Twitter and ignited a fast-food arms race over who can make a better chicken sandwich, hungry people everywhere have been waiting for McDonald’s to respond.
Wendy’s, Arby’s, KFC and Shake Shack have each tried to generate the same kind of buzz Popeyes and Chick-fil-A have with new chicken sandwiches of their own. None have come close. Burger King and even Taco Bell plan to enter the ring later this year.
• Burger King, KFC enter escalating chicken sandwich wars
McDonald’s, the No. 1 fast-food chain in the world, finally, officially joined the chicken sandwich wars on Wednesday, adding its new Crispy Chicken Sandwich to the menu. Could it be the game-changer the Golden Arches is hoping for? As a public service to cleveland.com readers, I drove to my local Mickey D’s for lunch and ordered one.
Here’s what I found.
YES, YOU CAN TAKE MY ORDER
The Crispy Chicken Sandwich comes in three variants: classic, spicy and deluxe. Each starts with an all-white-meat chicken fillet topped with crinkle-cut pickles and served on a toasted, buttered potato roll. The spicy version adds spicy pepper sauce to the mix while ordering the deluxe gets you shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes and mayo. I opted for the classic and made it a meal, paying $7.39 for the sandwich, fries and a Sprite. The price for the deluxe is the same, but the spicy sandwich meal costs a little more at $7.99.
JUST THE FACTS
If you’re looking to eat healthy, you’re on the wrong side of the menu, perhaps in the wrong restaurant. Nutritionally, the Cripsy Chicken Sandwich is a moderate indulgence, falling closer to Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich than Popeyes’ more decadent version. The McDonald’s sandwich has 470 calories, 20 grams of fat (5 g saturated), 1100 mg sodium, 9 g sugar and 27 g protein.
McDonald's new Crispy Chicken Sandwich is available in classic, spicy and deluxe versions. (McDonald's photo)
INSTAGRAM VS. REALITY
As you can see by comparing the official press photo with the photo I took of my meal, McDonald’s Cripsy Chicken Sandwich in real life is a bit underwhelming, at least visually. The bun isn’t as fluffy as advertised. The size and plumpness of the chicken fillet appear to be misrepresented, too. The actual size is on the small to medium side and nowhere near Popeyes’ behemoth chicken patty. McDonald’s also appears uncertain if the pickles are supposed to go on top or the bottom.
TASTE TEST
They say never judge a book by its cover, but in this case, the sandwich’s taste matched its lackluster appearance. First, the good: the fried chicken fillet was indeed crispy as the menu item’s name suggests, though not enough that biting into it would embarrass you in a library. Inside, the meat itself was tender and juicy as advertised. But the sandwich comes up short where it counts the most: flavor. The chicken patty is mildly seasoned, emphasis on mild, and will make you instantly appreciate the subtle Southern spiciness of Chick-fil-A’s counterpart. The crinkle-cut pickles were a disappointment as well, lacking any traceable amounts of crunchiness or saltiness to justify their presence. The potato roll, as smushed as it was, is nothing to write home about. Of course, it’s entirely possible, maybe likely, ordering the sandwich in its spicy or deluxe form would fix these issues. I’ve read the spicy version packs a lot of punch.
CONCLUSION
Popeyes and Chick-fil-A have reigned at the top of the fast-food chicken sandwich hierarchy for nearly two years. McDonald’s, meanwhile, has a long history of rolling out premium chicken sandwiches that, for whatever reason, never quite catch on. Yada, yada, yada... I’ll have a Big Mac, please.
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