By Kathy Williams, Features Editor and Cammie Dutchess, Editor-in-Chief
In an ever growing market, the war on chicken sandwiches has begun. To meet consumer demand and match competitors such as Chick-fil-A, many fast food restaurants have launched their version of a crispy chicken sandwich such as Popeyes, Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s.
The year 1967 birthed the beloved Chick-fil-A original chicken sandwich from founder S. Truett Cathy. Prior to the chicken sandwich, the popularized lunch go-to was the hamburger. Cathy’s fast-growing chicken-based fast food chain was attributed with popularizing the chicken sandwich choice.
The Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich features a seasoned boneless chicken breast cooked in peanut oil on a toasted buttered bun with pickles. Prices vary by location, but the price of a single sandwich is generally $4.29. Customers have the option of making it a combo meal with a side and drink.
What differentiates Chick-fil-A from its competition is the cult following behind the brand. The company has succeeded in differentiating its chainstyled restaurant from others by the mannerisms of their employees, not being open on Sunday, offering a secret Chick-fil-A sauce, making in-house pickles and serving chicken as their only meat option.
Competitors caught wind of how successful the chicken sandwich can be if executed to meet the demands of consumers and implemented items onto their menus to compete with the growing company. One of these competitors was Popeyes.
The Popeyes chicken sandwich hit the ground running.
The sandwich is just like the rest – a “Southern-style,” thick-cut chicken with mayo (regular or spicy), pickles and a buttery brioche bun. But, a fried chicken sandwich craze broke out after the fast-food chain promoted the sandwich on its social media.
Lines were out of the door, fights broke out both in the drive thru and inside the restaurant and social media was blowing up with opinions about the sandwich. Celebrities, reporters and influencers all hit their social platforms in a media frenzy to talk about the “best chicken sandwich” they have ever had.
The $3.99 sandwich is similar to its competition but what sets it apart from others is how thick the actual piece of chicken is. Similar to the KFC sandwich, Popeyes uses a thicker piece of chicken that sets itself apart from the Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s sandwiches.
Although the lines for the sandwich have gone down now, people are still eager to get their hands on what they deem to be one of the best chicken sandwiches out there.
The finger lickin’ KFC chicken sandwich is very similar to the Popeyes one.
The fast-food restaurant chain offers a regular and spicy version for $3.99 and has a good amount of mayo on it that the McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A sandwiches lack.
KFC brands itself to be the ultimate destination to get a great piece of chicken to feed the whole family. With 11 different herbs and spices used, buying the sandwich for everyone should ensure a successful family outing.
McDonald’s is the latest one to keep up with the chicken sandwich trend.
McDonald’s made their crispy chicken sandwich available nationwide on Feb. 24, 2021. Prior to its release, McDonald’s offered chicken based items such as their nuggets and McChicken sandwich. The crispy chicken sandwich, however, is different from its chicken predecessors.
The southern-style crispy chicken sandwich offered by McDonald’s is fried chicken filet topped with crinkle cut pickles on a toasted and buttered potato roll. The sandwich is also offered in a spicy and deluxe version. The price varies by location, but customers can expect the sandwich alone to cost around $4.00.
Although the four sandwiches all seem to be the exact same, there are slight differences that make each one unique. To find out which fast food restaurant hit the nail on the head with their own version, head out to each chain to see which one is the pick of the bunch.
williakp18@bonaventure.edu & jonesdca17@bonaventure.edu
