Yes, you really can find an excellent fried chicken sandwich at a fast food drive-thru
window.
Not all fast food fried chicken sandwiches are created equal, however… so there was
just one thing to do.
We ate them all.
Here are the results.
The Big Chicken sandwich from Checkers puts all the emphasis where it counts; namely,
on a full quarter-pound of fried chicken breast, served simply with shredded lettuce and mayonnaise
on a sesame seed bun.
Unfortunately, most of the good news stops there.
For all of the promotion of the pre-cooked weight of the processed chicken filet, there's
not much in the way of plumpness or moisture, with soggy, nearly flavorless breading.
If there's not a Jack In The Box in your area, the only thing you might know about them is
that they have a strange clown mascot named Jack.
Their menu is pretty varied, and they offer up a variety of chicken sandwiches, including
a plain one.
"Plain" is about dead on; as far as a chicken sandwich goes, it's fine.
It's just lettuce and mayo on a bun, nothing fancy.
If you're looking for an inexpensive chicken sandwich and there's a Jack In The Box on
your side of the road, it'll work.
But you don't want to cross traffic to eat this.
Burger King's crispy chicken sandwich is a stripped-down, barebones return to the classics,
with a breaded chicken filet, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a soft potato roll.
Unfortunately, what should be a reaffirmation of the enduring power of the classics ends
up being mostly a failure.
While the chicken filet itself is reasonably crispy, the shards of chopped lettuce mostly
end up on your lap and wedged into the cracks of your car seat, and the tomato is a depressing
colorless slab that offers nothing in terms of flavor.
It's hard to compete with Sonic Drive-In.
The chain continues to serve rock-solid versions of classic drive-in fare, at low prices and
with friendly service.
This tradition mostly continues with the Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich, with some caveats.
The Classic Crispy Chicken Sandwich is served traditionally, with lettuce, sliced tomato,
and mayonnaise.
The chicken stays crunchy, though it does lean toward being somewhat underseasoned.
Our biggest objection is to the overall dryness of the sandwich.
It's a good thing they have more than a million drink choices…
Burger Fi is a new kid on the block, so to speak, and prides itself on fresh ingredients.
In 2018, they introduced chicken to their menu.
The standard comes with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and a honey mustard barbecue sauce.
The chicken is advertised as free range, and they really emphasize how good that makes
it taste.
The big problem is that the chicken has basically no flavor to it.
The honey mustard doesn't do much to help this so you really need the lettuce and tomato
to provide the flavor.
It's called Burger Fi, not Chicken Fi, after all -- stick to the burgers.
Depending on where you are in the US, you either have a Hardee's or a Carl's Jr. in
your area — or you have neither.
Regardless, the chicken at both places is the same chicken; it comes from the same place,
and the tastes are the same.
It's the same bird species.
It's not super flavorful, but it's also fairly edible with a mild spice and moist chicken
— it's just… big.
Too big.
Bojangles' offers up some fancy chicken sandwiches, but the standard is the Cajun Filet sandwich.
The sandwich is fixed up with lettuce, tomato, and mayo.
The chicken is that usual tasty Bojangles' fare, which is worth the drive every time.
The issue here is the bun — it's a big bun, and it takes away from the chicken.
Bojangles' makes great chicken, but you're better off going eating it with a biscuit.
Zaxby's specializes in chicken fingers, but they also offer up a couple traditional chicken
sandwiches if you're so inclined.
For our purposes we're focusing on the regular old Southern TLC sandwich.
It's about as traditional "southern homestyle" as you can get — just lettuce, tomato, and
mayo.
It's fairly underwhelming and you're better served going with another sandwich or just
riding those chicken fingers.
"Most people still think Arby’s still only serve Roast Beef sandwiches.
If that’s the case we sure have some odd looking roast beef sandwiches."
Arby's introduced their entry into the "buttermilk" fried crispy chicken sandwich trend in 2016,
with the introduction of the Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
It features a meaty filet of buttermilk-marinated fried chicken, topped with shredded lettuce,
tomato, and mayo, on Arby's signature "Star Cut" bun.
The chicken itself is a bit of a disappointment; overly dry, lacking in flavor.
Coming in at the high end of the price range of McDonald's value menu, the Classic Chicken
Sandwich seems to be a direct swipe at the ongoing success and expansion of rival Chick-fil-A.
The sandwich strips out all unnecessary components, offering a giant slab of fried chicken that
overwhelms and destroys the bun it sits on, with a scattering of pickle slices and a new
"Signature Sauce."
Even so, the chicken filet itself is generously portioned, and the "Signature Sauce" compliments
rather than overpowers, and adds a satisfying messiness to the proceedings.
For many years, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy's was the gold standard for what
a drive-thru chicken sandwich could be.
But with the heat rising in the chicken sandwich space, would Wendy's be able to keep up with
the new field of competitors?
The chicken here is thinner than many of the other sandwiches on the market, but it doesn't
compromise in terms of flavor.
That familiar Wendy's heat is still there, and still seems the most balanced of many
of the sandwiches out there.
If you've never been to a Culver's, you should find one.
Culver's makes their bread and butter on… butterburgers.
But they also offer up a tasty chicken sandwich.
The Crispy Chicken Sandwich is in the family of "southern style."
Culver's standard toppings aren't what you'd expect — you get lettuce, tomato, and pickles,
but no mayo, no mustard, no secret sauce.
Yet somehow, you won't even miss it.
You're not thinking chicken when you go to Culver's, but this is an excellent and unexpected
chicken sandwich.
Have you heard of PDQ?
You will.
They're one of the places to watch when it comes to quick serve, as the Tampa-based chain
is expanding throughout the country thanks to some tasty chicken.
The PDQ standard sandwich is the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, with their crunchy fried chicken
served up with lettuce, tomato, mayo and pickles.
The reason that PDQ is spreading is because their chicken is flat-out excellent.
It's difficult to go to a place and not get the specialty.
Raising Cane's is a chicken finger joint, and if your eyes never even ventured over
toward the sandwich part of the board, we can't blame you.
Cane's chicken is just flat out good.
But what about eating it between two buns?
Despite their amazing chicken, they know the sauce is boss.
The standard chicken sandwich is just three chicken fingers on a bun with lettuce — but
the trick is that they go ahead and put the sauce on there for you.
Sometimes it's that simple — don't reinvent the chicken finger, just throw it on a bun
and enjoy!
KFC has maintained a legacy of crispy, pressure-fried chicken excellence for more than 70 years,
and its version of a fried chicken sandwich helps prove why.
The chicken itself is the star of the show here: It's thick, juicy, and intensely flavorful.
"Shhh, just listen now"
But where KFC really starts to outshine its competitors is in the slathering sauce arena:
Whether sweet and smoky or hot and spicy is your complimentary chicken flavoring of choice,
KFC offers a range of options on a fried chicken sandwich that puts the chicken itself front-and-center,
where it belongs.
Now that's chicken you can count on.
Shake Shack has exploded in recent years, based on one simple concept: Elevate classic
fast food to its maximum possible potential, and turn it around quickly to keep the line
moving.
With the Chick'n Shack, the tradition continues.
In spite of its enormous size, the chicken remains impossibly crunchy, and it's complemented
by Shake Shack's herbed mayonnaise.
As with much of Shake Shack's menu, the Chick'n Shack is a perfect example of what even a
simple chicken sandwich can be, when you take time to balance the different elements and
source good ingredients.
Chick-fil-A employs many extra touches in providing a delicious sandwich.
If you actually look at the ingredients you'll be surprised to see vinegar listed there — that's
the secret.
It's a scientific trick that tells your brain that the food you're eating is bright and
fresh.
That perfect fried goodness is the result of pressure cooking, which also speeds up
the process and gets the fresh chicken out more quickly.
The crazy thing is it's so simple.
It's just bun, chicken, and that little surprise — two unexpected pickles hidden under the
chicken that gives it a bit more sour crunchiness.
The pure simplicity is what takes it to a whole new level.