We Sampled 8 Restaurants to Find the Best Fast-Food Chicken Sandwich

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KFC chicken sandwich with its packaging on a white kitchen counter

Kristina Vänni for Taste of Home

3. KFC

KFC is a fast-food restaurant known for its fried chicken, so we were excited to sample their Classic Chicken Sandwich. For $4.99, a pleasantly juicy and well-seasoned chicken patty was served on a toasted bun with mayonnaise and pickles. Aside from the classic option, KFC also offers a spicy version.

The chicken was hearty and crisp, and the sandwich was well-balanced. It was definitely an enjoyable sandwich that we would gladly order again.

Bottom Line: KFC is a solid player in the fast-food chicken sandwich game, but it’s not a champ yet. While this sandwich certainly satisfied, there were still a couple sandwiches that were even better!

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Kristina Vänni for Taste of Home

2. Chick-fil-A

While we tested and ranked a total of eight chicken sandwiches, the truth is the fast-food chicken sandwich race really just comes down to our top two contenders. These two are truly head and shoulders above the rest. In fact, it was very difficult to decide which sandwich should take the No. 2 and No. 1 slots. Coming in at the runner-up position for the best fast-food chicken sandwich is the Chick-fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich. It’s sold at $4.75 with pickles and without mayonnaise, served on a perfectly buttered and toasted bun. However, for those who crave a sauce addition, Chick-fil-A offers a bunch of options.

We decided of all the sandwiches sampled, Chick-fil-A’s won out with chicken that was moist and flavorful as well as perfectly seasoned. The sandwich had a great crunch while the toasted and buttered bun kept the sandwich moist and satisfying. In addition to the original chicken sandwich we sampled, Chick-fil-A also sells a deluxe chicken sandwich, spicy chicken, spicy deluxe, grilled chicken, and grilled chicken club.

Bottom Line: In the end, the best fast-food chicken sandwich comes down to a matter of preference. For us, there was one sandwich with a slight edge to make it to the #1 spot. Keep reading to find out.

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Kristina Vänni for Taste of Home

1. Popeyes

The Popeyes versus Chick-fil-A war has been going on for a while, but we’ve finally picked a side. Sliding in at our #1 spot for the best fast-food chicken sandwich is the Classic Chicken Sandwich from Popeyes. Even before taking that first bite, this sandwich immediately won the award for the most visually beautiful of the bunch. The pieces of battered chicken were large and the bun had a lovely sheen. Priced at $4.49, this delicious sandwich was topped with mayonnaise and the most impressive pickles of all the sandwiches sampled.

Early on we decided that pickles were an essential component to the perfect chicken sandwich. They provide texture, crunch and balance to the fried chicken. We loved the huge slices of pickles on the Popeyes sandwich that covered the whole surface of the bun, ensuring that there was the perfect amount of pickle in every bite. On this sandwich, the fried chicken pieces were large, well-battered and offered outstanding crunch. Besides this Classic Chicken Sandwich, they also sell a spicy version as well as a buffalo ranch chicken sandwich.

Bottom Line: The incredible crunch from the battered chicken as well as the impressive pickles and beautiful bun made Popeyes the overall best chicken sandwich experience.