It was the day all other fast-food chains began chasing Popeyes who had officially thrown down the gauntlet.
But it always seemed that the chains were chasing the one that started it all:Popeyes.
A few frontrunners emerged in the Chicken Sandwich Wars.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
Here they are from our least favorite to the best of all time.
The look:The McCrispy looks smaller than the other sandwiches and the bun is a bit squished.
The size is on par with Chick-fil-A’s sandwich, which has 50 fewer calories.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
The taste:For surprisingly few ingredients this is a good sandwich.
The bun, though squished, has a great buttery flavor and the chicken is ever so slightly spicy.
When I got a bite with the pickles, everything worked together.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
The biggest issue with this sandwich is the execution.
The look:This spicy version looks almost identical to the classic.
Again the bun is a bit squished but appears golden and soft.
Meaghan Cameron / Eat This, Not That!
A look under the bun reveals where the issues are going to be.
The bright orange sauce is unevenly spread and the pickles again, are haphazardly placed.
The taste:For the uneven glob of sauce the spice carries surprisingly well through the sandwich.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
Crispy, deeply browned bits stuck out all sides of the bun.
The taste:The spicy, crunchy, juicy chicken lives up to Chick-fil-A’s reputation.
The pickles are deliciously tangy and not too salty or sour.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
The chicken quite flavorful and aromatic so that no sauce is needed, although it would be welcome.
The look:Again, chicken is the star here and is spilling out of the bun.
The red color said otherwise and the heat did build with each bite but didn’t overwhelm the chicken.
Meaghan Cameron/Eat This, Not That!
Again, the bird was amazing, dense and juicy at the same time.
This is a phenomenal sandwich and the differences between the Chick-fil-A sandwiches and the Popeyes sandwiches were marginal.
If Chick-fil-A’s sandwiches had mayo or a spicy sauce, this would be a much tougher call.
The look:This one was big!
Popeyes sandwiches dwarfed the McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A sandwiches.
The taste:Crispy, tangy, lemony, creamythis sandwich hit all the right notes and then some.
It was mouth-filling and begged for another bite.
Remember, this is not a light sandwich.
This big guy has 220 more calories and 22 more grams of fat than the McCrispy.
The ginormous pickle slices add just the right tang and relief from the spice.
The only thing that kept this sandwich from being perfect was the bun.
It was just a hair dry compared to the others.
But, honestly, you’re able to’t get much better than this from a take-out window.
