In the world of cinema — bear with me for a second — the best movies always come out at the end of the year. From October to December, the silver screen is hit with “serious” films, Oscar-bait, and artistic statements. It’s a season that belongs less to blockbusters and more to the auteurs. In 2024, fast food is doing the same thing, only instead of giving us great films, fast food is giving us what we all truly want: more chicken sandwiches (though we wouldn’t be surprised if we one day get a film about chicken sandwiches, stranger things have happened).
It’s no secret that this decade is all about the chicken sandwich. We’ve turned our back on the mighty beef patty and opened our hearts — our, you know, mouths — to fried fillets of chicken breast.
This year, we’ve already ranked 25 different chicken sandwiches. So what are we to do when this month we’re hit with not one, not two, but three brand new chicken sandwiches? Put ‘em to the mighty blind taste test to see which is most worth your money, of course!
Methodology
For this blind taste test, we’ve rounded up all the newest chicken sandwiches, including the McDonald’s Chicken Big Mac, the Popeyes Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich, and the Burger King Fiery Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Luckily, I live in close proximity to all three restaurants, so I can scoop up each sandwich quickly, allowing me to eat each sandwich while they are still hot and fresh. I’d say that makes for a fair-blind taste test.
After I picked up all three sandwiches, I returned home, took photos of each, and had my girlfriend shuffle them up and serve each one to me at random while I wore a blindfold. I took exactly three bites of each, recorded my initial impressions, and ranked each from worst to best.
Here are the results.
Part 1: The Blind Chicken Sandwich Taste Test
Taste 1:
Right off the bat, I’m getting an intense surge of cayenne pepper heat. It’s nice and spicy and kicks the salivary glands into action. The tomatoes and lettuce provide a bit of reprieve from the heat, but the finish is still pretty spicy, and the heat intensifies between bites. The chicken has a crispy and airy breading, and the meat is tender but a bit bland outside of all the spice.
Taste 2:
With just one bite, I can already tell there is so much wrong with this chicken sandwich. It’s bland, the meat is spongey and heavily processed, and its way too bready. I’m going to guess this is the Chicken Big Mac because I can taste so much bread that I can’t imagine this being any of the other sandwiches.
While I don’t like the taste of the chicken, the breading is nice, airy, and very crispy. It provides a nice audible crunch but I can’t seem myself returning to this one. I begrudgingly took a few more bites to see if the flavor would grow on me. It didn’t.
Taste 3:
After a big, pleasing crunch, I’m getting juicy and tender chicken gently seasoned with a mix of garlic, onion, and spices, with a slightly fruity, buttery finish. The sauce used here helps to accentuate and elevate the wonderful seasoning blend. Here is what I love about this sandwich: it feels like the chicken is the star and that’s the sign of a great chicken sandwich.
Part 2: The Blind Chicken Sandwich Ranking
3. McDonald’s — Chicken Big Mac
McDonald’s still hasn’t perfected the chicken sandwich. It’s the McDonald’s menu’s one true weak point. I love a chicken nugget as much as the next person, but I don’t need one in sandwich form, and this sandwich comes across like that.
It’s too heavily processed, too bland in flavor, and has way too much bread. If McDonald’s truly wants to be a contender in the chicken sandwich wars, it’s going to need to raise the quality of its chicken filet to be a true contender.
The Bottom Line:
If you already like chicken sandwiches from McDonald’s, this might be worth experiencing, but if you don’t, this won’t win you over.
2. Burger King — Fiery Royal Chicken Sandwich
I’m really surprised by this one! Burger King’s “fiery” blend of spices is unique and really delivers on the heat. It doesn’t come close to being as good as our top pick from this blind taste test, but it’s easily the best chicken sandwich Burger King has dropped since the beloved but discontinued Ch’King.
I’m interested in trying the bacon and Swiss cheese version of this sandwich, I imagine that’ll add a lot to what this sandwich offers.
The Bottom Line:
Easily Burger King’s best chicken sandwich right now.
1. Popeyes — Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich
Popeyes’ Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich is so far ahead of the other two we tasted, that I almost feel bad for the competition. This takes an already great chicken sandwich and dials up the heat a bit, which results in an even better chicken sandwich.
What won us over with this one is how much focus was put on the chicken filet itself. It’s juicy, tender, crunchy, and well-seasoned. The pickles and sauce aren’t doing any of the heavy lifting here, which is the way it should be.
The Bottom Line:
The Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich isn’t just the best new chicken sandwich dropped this month, it’s also the best new chicken sandwich dropped all year.