Spotify or Apple Music? Yanny or Laurel? Is the dress white and gold or is it blue and black? SLUH or SLUH West? (Well, that is not much of a debate.) All of these are highly debated by our generation, however, the holy grail of debates and the one of most relevance to the theme of my article is: Who has the best chicken sandwich? 

When I heard of this request, I was both excited and dare I say, chicken. The chicken sandwich is a highly debated subject and has been tearing apart families and friendships for years now. Keeping in mind both price and taste, I hit the road with my DoorDash style warmer bag to pick up the sandwiches from Popeyes, McDonald’s, Chic-Fil-A, Cane’s, Wendy’s, and Sonic. Unfortunately, the line at Culver’s was extraordinarily long and the service underwhelming, so they were dropped from my ballot.  

Once I arrived home with the safe, warm sandwiches, I carefully placed them on my mother’s silk table cloth. I went down the line and took a singular bite out of each sandwich, before repeating the process once more. What I am looking for is a crispy yet juicy bite with a subtle flavor that does not steal the show from the chicken. Without further ado, here are the results:

Best Bite: Popeye’s

Best Value: McDonald’s

Worst Overall: Wendy’s

Official Rankings:

1. Popeye’s 

2. McDonald’s 

3. Cane’s 

4. Chick-Fil-A

5. Sonic

6. Wendy’s

While biting into the Popeye’s sandwich, I was taken aback by the crisp skin, the juicy chicken, and the sponginess of the brioche roll. It was undoubtedly the best fast-food chicken sandwich I have had. The McDonald’s McChicken is THE sandwich for any occasion. For only a dollar, the minimalist approach of a chicken sandwich is enjoyed by millions of Americans daily. For the price of one sandwich from Chick-Fil-A, Cane’s, or Popeye’s, you can get FOUR McChickens. 

Finally, Chick-Fil-A versus Cane’s. I know you all will be upset with me on this one. I have heard claims that Cane’s chicken lacks flavor and is “disgusting.” Boys and girls, this is a sandwich, not just the chicken. With just the sandwich by itself, no special sauce on the side, I enjoyed Cane’s more than Chick-Fil-A and if you disagree with me, let’s talk about it.

Even though my bank account would disagree, I loved doing this and look forward to any suggestions that would come my way. I promise I will do it and that there will be no chickening out!