The chicken sandwich wars are in full swing, and McDonald’s is coming out with its own heavy hitters.
On February 24, McDonald’s launched its newest lineup of chicken sandwiches: the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, the Deluxe Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and the Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
Immediately, fans and industry experts began to notice that the new offerings seemed very similar to Chick-fil-A’s and Popeyes’ iconic chicken sandwiches. Insider’s Kate Taylor previously reported on a leaked menu that revealed McDonald’s plans to release a new chicken sandwich, saying that the chain was planning to “take a page out of Chick-fil-A’s playbook.”
Former McDonald’s chef Mike Haracz told Insider “it’s very apparent” that McDonald’s is following Chick-fil-A’s lead with its sandwich. “It comes in a foil bag just like Chick-fil-A, from what I understand it has a very similar flavor profile,” he said.
The description for the McDonald’s crispy chicken sandwich describes it as a “southern style fried chicken sandwich” with crinkle-cut pickles and a toasted, buttered potato roll. Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich also comes on a toasted, buttered bun with dill pickle chips.
However, I wasn’t going to assume that the sandwiches were identical — I had to try them for myself.
Here’s what I thought of each chicken sandwich, from how similar they were to which one might even win the chicken sandwich wars.