On Aug. 12, Popeyes premiered its version of the chicken sandwich, igniting a viral debate on social media over who has the best chicken sandwich: Popeyes or Chick-Fil-A. The debate seemed to be over when Popeyes announced it had sold out of their sandwiches due to high demand on Aug. 28.
But, on Nov. 3, the battle for chicken sandwich supremacy was reignited.
Popeyes announced the return of its chicken sandwich to all restaurants nationwide on “National Sandwich Day,” Nov. 3. Along with the return, Popeyes said their sandwich will be back for good, as it becomes a permanent item on the menu.
With the return of the Popeyes sandwich, people are now at odds again over which one is better, there was even a line of cars down Montezuma waiting multiple hours to roll up to Popeyes’ drive-thru window.
Social work sophomore Marco Sanchez said he believes Popeyes’ sandwich stands out over Chick-Fil-A, but admits it feels overrated.
“I honestly think the Popeyes sandwich is overhyped,” Sanchez said. “It is a good sandwich, but Chick-Fil-A’s sandwich is just as good. The pickles in the Popeyes sandwich make it stand out just a little more than the other.”
For speech, language and hearing sciences senior Lauryn Merriweather, both sandwiches stand out on their own for being delicious. If she had to choose one though, her pick would be Popeyes.
“The Popeyes sandwich is really great and has more flavor than the Chick-Fil-A sandwich,” said Merriweather. “Both sandwiches are good though and you can’t go wrong with either or.”
Business sophomore Spencer Sundlie said he prefers Chick-Fil-A due to its chicken having a higher quality of taste.
“I’ll take Chick-Fil-A (sandwich) anyday,” Sundlie said. “Their fried chicken is just better and tastes of higher quality.”
Both sandwiches feature the traditional fixes of a chicken sandwich – chicken breast, pickles and a bun. Besides those things, Popeyes and Chick-Fil-A add many unique features to make their sandwiches different from the rest of the pack.
Chick-Fil-A’s chicken sandwich features a toasted and buttered bun, two dill pickle chips and pressure-cooked, hand-breaded chicken breast in 100% refined peanut oil, according to their website.
Popeyes chicken sandwich features a toasted brioche bun, a layer of mayonnaise, two crisp barrel cured pickles and hand breaded and battered chicken breast in buttermilk coating with a mix of Louisiana seasonings, according to their website.
The Chick-Fil-A sandwich features a signature taste. The touch of butter and light toasting of bread gives the sandwich a soft cushion for the chicken. The chicken’s coating is not too crispy, and not too soft. However, it lacks in terms of juiciness and flavor. The pickles add a tanginess to it.
At the end of the day, it tastes like a well-made, solid chicken sandwich, but does not go above and beyond to represent the perfect chicken sandwich. If you like your chicken sandwich meaty and hearty, Chick-Fil-A is for you.
Although Popeyes has just emerged on the scene with their chicken sandwich, it reigns supreme over Chick-Fil-A due to its sandwich being crispier, juicier and packing more overall flavor with the arrangement of the buttermilk battered chicken, pickles and mayonnaise. Both sandwiches are great in their own right, it is just a matter of personal preference as to which is better.
However, there must be a winner, and Popeyes takes the crown for the best chicken sandwich.
