In case you haven't heard, we have a serious chicken sandwich war on our hands. With the launch of Popeyes' new chicken sandwich last week, the internet can't help but compare this new offering with the chicken sandwiches of yore. Namely, it has started a civil war between Chick-fil-A and Popeyes fans. The brands' Twitter accounts are even sparring. It's been a lot to take in.
Of course, this seemed like as good a reason as any to put these two sandwiches head to head in the ultimate chicken sandwich smackdown. We got sandwiches from both establishments and polled the Delish staff to see which one they liked best.
The biggest thing we all noticed as soon as I unwrapped them (can we just talk about how good our office smells right now?) was the difference in size; the Popeyes sandwich towers over the Chick-fil-A one. Honestly, the sandwiches couldn't look more different, and we realized once we tasted them them that there was a LOT to consider here.
When we tasted the sandwiches, the first thing pretty much everyone brought up was the bun. The Popeyes brioche bun was not well-liked, but people raved about how the Chick-fil-A bun was soft and pillowy. While one taste tester argued Popeyes should stick to biscuits (I would LOVE one of these sammies on a biscuit, just saying!), in the words of one taste tester "you can't argue with a potato bun." Enough said.
Next, we considered the chicken. The chicken on each sandwich is not at all the same, so this is where it comes down to matter of preference. Popeyes is like something you'd get at a deli or a wings spot—it's really crispy and tall—while Chick-fil-A's is more like a fried chicken patty. As one of our tasters put it, Popeyes tastes way more like "real chicken." When you bite into it, it looks like something straight out of the deep fryer, and it has the crunch of that, too.
This was a point of contention for many though because some people found it to be too crunchy and heavily breaded. Chick-fil-A's was more of a hit with those who wanted a light breading, but others found it too soggy. One of our taste testers said that Chick-fil-A's chicken tasted like "a cartoon" of a chicken sandwich, so do with that what you will.
Now onto the sauce. This is where it got kind of difficult to compare. Popeyes' sandwiches come pre-sauced (you get a chipotle sauce if you get the spicy and mayo if you get the classic) while Chick-fil-A's come bare, though many add their own sauce. For comparison's sake, we ate each sandwich the way they came to us.
Both of the Popeyes sauces were a pretty big hit. Though we couldn't help but notice our bunch at least was pretty lightly sauced and a bit uneven, the sauce put the sandwich over the top for many. Note to self, order extra sauce.
Chick-fil-A's could have definitely used some sauce, but you can obviously ask for your choice of one. I vote Polynesian, but that's just me.
In the end, our office was nearly as divided as the internet. In fact, several peoples' answers changed between bites. Chick-fil-A's sandwich barely squeaked out a win (though more than a few people wanted to make it known that they don't agree with their politics) because people liked the depth of flavor between the potato bun and the chicken. Those who picked Popeyes did so largely because of the sauces and the quality of the chicken.
That being said, it really boils down to preference. And if the last few days are any indication, people will not stop letting their chicken preferences be known.
