You have to find a way to amuse yourself in the current situation, and I'm easily amused, so I've been amusing myself this summer by doing a personal investigation of the Great Chicken Sandwich War of 2021, by trying (from the drive-through, thank you) the competing "premium" chicken sandwiches.
If you haven't heard about this, just Google "chicken sandwich wars." Or look it up on Wikipedia. It's a thing.
I am not particularly a chicken sandwich aficionado- they aren't one of my favourite foods- but I've got nothing against them either, a good chicken sandwich is... good. Like most fast foods, they didn't, and won't, become a regular part of my diet- eating too much fast food too regularly is not something I recommend. Once in a while, especially out of necessity and/or convenience, it's fine, IMHO.
I tried the new "premium" chicken sandwiches (for places that had both, not the standard menu ones, the new ones that you pay extra for) at these fast-food shops: Popeyes, Church's Chicken, KFC, Burger King, McDonalds, and Wendy's. [When given an option, I chose the "classic" or "original," not the "spicy," because I find "spicy" fast food chicken to just pile on the heat for heat's sake without any nod to flavour.] My sample size is small and not significant- one sandwich, from the store nearest to my home.
My ratings:
EXCELLENT: Burger King and Popeye's. Burger King's ChKing appeared to be made from an individual fillet of chicken, unlike the processed patty suspicion of their basic chicken sandwich, was tasty, juicy, substantial and not too dense, seemed not too salty and very fresh. I'd give it the edge as the winner. Popeye's premium chicken sandwich, which started the craze, was similar, on a fresh and tasty bun, perhaps a tiny bit smaller than Burger King's, but very well done.
OKAY: McDonalds and Church's. McD's Crispy Chicken Sandwich was fine, but didn't seem to be all that much of a distinct upgrade from their regular McChicken, it seemed to be neither quite as fresh, nor as substantial as the excellent-rated ones. Church's chicken sandwich was decent, but I think likely the same one they've been serving all along with a minor tweak?
POOR: KFC and Wendy's. Both small and disgusting, both seemed stale. Chicken piece(s) was tough, overcooked, dry, and (in these cases, blissfully) small. The Colonel's gave me the feeling that someone got the idea, "can we do anything with the scraps of fried chicken that would be too embarrassing to put in someone's meal? Hey, let's slap them on a bun and call it a 'premium sandwich'..." Wendy's was so tough and dry that I couldn't eat it all.
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