Discontinued Fast Food Chicken Sandwiches We Wish Would Make A Comeback

When Blink-182 announced founding member Tom DeLonge had rejoined the band in October 2022, fans rightly rejoiced. The legendary rock group just wasn't the same without Delonge's uniquely appealing vocals or the perfectly harmonious synergy found between the trio's most popular and talented line-up (sorry, Scott Raynor). Of course, while fans may no longer burst into tears when "I Miss You" comes on the radio, that doesn't mean we don't find ourselves screeching "where are youuu?" when we remember our other lost loves — like any number of discontinued fast food chicken sandwiches.

If you're surprised to learn we're prone to lamenting no-longer-sold fast food chicken sandwiches, well ... we're guessing you aren't very familiar with us. Fast food is sort of our bread and butter, after all, so a predilection for poultry-focused sandwiches from such establishments isn't exactly out of character. And with Blink-182's reformation proving miracles can indeed happen, we thought we'd muse over those chicken sandwiches we miss most.

There's been a vast number of introduced (and, subsequently, discontinued) chicken sandwiches from fast food joints through the years — even before the recent fast food chicken sandwich wars. Whether it's former offerings from McDonald's, KFC, or any number of popular chains, the list is long when it comes to formerly available chicken sandwiches. With that in mind, here are the discontinued fast food chicken sandwiches we wish would make a comeback.

Perhaps you're under the impression that every discontinued fast food chicken sandwich we'd love to see return was a long-running menu staple. Yet we're not here to exclusively highlight those sandwiches that made a lengthy impact. Thus explains our sadness surrounding the short-but-sweet (or, rather, savory) existence of Burger King's 2021 fast food fried chicken sandwich entry: The Ch'King, which was discontinued by the chain in 2022 after less than a year on the market (via CNN).

While the exact timing of a fast food item's discontinuation can sometimes be difficult to nail down (along with the precise rationale behind said decision), that's not the case with the Ch'King. For one thing, the sandwich was immensely time-consuming to prepare, according to some employees on Reddit, causing a number of logistical challenges for restaurant staff. Additionally, Burger King itself was fairly forthright with its thought process on the matter. After all, since the item "created a ton of bottlenecks operationally," as CEO of Restaurant Brands International (Burger King's parent company) Jose Cil told CNN in 2022, it was likely doomed regardless of quality.

Clearly, we'd love to see the Ch'King make a comeback. But with the fast food joint's Royal Crispy Chicken sandwiches being introduced in August 2022 (via Chewboom), it's unlikely that'll happen anytime soon.

We're not sure any sandwich screams fast food less to us than a chicken salad sandwich, even if there's no clear cut rationale for our line of thinking on the matter. After all, a chicken salad sandwich is actually quite amenable to a quick-service restaurant setting, given how easily it can be prepared with a premade batch of the sandwich's poultry filling. So while Chick-Fil-A's former chicken salad sandwich — which was discontinued in 2017 (via Today) — didn't immediately leap to mind when creating this list, once we discovered its existence? We've been longing for its comeback.

When announcing the sandwich's removal in August 2017 (via Today), Chick-Fil-A acknowledged "many of (its) customers loved" the sandwich. At the same time, though, the fast food chicken chain noted its "guests ... are looking for new tastes and fresh flavors" — which, evidently, did not include the chicken salad sandwich.

If nothing else, Chick-Fil-A tried to ensure the chicken salad sandwich's biggest boosters weren't left empty-handed; and several months before its official discontinuation, the company shared the recipe with fans (via Chick-Fil-A).

The entire concept of fast food seems to evolve depending on the time of day. Maybe it's a convenient and affordable way to find sustenance; or perhaps the industry is built on the premise of overconsuming indulgent, decidedly decadent food items. Since those two options aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, it's nice when a fast food chain maintains some sort of balance between high-calorie, artery-clogging options and at least somewhat healthier fare. In other words? We're furious with McDonald's for discontinuing its Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich as of 2022 (via Fortune) — and wish it would make a comeback.

The permanent discontinuation of McDonald's grilled chicken sandwich didn't happen overnight, as it was originally a temporary casualty of the restaurant's slimmed-down menu in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic (via Business Insider). But a continued labor shortage — and the fact that a trimmer, streamlined menu made locations more efficient and accurate with orders — forced the fast food burger chain's hand. And, by June 2022, it was confirmed that grilled chicken sandwiches wouldn't be returning to Mickey D's menus.

Considering many of McDonald's own staff wouldn't even eat its grilled chicken sandwich, we may be in the minority by wishing it would return. But we always enjoyed the fast food giant's grilled chicken — and would love nothing more than to see a healthier selection of menu items underneath the Golden Arches.

It's not really our style to kick a person or restaurant (or, well, anything at all, for that matter) while it's down. But pointing out Subway's undeniable downfall throughout the 2010s doesn't really count as rubbing salt in a wound. Of course, considering the sandwich chain's rough go of things over the past decade or so, presenting any complaints is apt to make Subway employees cringe. But we're honest to a fault here (when we choose to be, that is), and we simply can't deny our wish to see the fast food chain's discontinued oven-roasted chicken breast sandwich return to menus.

Perhaps we're a bit sore about Subway's process for removing its oven-roasted chicken breast option, since, according to The Takeout, there was no process for removing it. In fact, other than a number of Reddit commenters noticing the oven-roasted chicken breast's disappearance at Subway locations by the end of 2021, no other indication or announcement had been made acknowledging the item's removal as of October 2022.

Of course, as of December 2022, we're not all that interested in learning why Subway decided to phase out its oven-roasted chicken breast sandwich. Frankly, at this point? All we want to know is when to expect the item's return to restaurants.

Does a sandwich need to be between two (count 'em, two) pieces of bread to be considered a sandwich? We don't necessarily think so — particularly since, according to Merriam-Webster, a sandwich can technically be defined as any item "resembling a sandwich." Of course, any trepidation we have surrounding the semantics of the word sandwich probably doesn't matter when it comes to KFC's Double Down — just our desire to see the fast food chicken sandwich-type item's return.

First introduced in 2010, the Double Down featured bacon and cheese "sandwiched between two 100% white meat Original Recipe filets," as KFC spokesman Rick Maynard told CNN in 2014, and was "arguably the most talked-about product in KFC history." We're not entirely sure, then, why the Double Down has seemingly remained absent from U.S. menus since 2014, but we can't say we're pleased.

A legend in its own time, the Double Down could possibly make a triumphant reemergence at some point in the future. Until that day, though, fans of the gone-but-not-forgotten fast food chicken sandwich can fill the void with a number of similar options sold around the U.S.

This one is quite possibly the oldest fast food chicken sandwich we've included on this list. There's a decent chance some folks haven't even heard of the formerly offered Chicken Supreme sandwich from Jack in the Box. But a lack of general fanfare in the 2020s doesn't diminish our determination or enthusiasm for this discontinued fast food chicken sandwich — and, based on the hundreds of followers on a Facebook page dedicated to the item's memory, we're not alone.

The main reason we wish the Chicken Supreme sandwich would make a comeback at Jack in the Box locations is how mouth-watering it looks. Even the low-level video quality from an early 1980s commercial does little to diminish the sandwich's superb makeup in our eyes. And seeing as the sandwich was a menu staple at Jack in the Box through the '80s, according to San Diego Reader, and played a key role in the fast food chain's rise and expansion during the decade? We can't imagine anyone being disappointed after taking a bite.

Frankly, we're not entirely sure why Jack in the Box no longer offers its Chicken Supreme sandwich. Additionally, in all honesty, we're not entirely sure how the Chicken Supreme sandwich tasted — but we desperately wish we could find out.

Some folks may not realize certain fast food chicken sandwiches have been discontinued. In fact, when it comes to the KFC Snacker, we wouldn't be shocked if some of you furrowed your brow in disbelief and refused to believe the item is no longer on the menu. But the Snacker is indeed just a memory — and the still-sold Chicken Little sandwich, while similar, simply can't compete.

Featuring a chicken strip with lettuce and spicy mayo on a small bun, the KFC Snacker was a hit upon its introduction in 2005 (via QSRWeb.com). So why exactly did the international fried chicken conglomerate decide to 86 the delightfully delectable Snacker and replace its snack-sized chicken sandwich with the not-quite-the-same Chicken Little sandwich in 2012 (via Restaurant News)? We haven't the foggiest.

Interestingly enough, the Chicken Little sandwich (which features a pickle instead of lettuce, like the Snacker) was itself a once-popular discontinued fried chicken sandwich before its reintroduction in 2012. So while we may not love the Chicken Little, its mere existence gives us hope that the Snacker may one day return, too.

The state of fast food grilled chicken sandwiches took a hit the past few years — at least, it did if you focused on McDonald's and Burger King. Then again, as the best-selling and sixth best-selling fast food chains in the U.S. in 2021 (via QSR Magazine), it's not wholly inaccurate to say as McDonald's and Burger King goes, so goes the entire industry. BK likely expected to make a splash, then, when it introduced its revamped grilled chicken sandwich in 2019 (via Nation's Restaurant News). But the sandwich was nowhere to be found on its menu as of 2022 — and we wish that wasn't the case.

Not that you'd have any idea when or why Burger King decided to deny customers any chicken sandwich options that weren't deep-fried. In fact, the only real evidence regarding the sandwich's disappearance seems to come from a January 2020 Reddit thread, which notes a number of restaurants around the U.S. had already stopped selling the item.

With McDonald's no longer selling grilled chicken sandwiches as of 2022, either (via Fortune), it's not exactly a renaissance for fast food grilled chicken sandwich fans. As a result, we're decidedly eager to see Burger King's grilled chicken sandwich make a comeback — even if we doubt there's any real chance that happens in the near future.

If we're being perfectly honest, one event surrounding the fast food industry in December 2022 nearly made us rethink our desire to see Wendy's Fresh Stuffed Pitas return to menus. Not that we have any issues with the fast food chicken sandwich line itself (we don't), since both the garden ranch chicken and chicken Caesar varieties were eminently enjoyable. No, our concern lies with the fact that Wendy's was named the most expensive fast food chain in 2022 (via Yahoo) — meaning we may not be able to afford the formerly available Fresh Stuffed Pitas if the discontinued item made a comeback.

Actually, on second thought, we can say with a fairly strong conviction that we wish the genuinely unique fast food chicken sandwiches would return to Wendy's – regardless of the potential price. After all, the general lack of healthy or non-fried options at fast food chains in 2022 is tough to swallow (no pun intended) for consumers.

In addition, since we absolutely love a fresh pita pocket stuffed with grilled chicken and vegetables, well ... the question of why we want this discontinued fast food chicken sandwich to make a comeback sort of answers itself, doesn't it?

When Popeye's released its famed fried chicken sandwich in August 2019 (via Reuters), it was like the fast food version of Lexington and Concord — as in, the battles between those two at the start of the American Revolution (via American Battlefield Trust). We're hyperbolizing, of course, since the fast food fried chicken sandwich "wars" are only facetiously comparable to an actual war. But we do occasionally wonder why Popeye's started the fight for fried chicken sandwich supremacy in the first place, since it already had the phenomenal chicken Po'Boy sandwich — which it sadly discontinued in 2019 (via Business Insider).

It made all the sense in the world for the Louisiana-style fast fried chicken chain to offer a Po'Boy, given the state's connection to the sandwich. And Popeye's version, which featured two chicken tenders, lettuce, pickles, and mayonnaise on a sub roll (via Brand Eating), was clearly delicious.

Now, we won't go so far as to say the chicken Po'Boy was a better overall product than the astronomically famous fried chicken sandwich that replaced it. But we can definitively say we wish it would make a comeback — and will never quite understand why Popeye's couldn't continue selling its Po'Boy alongside the newer chicken sandwich.

When we think about a chicken sandwich and Cheetos (even an off-brand, generic version of the cheesy snack), we're prone to envision a side of crunchy cheese curls next to a sandwich, not inside one. But given how texturally enticing a sandwich can be when eaten with cheese curls inside, perhaps the incorporation of Cheetos into a chicken sandwich was more logical than we initially imagined — like with KFC's Cheetos chicken sandwich, which was briefly released in 2019 (via CNN).

The collaboration between Cheetos and KFC may not seem like a natural pairing, but any concerns about the item's palatability would've been put to rest after consuming one. The general simplicity of the Cheetos chicken sandwich (all things considered, at least) certainly upped the appeal. After all, it featured a chicken filet, on top of real Cheetos (and mayonnaise), doused in a Cheetos sauce — which The Takeout glowingly described as "Cheetos in oil form, as if cheesy dust was blended into melted butter." Frankly, after reading that description, who wouldn't want that option from the Colonel Sanders-founded restaurant?

Of course, since its entire conception was based around a limited-time availability, the KFC Cheetos chicken sandwich was never long for this world. In that sense, we're not nearly as bitter about this fast food chicken sandwich having disappeared as we are about others — but we still want to see it make a comeback.

To be sure, some may quibble with our decision to include a wrap among a list of sandwiches. But, according to The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, wraps are, indeed, a "form of sandwich" — and we're inclined to agree with that definition. Therefore, we present the fast food chicken sandwich we, quite frankly, wish would make a comeback more than any other: the Chicken Snack Wrap from McDonald's, which was bafflingly discontinued nationwide in 2016 (via KTLA5).

An exceedingly simple — and exceptionally tasty — item, the Snack Wrap featured either a grilled or crispy chicken strip wrapped in a tortilla, with lettuce, shredded cheese, and a sauce of your choice (though we always ordered it sans sauce). As a lighter, well, snack option from McDonald's, it was far from unpopular with consumers; and, as evidenced by the more than 16,000 people who'd signed a Change.org petition (as of December 2022) demanding the return of Snack Wraps, we're not the only ones who wish it would come back.

McDonald's knows this better than anyone, it seems, with the fast food chain even teasing fans on Twitter about the Snack Wraps' non-comeback in November 2022. Whether this makes it more or less likely the Snack Wrap eventually returns is unclear — but we'll be waiting and hoping, in our heart of hearts, to see it on the menu again one day.