Burger King Vs McDonald's: Who Has The Best Chicken Sandwich?

Burger King and McDonald's may be well-known burger chains, but how do they fare when it comes to chicken sandwiches? Breaded and deep-fried, both fast-food spots have their fair share of chicken options. I love a good chicken sandwich, and as such, was more than ready for the opportunity for the ultimate Burger King vs. McDonald's chicken sandwich showdown.

For the purposes of this post, I chose to review the Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich and the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy sandwich. These two offerings are very similar and feature fresh toppings like lettuce and tomato. Coming up, I'll discuss the details pertaining to each sandwich, including the cost, what it comes with, the overall nutritional profile, and more. At the end of the breakdown, I'll dish the details on which of the two fast-food giants offers the best chicken sandwich.

Please note that the information provided in this article is subject to change. Pricing and availability may vary by location. 

The Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich comes on a potato bun topped with tomato, lettuce, and mayo. You can order the sandwich a la carte or choose from a variety of combo meal options. At Burger King, combo meals can be ordered in small, medium, or large sizes and include fries and a drink. Not in the mood for fries? Opt for the onion rings instead, or try "Have-sies" (half fries, half onion rings) if you're feeling extra adventurous.

As far as what drinks are available to pair with your Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich, take your pick from Coke-owned fountain drinks, or try BK's shake and frozen soda options. You'll even find a few old-school sips at some locations, such as Hi-C and Mello Yello. The chain also offers bottled water, juice boxes, coffee, and even frozen pink lemonade at the time of publication.

The Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich costs $5.99 on its own, or $10.93 when ordered as part of a medium combo. For lighter or heartier appetites, you can order it as part of a small combo meal for $10.43, or as a large combo meal for $11.83. 

Out of all of the combo meal options mentioned, ordering a small combo meal feels like the worst deal, given that for only 50 cents to a dollar more, you could score a lot more food. Even so, ordering Burger King's Royal Crispy Chicken as part of a small combo is still a better deal than ordering the sandwich a la carte, especially if you want fries and a drink. When adding a small fry and drink separately to go with the sandwich, you could end up paying as much as $11.47 before tax. No thanks!

The Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich isn't healthy by most standards. It has 600 calories, 33 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0.1 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,330 milligrams of sodium, 54 grams of carbs, 9.5 grams of sugar, and 31.4 grams of protein — and that's for the sandwich alone. Add to this a side of fries and a drink, and you're looking at a very calorie-rich, high-sodium meal that won't do any favors for your health. 

A small fry packs 300 calories and 13 grams of fat, whereas a small Coke has 240 calories and a whopping 66 grams of sugar. With all things considered, your Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich combo meal could easily exceed 1,000 calories which is anywhere between a third to half of the amount of calories the average person needs per day — if not more!

The Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken wasn't great. In fact, I was disappointed from the moment I unwrapped it. The bun looked pale and unappetizing, and the breading on the chicken patty looked dried out. Despite the poor first impression, I still had high hopes, figuring it would be hard to go wrong with fried chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo.

Unfortunately, when I took a bite of the Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich, I was taken aback by its odd peppery taste. Though the toppings were fresh and the texture of the chicken was pleasantly firm, the taste was so overpowering that I could barely pick up any other flavor. I continued to eat the sandwich, expecting to get past its initial flavor, but nope — still gross. 

Eventually, I gave up, realizing the Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich wasn't going to meet my expectations. I looked over the ingredients list to see if I could pinpoint exactly what that taste was, but couldn't identify the culprit. Needless to say, I wouldn't order the Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich again.

Like the Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken, the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy can be ordered by itself or as part of a combo meal. As usual, the combo comes with fries and a drink but can only be enjoyed as a part of a medium or large meal. Unlike Burger King, the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy sandwich cannot be ordered as part of a small combo option, neither on the app nor in person. Trust me, I tried.

As far as drinks go, expect Coke products minus Mello Yello — at least where I live. There are also plenty of shakes and frozen soda drinks, along with juice boxes and a couple of smoothie options at certain locations. Oh, and if you're expecting anything other than fries to pair with your McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy, you're out of luck; my local McDonald's only offers apple slices as a side dish alternative.

The McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy costs $4.99 when ordered a la carte. If you want to enjoy your McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy with fries and a drink, a medium combo costs $8.59, and a large combo costs $9.19. When comparing McDonald's prices to Burger King, it is clear that McDonald's is the better deal. In fact, the large combo meal at McDonald's is $2 cheaper than Burger King's at my location at the time of publication. 

In case you're wondering, the size of the sandwiches were roughly the same, despite the fact that Burger King's a la carte Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich cost a dollar more than McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy. The only difference between the combo meals seemed to be that the fountain drink from Burger King is a bit bigger than the one from Micky D's; otherwise, everything else was similar in terms of quantity for the price.

McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy isn't what you would call a healthy chicken sandwich. It contains 530 calories, 26 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,050 milligrams of sodium, 48 grams of carbs, and 27 grams of protein. Although the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy is a calorie-dense grab, it does fare better nutritionally than Burger King's Royal Crispy Chicken Sandwich. It is lower in fat, calories, carbs, cholesterol, and sodium. Does this mean the Deluxe McCrispy is good for you? Of course not. The sandwich still features a deep-fried chicken breast, after all. However, if you want to select the better option between the two, the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy sandwich wins out.

Remember that downing fries and a drink too will tack on extra sodium, fat, and calories to the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy nutrition facts already mentioned. A medium fry alone adds 320 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 260 milligrams of sodium. Because of these nutrition facts, I can't see myself ordering the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy combo meal too often.

The McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy sandwich was delicious. The breaded chicken patty itself was hearty and appeared fresh. There were no odd or overpowering flavors; just a very tasty traditional fried chicken breast. The texture of the chicken was nice and firm without being tough or chewy. One thing I really appreciated about McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy sandwich was the ability to taste all the toppings. Because the chicken patty wasn't overseasoned, it allowed the flavor of the mayo, tomatoes, and lettuce to peek through. All of the ingredients worked together flawlessly to deliver a scrumptious chicken sandwich.

Another aspect I loved about the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy sandwich was the bun. It was more attractive than Burger King's potato bun and had a higher-quality mouthfeel. I ate all of my McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy sandwich and did so with a smile. This chicken sandwich was one I'd definitely order again.

Between the Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich and McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy Chicken sandwich, the winner is clear: The Deluxe McCrispy Chicken sandwich is the best. The chicken patty was fresh and delicious, and the toppings complemented the sandwich well. The bun looked and tasted high-quality, and there were no odd flavors overpowering the dish.

Burger King's Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich, on the other hand, wasn't so great. It had an odd, peppery taste to it, which overwhelmed the sandwich to the point that it was all I could taste. The bun, though not terrible, did not seem as high-quality as the one on the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy Chicken sandwich. Lastly, Burger King's Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich cost more than the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy Chicken sandwich, which was a major con to its disadvantage, especially considering I enjoyed the Deluxe McCrispy more.

All in all, McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy sandwich earns its keep as the best chicken sandwich when compared to Burger King's Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich.

When deciding which is best between Burger King and McDonald's chicken sandwiches, I first considered sandwiches on each menu that were similar based on pricing, ingredients, and overall size. I chose to compare the Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich and the McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy Chicken sandwich because they were similar offerings with comparable toppings.

I analyzed the cost of the Burger King Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich and McDonald's Deluxe McCrispy Chicken sandwich, both a la carte and as part of a combo. I also took note of portion sizes, texture, taste, and overall presentation. Though mentioned in the post, nutrition did not play a role in whether I considered one chicken sandwich as being better than the other.

As always, pricing and availability may vary across locations. Nutrition information, pricing, and other details mentioned in the post are subject to change. This post was not sponsored, and the thoughts expressed are my own.