Burger King Just Reentered The Chicken Sandwich Wars

An new-ish contender seems to be throwing it's hat into the fast-food chicken sandwich wars ring. Chew Boom reported that Burger King is test-marketing a crispy chicken sandwich in three styles: Original, Lettuce and Tomato, and Cheddar Bacon in select locations. From the images, one of these new chicken sandwiches appears to come with pickles and sauce, making it similar to the popular options offered at Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. Two YouTube food reviewers, Rodrick Eats and The Endorsement, each tried a new chicken sandwich from their local Burger King locations. No word yet from BK on when, or if, the chain will launch the sandwich nationally. The "Original" crispy chicken sandwich sells for $3.89, which is 10 cents less than Popeyes' version (via Guilty Eats).

YouTube reviewer The Endorsement, who tried the sandwich in late-August, said it was good enough to challenge "the leader of the pack," referring to Popeyes, and gave the BK Original Hand-Breaded Crispy Chicken Sandwich a 94 out of 100. The only real negatives mentioned were that the seasoning in the chicken breast could have been more flavorful and the sandwich could have had more of what Burger King is calling "savory sauce."

Burger King's new crispy chicken sandwiches are hand-breaded in each store, according to a YouTube review by Rodrick Eats. He tried the most expensive of the three versions of the chicken sandwich, the Cheddar Bacon, which sold for $5.49. Rodrick Eats was impressed with the sandwich, but found it a bit strange that the flavor of the chicken breast totally overwhelmed the bacon and cheddar, stating you might as well get the cheaper version of the sandwich if the extra items don't stand out. Rodrick Eats thought he detected horseradish in the savory sauce, which gives the sandwich a little bit of a kick — although not nearly as much as the Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich has, as The Endorsement tells it. Rodrick Eats says the third variety of Burger King's new chicken sandwich, the Lettuce and Tomato, is being sold for $4.39.

If Burger King brings its crispy chicken sandwich out of testing and onto their regular menu, then it will be the latest addition to a crowded field of fast food fried chicken sandwiches. KFC has a version of the sandwich in addition to those at Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, and Eat This, Not That! reported that in August of this year, Wendy's also added a spicy chicken patty sandwich to its value meal. This doesn't exactly mean Burger King is a late entry in the chicken sandwich wars though, as QSR says the chain had already introduced a crispy chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato back in 2017.