Chick-Fil-A Vs Popeyes: Who Really Won The Chicken Sandwich Wars?
According to a Facebook poll by fan page Chick-fil-A News, the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich is superior to the Popeyes variety. The overwhelming majority of comments on the September Facebook post leaned in Chick-fil-A's direction. But depending on who you ask, it's a bit of a toss-up as to which brand should come away with the title — other fans and food writers believe Popeyes deserves the top flavor spot.
Back in 2019, chicken sandwiches had a moment. Fast-casual and fast-food restaurants found themselves in the middle of an all-out war — a chicken sandwich war, that is. Everywhere you turned, a new chain restaurant was debuting its version of a fried or grilled chicken sandwich. But the two places that held the biggest duel were two fried chicken giants: Chick-fil-A and Popeyes.
Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich had been around for quite a while by 2019. But that year, Popeyes debuted a version of fried chicken between a bun, and fans immediately started to take sides. Based on what fans had to say, it looks like Chick-fil-A's sandwich reigns supreme — but not everyone agrees.
The public thinks Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich is the best
In September, Facebook fan page Chick-fil-A decided to ask fans who the true chicken sandwich champion was. The overarching theme of the comments suggests it was Chick-fil-A, but some users couldn't help but think Popeyes was the best.
"Chick-fil-A of course there is definitely no competition CFA all the way," one of the comments read. While some people agreed there was no competition, others had a hard time choosing. One user said it was a tie, while another praised to the Popeyes sandwich but added that "nothing beats the Chick-fil-A sandwich."
Still, it's worth noting that the Facebook page that took the poll is a Chick-fil-A fan page, meaning it most likely has followers who love Chick-fil-A. That could be the reason so many people in the comments were rooting for Chick-fil-A. Popeyes fans might not follow that particular page.
Not everyone agrees Chick-fil-A is the clear winner
If you ask critics, the Popeyes chicken sandwich is the one that deserves first place, based on flavor, breading, and toppings. Chick-fil-A edged out Popeyes in terms of size, but Popeyes came out as the overall winner. Other media outlets did similar tests and also found that Popeyes had the edge over Chick-fil-A. The Popeyes spice blend seems to win with the taste buds.
Based on Reddit threads, there are a number of people who think Popeyes has overall better flavor than Chick-fil-A. But when considering other factors, such as service, Chick-fil-A is the clear winner.
However, if we're basing the chicken sandwich conversation strictly on flavor, it's a bit of a mixed bag as to which fast-casual chain is superior. A Reddit thread that strictly critiqued the two sandwiches found the overwhelming majority of users to favor Popeyes. It was hard to assess a clear winner, but one user dared to say that "anyone saying Chick-fil-A hasn't had Popeyes' Spicy Chicken Sandwich." This is one war that might never be over.