8 Of The Worst Chicken Sandwiches You Should Skip

We live in the age of the chicken sandwich. Over the last couple of years, this menu item has become a particularly hot commodity for virtually every fast and fast-casual chain, with restaurants responding to the wild success of Popeyes' 2019 chicken sandwich release with their own versions. Now, you can't move for them, and fast food chains that aren't typically known for their chicken sandwiches are getting in on the fun. Meanwhile, others like McDonald's and Burger King have turned to promoting their existing sandwiches heavily.

However, a good chicken sandwich is harder to create than it seems — and a lot of these fast food joints are getting theirs very, very wrong. It's easy enough to make a half-decent fried chicken sandwich, but it's a very fine line between one that's passable and one that's absolutely disgusting. Sadly, chains like Wendy's, Culver's, and even the two mentioned above currently sell sandwiches that just don't cut the mustard, and you'd better believe that customers aren't shy about telling the internet what they think. In this article, we looked far and wide at the chicken sandwiches that fast food chains are currently selling, and by trawling through hundreds of recent customer reviews and taste tests, we figured out which ones should be avoided. We hope you're not hungry, because some of these are pretty gross.

McDonald's really tried it with the McCrispy — and sadly, it really failed. This sandwich was first launched in 2021 as the Crispy Chicken Sandwich before being rebranded. It's a clear attempt to jump on the trend that Popeyes and Chick-fil-A spearheaded of simple yet satisfying combos of crunchy patties and sharp pickles. The problem, though, is that it fails at its primary mission. The McCrispy is just ... not that crispy at all. Multiple people have noted that there's no crunch to this thing, making it disappointing from the get-go.

That's all before you get into its flavor, of which there isn't very much either. There's a lack of any distinct taste in the McCrispy from minimal seasoning, which means it lacks punch. It can also suffer from dryness due to having very little mayonnaise in a standard order, and no real juiciness in the chicken patty. The Spicy McCrispy isn't much better, either, and while it does have a bit more pop due to its spicy mayo, it still pales in comparison to other chicken sandwiches out there.

Plus, when ordering the McCrispy, you're subject to the occasional slapdash approach that McDonald's can have when putting together and cooking the sandwich. Customers have complained that their McCrispy has been burned, and that they've ended up with a McChicken patty instead of a McCrispy one. All in all, it's one to avoid.

In 2025, Culver's knew that it was time to make a change — to its chicken sandwiches, specifically. As such, to keep up with the Joneses, it duly revamped its chicken sandwich options, unveiling new Crispy, Spicy Crispy, and Grilled Chicken Sandwiches. Sadly, in doing so, it seems to have ruined a menu item that people once loved, but now absolutely can't stand. Its Grilled Chicken Sandwich is now considered by customers to be one of the worst things you can order from the chain, all thanks to the new patty that it's using.

Don't believe us? Maybe you'll believe its customers — they sure have a lot to say about it. "The new grilled chicken is nearly inedible," said one particularly unhappy person on Reddit. "Slimy, thin, and rubbery. So fake that I stopped ordering altogether." Another customer in the same thread called the sandwich "terrible," pointing out that it now has a fake smoky flavor that's deeply off-putting. Others have been a little more generous about its taste, but have confirmed that the rubberiness of the chicken breast is the first thing you notice. Once that's front of mind, it's hard to enjoy any other aspect of the sandwich.

There was a time when Wendy's chicken sandwiches were pretty good. Sadly, that time is no longer with us. Over the last couple years, the quality of its Classic Chicken Sandwich has deteriorated, seemingly beyond repair, and now it's an option that just doesn't justify its high price tag. This sandwich is at best indistinct and boring, and at worst, actively disappointing. The way that the elements all come together is a particular issue, with the condiments and vegetables adding very little, the chicken itself being dry and tasteless, and the bun being nondescript. Ultimately, it's just lacking in flavor, and that's sort of the worst thing that can happen to a chicken sandwich.

Plus, Wendy's clearly has some quality control issues when it comes to its Classic Chicken Sandwich that it has to address. Customers have reported biting into their sandwiches and finding that the patty is completely raw, which is obviously the last thing you want when you're dealing with chicken. All that risk for no flavor at all? No thanks, Wendy's, we'll stick with Popeyes.

We love it when a fast food chain tries to inject a little fun into menu items. So, when Jack in the Box skipped the boring convention of just calling its chicken sandwich a "chicken sandwich," and instead went with the "Cluck," we were intrigued. We respected it. Oh, and we had high hopes for the sandwich itself (which wasn't that different from any other chicken sandwich out there, but hey, names are impactful things).

Unfortunately, though, the Cluck Sandwich turned out to be a dud. "It's trash. Straight terrible," said a customer on Reddit, who — it should be pointed out — got the sandwich for free (so they weren't even influenced by feeling ripped off). Others have criticized the Cluck for having little to no flavor, and have said that the strongest taste in it comes from the pickles. That's a pretty bad sign, to be honest. Its patties can also be frustratingly small, directly contradicting the marketing images for this sandwich, which boast chunky, gorgeously breaded pieces of chicken. Jack in the Box, you're gonna have to sit this one out.

Burger King's Original Chicken Sandwich may have a nostalgic sense of appeal for some. Now, though, it's a shadow of its former self. Of all Burger King's chicken sandwiches, it's the one that feels as though its standards have slipped the most, and while its oblong shape and old-school feel set it apart from the snugger, Southern-style sandwiches that dominate the food scene today, that's not enough to get past the poor experience of eating it.

The essential problem with BK's Original Chicken Sandwich is that it now feels like the restaurant is cutting corners. The patty is thin and of poor quality, while the bread dominates everything. Well, aside from the over-abundance of mayo, which can turn this sandwich into a soggy mess. It's always a bad sign when a chicken sandwich evokes super-strong negative emotions, and they don't come stronger than one Redditor's assessment: "It's a vile chicken-part patty that has bones crushed up within the meat..." they stated. "There's no semblance of any good chicken in the thing; it's an amalgamation of gizzards, cartilage, and leftovers. Absolutely disgusting sandwich." Wow. Don't hold back!

When a chain has not one, but two bad chicken sandwiches on its menu, then you know it's doing something wrong. McDonald's holds that ignoble distinction here, with both the McCrispy and the McChicken coming up short. When it comes to the McChicken, it might seem strange to expect too much from a sandwich that's traditionally pretty cheap. However, when you consider that it's shot up in price in recent years, and simultaneously seems to have both deteriorated in quality and shrunk in size, then it's no wonder that people routinely rate it as one of the worst options out there.

So, what's wrong with the McChicken, aside from the fact that it's 200% more expensive than it was 10 years ago? A lot. Its meat (which customers have noted has changed from its original recipe) gives it a nasty flavor that stands out due to a lack of distinct seasoning or interesting components. Instead, this sandwich is drowned in way too much lettuce. Customers have also shared pictures of undercooked McChickens, speaking to a general lack of care around this sandwich. Yes, it may be on the cheaper end of the spectrum, but is it really worth it?

The downfall of KFC, the once-beloved restaurant that now struggles to keep its doors open, is a sad thing to see. Once upon a time, its chicken — and its Chicken Sandwich — was the best around. Now, though, it's been let down by consistent downgrades to its quality and the overall sense that any sense of care and attention to detail has disappeared. As a result, it's an option that people now almost mourn the loss of. "I really enjoyed KFC's Chicken Sandwich, but unfortunately, things have changed," said a customer on Reddit. "The size and quality of the chicken have dropped from what it previously was; it just doesn't taste the same, and it's very noticeable."

The main offender in this sandwich is the chicken itself. The quality of the chicken can be poor, with stringy patties that have no juiciness or tenderness. Plus, while this chicken should be crispy, it frequently isn't, and people have pointed out that it's often not cooked or served fresh, leading to a soggy, somewhat annoying experience. When the chicken is good, the issues with the rest of the sandwich are highlighted, with hard bread and disappointing vegetables. Ultimately, it's just not worth spending your money on.

Chili's, which experienced a rise, fall, and resurgence over the years, isn't the most expensive restaurant out there, but it's a lot pricier than a typical fast food chain. As a result, when you're paying more for one of its chicken sandwiches, it's not unreasonable to expect it to be significantly better than the kind you'd pick up for a couple of bucks. That's not the case when it comes to its Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich, though. This sandwich, which has shot up in price in recent times, was dubbed by one customer in a Google Review as being "on par with McDonald's at four times the price." That's gotta sting for Chili's, huh?

Not only does the Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich not particularly impress, but in some cases, it's also been actively bad. Customers have reported that their sandwiches have been flat as a pancake, looking nothing like the chunky affair advertised, and either burnt or undercooked. When the sandwich does have a bit of heft to it, that can often be from way too much breading. All that for a sandwich that can cost $12.99, and even more in some places? We're good.