Throwdown: Chick-fil-A vs. McDonald's Southern Style Chicken
As the blog Midtown Lunch pointed out, one difference between Chick and Mick is bag vs. box.
McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich hit New York City recently, and since it's designed to compete with the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, right down to the two—and only two—sliced pickles, we thought we'd grab both and do a head-to-head comparison. The results, after the jump.
In the left-hand column, the original Southern chicken-filet sandwich, Chick-fil-A! (Procured by intern Emily from NYU's Joe Weinstein Center at a cost of $2.75)
In the right-hand column, the challenger, McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich! (Procured by yours truly from the McDonald's on Eighth Avenue and 26th Street at a cost of $3.19.)
What? No pickles on the Chick-fil-A (left)? Don't be silly. They're below the breast. Note the difference in butter coverage. The Chick-fil-A sandwich has an even coating of the stuff, along with some nice toastage.
You also start to see the difference in breast size. (Heh. It felt dirty typing that.) In all photos, I tried to maintain an even distance between camera and sandwich and a consistent composition. The difference you see above is not a result of lens or perspective trickery. Below are the naked breasts side by side in the same frame for comparison.
Pickle versus pickle. Another difference: Chick-fil-A does a crinkle-cut pickle, while McDonald's does a straight cut on its. Yeah. Earth-shaking, no?
And here's where you really get a feeling for the difference. Look how much the Chick-fil-A overhangs its bun, creating the illusion of a sandwich just busting at the seams.
Perhaps the overhang on the Chick-fil-A is due to the thinner nature of its profile. Looks like it may be pounded out a bit more than McD's.
How'd It Taste?
But, yeah: Most important is how it tastes, right? Honestly, this sandwich from McDonald's was a pretty accurate recreation of the Chick-fil-A sandwich, based, of course, on the specimens we got our hands on. I know some Chick-fil-A partisans will rip me a new one for saying that, especially based on the fact that we got our Chick-fil-A from a college dining hall food court in New Yawk City, but there was very little difference in flavor.
I thought the McDonald's version was a smidgen more salty and peppery, while the Chick-fil-A tasted more fried-chickeny yet more subtle at the same time. And, of course, it was more buttery because, well, it had more butter applied to its bun. The butter difference was very subtle, though, and I don't think I would have noticed it if not pitting these two sandwiches head to head.
Even the most serious of eaters in our midst, Ed Levine, had a hard time choosing one in a blind taste test. He ended up choosing on looks—picking the Chick-fil-A for its more ample breast; toasted, buttered bun; and darker brown coloring.
Verdict: If you don't have a Chick-fil-A near you (or are, like me, cruelly barred from one due to your non-student status), you're not going to do too bad by grabbing the Faux-fil-A from Mickey D's.
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46 Comments:
McDonald's has the advantage on Sundays because Chick-Fil-A is closed.
eatorama at 9:09AM on 05/01/08
I didn't know about this new McDonald's sandwich. If the sandwiches are comparable to one another in taste, then for me it would come down to price, so Chick-Fil-A is the winner. I don't know how many stand-alone Chick-Fil-A franchises are out there now, complete with drive-thru, but they've built two around here and it's a good thing. Chick-Fil-A was seldom on my radar before because they're mainly relegated to the mall food courts, places I seldom go.
By the way, they serve chicken for breakfast. The chicken/egg/cheese on whole grain bagel is pretty tasty. Chicken in the a.m....why not?
MelsDiner at 9:21AM on 05/01/08
Don't forget that CFA also offers the wheat bun option - yum. Plus, the customer service is exponentially better than McD's in my experiences.
raiderdav at 9:32AM on 05/01/08
I dont eat fast food anymore, but I do like chick fil a . It seems to me pounding the chicken flatter would have the advantage of making the cooking go faster and more evenly. Also the chic has some tasty coleslaw;)
huney_bumper at 9:32AM on 05/01/08
If you really need the chicken sandwich fix on a Sunday the McDonald's one will fill in adequately. However, any other day of the week I will stick with the Chick-Fil-A. Strangely, I found that the outside of my McDonald's bun was buttered which left me with some really greasy fingers.
feep at 9:33AM on 05/01/08
Chick-Fil-A is thankfully popular here in West TN. I've never had anything there that wasn't tasty. We love their Ice Dream. My husband says it reminds him of the snow cream his grandmother used to make him as a kid.
At every location I've been too the customer service and personalities of the staff have been fantastic. My favorite fast-food place hands down!
Erinay77 at 9:49AM on 05/01/08
i only crave chick fil a on sundays. blasphemy!
french tart at 9:52AM on 05/01/08
In the morning McDonalds is serving the southern-style chicken on a biscuit. It's pretty tasty.
Grill_Baron at 10:02AM on 05/01/08
I just (like three minutes ago) finished my first McDonalds southern-style chicken biscuit breakfast sandwich. It was ok, but I would like to throw Wendy's breakfast chicken biscuit sandwich into the mix, which is much, MUCH better than McDonalds'. Chick-Fil-A reigns supreme, however.
aluapaluap at 10:20AM on 05/01/08
@Erinay -- I love that ice dream too! It reminds me of the homemade ice cream my dad used to make with the junket tablets.
That being said---I was shocked at how close the McD's sandwich tastes like cfa! But...I like the waffle fries, and the southwestern salad with spicy dressing....cfa still wins!
jcrisco at 10:32AM on 05/01/08
@jcrisco: Agreed, the waffle fries definitely give CFA an advantage!
Alaina Browne at 10:39AM on 05/01/08
Looks like this hits nationwide May 6th.
If you don't wanna pay for one, go get a free one during the day on May 15th.
http://cep.mcdonalds.com/foodnews/sandwich/
Prairie at 10:41AM on 05/01/08
I ate a lot of chik-fil-a out of our college food court, and even though it was pre-bagged and racked (grab it and go), it was always tasty. And I LOVE their waffle fries!
OneWallKitchen at 11:09AM on 05/01/08
Wow, the Chick fil As in New Yawk must really suck. I tried the McDonalds version when they were first introduced and in the first bite judged it to be a pale imitation of the original. The only reason to eat one would be if you were really, really craving CFA on a Sunday and could not wait until Monday.
I actually had that happen and got the McD version and found myself at CFA on Wedensday because the McD one just did not cut it.
And the morning biscuits are so much poorer in quality in McD's it isn't even funny. I believe that has more to do with the biscuit than the chicken tho. CFA's biscuits are the best fast food biscuit bar none.
Y'all need to come to Atlanta and try your taste test again.
vox8ight at 11:28AM on 05/01/08
I'll stick with Chick Fil A, been eating them for three decades and they've never disappointed me, every single sandwich is dead solid perfect.
redfish at 12:21PM on 05/01/08
vox8light: Yeah. I'd like to try them closer to their home base. Agreed about the breakfast sandwich. The McD's version I had was tough and stringy.
Adam Kuban at 12:25PM on 05/01/08
If you have to be open 7 days a week to make a living, you have no business being in business.
relapse at 12:41PM on 05/01/08
I became a die hard Chick-fil-a addict in college as well. As a true Chick-fil-a lover...I'm very glad to see it beat McDonalds.
natalie2040 at 1:35PM on 05/01/08
I am horribly ashamed to admit that I LOVED the chicken-biscuit breakfast item I had on Sunday from McDonald's.
Really. It was good.
But yeah, in a choice between the two I'll take Chik-fil-a. They have way better options for sides (waffle fries!!!).
onalark at 2:01PM on 05/01/08
i thought the mcdonalds version tasted like mcNOTHING...
hungrygrl7 at 4:35PM on 05/01/08
Haha... damn it... great minds think alike I suppose.
I wrote and published my own review of the Chick-Fil-A on my site this morning, even awarding it my first ever "Editor's Choice" award.... then I go to sleep for a while feeling good about myself, only to wake up and find Adam has outdone me - putting together an entire panel of eaters, plus a head-to-head comparison with the McCopy.
Damn You Adam Kuban!
LOL :)
FastFoodCritic at 6:24PM on 05/01/08
The bun from McDonald's doesn't look very appetizing.
It's pure-white inside, and looks like they just took it out of the plastic bag, with no toasting or prep, except that attempt to splash some butter on it.
FastFoodCritic at 6:40PM on 05/01/08
I went by an Arby's today and they too have a 'Southern Style Chicken Sandwich' ! Unfortunately... I wasn't able to try one...after I placed my order, I reached into my bag and realized I left my wallet at home..DOH!
Has anybody tried the Arby's version?
hammondcheese at 7:40PM on 05/01/08
I shall try the McDonals sandwich but only out of curiousity.
Blue387 at 8:07PM on 05/01/08
When they first introduced McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich it was very good and comparable to CFA and thought they were going to give CFA a run for their money. Now it is a smaller piece of chicken and sometimes way to brown and dry. I must say that the last several CFA have been small too at one time they would go outside the bun but very rarely do I get one like the one pictured above.
KARWIE at 6:27AM on 05/02/08
You know the taste secret to the Chick fil A chicken, right? They marinate it in pickle juice. This is not an urban legend -- one of my students is the manager of the local CFA.
And their chicken salad is ground up CFA fried chicken breasts.
I can only eat the grilled ones, but they're still the best around.
GingerCM at 8:51PM on 05/02/08
>>>
Well, that's better than "crack" -- which is the secret ingredient according to dozens of blogs I've read. LOL
People seem to get addicted to Chick-Fil-A.
FastFoodCritic at 11:48AM on 05/03/08
We have a CHik-fil-A and a McDonald's right near us and I saw the Southern Style chicken sandwich and got it one day. I noticed it was trying to be like Chik-fil-A. I found it to be bland, hardly any seasoning, th epickle was overpowering, and no butter flavor. The chicken was a bit dry and greasy.
The next day I had to get a Chik-fil-A sandwich and it was so much better. The seasonings are more even. The thinner chicken makes for quicker cooking thus keeping it moist and the crust was quite nice. Subtle pickle flavor and much better butter flavoring and not at all greasy.
Not that I feed my children fast food, but my 16th mth old did not like the McDonald's, but loved the Chik-fil-A. Their chicken is much more tender and easier for him to chew.
I like their atmosphere much better. They always have people cleaning up and their play areas are much much cleaner then any McDonald's we've been in. I really like that they offer fruit cups with real fruit and not those strange mandarin orange segments that McD has.
And lastly, I prefer their "toys" over McD toys. McD toys usually end up broken and adding to the dump, Chik-fil-A toys are usually educational such as books which we still have and read! They had a Beatrix Potter series a little while back and we did get the entire series. My little one still loves them, they are small enough to fit in the purse and are great on outings.
Vlntchr at 1:36AM on 05/05/08
I MUST try!
madebymelis at 11:57PM on 05/05/08
I can't say I eat fast food anymore, but if I had to choose, I'd definitely go with Chick-fil-A.
The McDonald's version has up to 1.5 grams trans fat, bleh, compared to CFA's zero. And those buttery buns, well, neither use actual butter. CFA's is butter flavored vegetable oil, and McD's is liquid margarine. Only thing McD's version has over CFA's is that CFA's is made with MSG.
But I guess the debate is flavor, so in that case, none of that exactly matters does it? lol
Control at 2:43AM on 05/06/08
"You know the taste secret to the Chick fil A chicken, right? They marinate it in pickle juice. This is not an urban legend -- one of my students is the manager of the local CFA. " Posted by GingerCM
ONLY THE STRIPS AND CHARGRILLED FILETS ARE MARINATED IN PICKLE JUICE - THE BREADED FILETS AND NUGGETS ARE NOT.
chickfilafan at 11:54AM on 05/06/08
I had one of those McDonalds chicken sandwiches when they had that buy a 32-oz. sweet tea for $1 and get a free Southern chicken sandwich (yes, it was the "be Southern for a day" special). Initial reaction: I can't eat this. It wasn't that it was a bad recreation, it just had an overwhelming flavor of buttermilk instead of chicken. And I generally like to taste chicken in my chicken sandwiches.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 10:58AM on 05/07/08
Hey everyone -- FREE CHICKEN SANDWICHES at McDonald's.
The event will take place on May 15th at 14,000 U.S. locations. From 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. customers will receive a Free Chicken Biscuit, and from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. a Free Chicken Sandwich.
Woohoo! I will see you in line. :)
FastFoodCritic at 6:13PM on 05/07/08
P.S. Just to add, the freebies are indeed the same new "Southern Style" sandwich that Adam and company were eating during this article.
FastFoodCritic at 6:17PM on 05/07/08
I moved to an area without any Chick-fil-a and I count the days between trips back home where I can feast on their delicious food. Needless to say I was shocked and curious when I saw the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich (S.S.C.S) appear on the menu at my local McDonalds, it being such an obvious knock off. I decided I had to try one and was pleasantly surprised that the taste was a some what accurate reproduction. However upon closer examination I noticed several differences that make all the difference in the world.
1. The breading.....when I took off the bun of the McDonalds version the breading was unnaturally ridged and gave the appearance that it was added for effect. The Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich has a golden brown coating, thin in some spots thick and crunchy in others, delicious all over.
2. The pickles....the whole reason I took the bun off was to remove the pickles, I just don't like pickles, but I didn't like the appearance of the McDonalds pickles even more. They were perfectly round (no crinkle cut
) with little or no seeds which again gave it an unnatural appearance. While I don't like the pickles I always did like the slight pickle juice that soaked into the bun of the Chick-fil-a sandwich. By placing the pickles on top the same thing does not happen with the S.S.C.S. so to me the pickles become useless as well as an eyesore. A Chick-fil-a employee once told me I could get it without the pickles, but that just wouldn't be the same.
Overall the pickes and breading on the McDonalds sandwich contributed to the feeling that this was another mass produced fast food item and didn't add a thing.
3. The butter.....while removing the pickles from my S.S.C.S. I noticed a yellow substance covering a small portion of the bun and mostly coating the pickles which I tasted and recognized to be butter. This was the first time I realized there was supposed to be butter on this type of sandwich. The point of this is that the Chick-fil-a sandwich is so expertly crafted that I never even noticed the butter after eating it for the last 30 years. And don't forget I ALWAYS take off the pickles so I have been looking closely at the inside of the bun for many, many years.
4. The packaging....the Chick-fil-a sandwich comes in the foil lined sleeve that seems to keep the tender moistness locked in with every bite. I often pick up a Chick-fil-a sandwich right before heading out on the turnpike to head home and I will eat it protruding out of the wrapping as I drive. I got the S.S.C.S. on a trip and ate it on the road and by the time I finished it was no longer all that moist or warm.
Finally, the verdict. While McDonalds sandwich will hold me over, I will never buy it when a Chick-fil-a is within a half hour driving distance. (My boyfriend made me type this, he is freakishly obessed with Chick-fil-a and from reading the comments above I can see that he is not alone. Isn't that the true testament to the greatness of Chick-fil-a?)
mel721317 at 1:10AM on 05/10/08
vox8light: I wanted to ditto what you say. We live in Atlanta too, there is just no comparison between Mc Copy and Chick Fil A. Ill take Chick Fil A. Their biscuits rock too. When ever I have to go down to Macon, I stop at Chick fil a for breakfast. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
amharkness at 5:22PM on 05/12/08
I would just like to comment to the person who said that the secret to the CFA sandwhich is that they marinate the chicken in pickle juice. I have worked at a CFA for 6 years now i have been a manager for 3. We do not marinate are CFA Sandwhichs in pickles juice. Our Grills and our old strips are marinated in pickle juice but the regular CFA is not. The secret to our Sandwhich and what makes it 100 times better then Mcdonalds is that its FRESH! not frozen, we bread ALL of our chicken (except the Chargrills of course). When i think of Country fried Chicken Sandwhich, i think of fresh chicken, not a frozen patty that gets reheated. We also have a timed holding system, if the chicken has been sitting for to long we can't serve it. I dunno that all Chick-Fil-A's follow this holding system but i know that they are supposed to and the CFA that i work at in Kentucky does follow the rules.Also, our bun is evenly buttered, the mcdonalds sandwhich above looks as if they used a squirt bottle to spray the butter on. Something i did notice about the CFA sandwhich above is the pickles, they are supposed to be evenly placed on the bun, not over-lapping. Something else that makes the CFA sandwhich is the foil steam bag that we put are sadwhich in, it keeps the sandwhich hot and very moist. I do find it alittle bit weird that the Mcdonalds sandwhich costs more then our CFA sandwhich though considering that its a frozen patty and also its MCDONALDS arn't they supposed to be really cheap? Well with the quality of there food the whole menu should be 99 cents. I have worked at CFA for 6 years now and yes i am tired of eating there 5 days a week, (i eat chargrills everyday almost) i would still, hands down, chose CFA over mcdonalds.
We do have a new limited time coffee carmel milk shake that is out of this world and you should try it. Also we have new chicken strips (no longer marinated in pickle juice) that are amazing as well. Oh and our new Chicken Salad recipe! yummy!
Side note- KFC is the only other place that i know that breads their chicken but i know that not all of their chicken is breaded, i know that the popcorn chicken is frozen, not sure about the rest.
Aharper0029 at 12:22AM on 05/14/08
Oh yeah and the CFA that i work at uses homemade biscuts, i know that some CFA's use frozen biscuts but not all of them.
Aharper0029 at 12:25AM on 05/14/08
Just thought of something else.... I bet CFA's Sandwichs are less fats then mcdonalds, im not sure on that one, i forgot how many calories and fat is in a CFA but know that its really not to bad considering its fried and its fast food.
I just noticed all my spelling errors on those comments, i spelled sandwich wrong like 100 times. sorry
Aharper0029 at 12:37AM on 05/14/08
I've eaten the sandwich for Breakfast & lunch at McDonald's. It is tasty, if you like the flavor of pickle juice. It was very consistent in browning & texture, but I will tell you I don't like condiments & the one thing I didn't like was the taste of PICKLES!!!
Today, my dad took my daughter to McDonald's, not one close to me & raved about this sandwich. They ordered them to be made to order. When my daughter got it, she said it tasted like it had something on it. My dad looked it over & wasn't happy that she was complaining, it had nothing on it. She told me when she got home it tasted like pickles. I thought maybe they prepped it with pickles & pulled them off when they made one ordered without condiments. Like I said, the breakfast one tasted like the juice as well. I decided to blog & this site came up when I mentioned pickle juice. Does anyone work at McD's that can confirm this. It actually really caused an argument.
weisemb at 6:53PM on 06/30/08
I love Chicken, I love Both
RAGthaman at 12:17PM on 07/24/08
Don't forget about differences is service and cleanliness.
Chick fil a has much better service in general. There are a few bad stores for chick fil a compared to a few good stores by McDonalds. You also don't feel like you're going to get a disease in the bathrooms. The sweet tea at Chick-Fil-A is always fresh and the same everywhere.
Overall, unless its Sunday, go to Chick-fil-a. Even if its 30 miles farther than McDonalds.
sedimenjerry at 10:56PM on 08/05/08
No comparison between the taste.
Chick-Fil-A uses a better breast of chicken, which is bigger, more flavor, and some added crispyness.
Good effort by McDonald's, though. They should add american cheese and bacon and then you'll have a sandwich.
Consiglieri at 3:12PM on 08/08/08
Whoever said that CFA marinates their CFA sandwiches in pickle juice then you're wrong. I work at a chick-fil-a here in Cincinnati Ohio and I've worked in the back a lot of times and they have never marinated them in pickle juice. I think Mcd's does that b/c the last sandwich I had without the pickles tasted just like pickles only and the last few sandwiches I've had from there were all bland.
redsfan22002 at 1:11PM on 09/13/08
It is healthier. I remember my store quite a few months back having a health sheet up and it was ranked first with the healthiest sandwiches and salads. My other job KFC was ranked second.
redsfan22002 at 1:15PM on 09/13/08
As a person who's been eating both McDonalds and Chick-Fil-A my entire life, the winner hands-down is Chick-Fil-A. There is no other fast food chain I can think of that has great customer service, fresh food, and amazing taste. Chick-Fil-A takes a fresh boneless breast of chicken (on site), seasons it to perfection, breads it, and finally pressure cooks it in 100%peanut oil. On the other hand, McDonalds has pre-breaded frozen chunks of meat arrive on a truck in bulk and throws it into a common deep fryer (which many other things are cooked in).
I was pretty shocked when I heard a commericial for the McDonalds version where a female remarks "I'd like to find the man who found this chicken and shake his hand". The man is Truett Cathy, my friend. The founder of Chick-Fil-A.
To me, the decision is simple.
pintessential at 8:45AM on 09/25/08