Canada's fast-food chicken sandwiches ranked from worst to best

Jul 4 2022, 8:30 pm

Chicken sandwiches might be the best form chicken can take.

From the spice blend to the breading, it’s our favourite way to prepare the otherwise fairly boring bird.

Most fast-food chains have capitalized on the chicken craze, with plenty offering some form of a breaded chicken sandwich on their menu. When a chicken sandwich is good, it’s divine. But when it’s bad, it makes you question an entire food menu.

We know which chicken sandwiches to avoid, and others you should go out and get immediately.

Here are Canada’s top 10 fast-food chicken sandwiches ranked from worst to best.

10. Dairy Queen

Crispy Chicken Sandwich

 

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Maybe stick with the “chill treats” when at DQ. The chicken sandwich offering isn’t great. Really, if you’re getting chicken at Dairy Queen, go with one of the chicken finger baskets instead of the sandwich.

9. Harvey’s

Crispy Chicken Sandwich

 

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Harvey’s makes a fine burger, especially since you can “have it your way.” But any time you order a chicken sandwich at this establishment, you’re rolling the dice. It seems to be either “volcano-lava-hot from the fryer” or “12-hour-ruminating-under-a-heat-lamp” temperature.

Most people aren’t going to these restaurants specifically for the chicken. They’re ordering it if they’re dragged there by somebody else or they just have a sense of curiosity.

8. Arby’s

Crispy Chicken Sandwich

 

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Wait…Arby’s has a chicken sandwich?

It does, but few are flocking to Arby’s to pick one of them up. It’s your standard chicken sandwich; nothing special, nothing particularly horrible about it.

7. Burger King

Original Chicken Sandwich

 

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They might take some flack for their flattened-football-shaped chicken patty, but Burger King makes a respectable chicken sandwich. This is quite a polarizing option as many swear by this sandwich, while others won’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.

Tread lightly as you’ll know by the first few bites whether you like BK’s interpretation of a chicken sandwich.

6. McDonald’s

Junior Chicken

 

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The Junior Chicken is the superior choice when it comes to McDonald’s chicken sandwiches, which might explain why the United States version of the McChicken is the Canadian Junior Chicken sandwich.

Here’s a McDonald’s chicken hack; order two Junior Chicken sandwiches (which costs less than ordering a McChicken sandwich), double up the patties on one bun and call it a day.

If you love mayo, you’ll love this.

5. KFC

The Big Crunch

 

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KFC had a stranglehold on the chicken market in Canada for a very long time. Maybe it was complacency in the market, but there isn’t anything unique about the flagship chicken sandwich, the Big Crunch.

The sandwich does live up to its name, but it’s almost too crunchy, which makes the sandwich extremely dry. If there’s enough mayo on this one, it’s pretty good.

4. Popeyes

Classic Chicken Sandwich

 

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After running out of sandwiches for several months last fall, Popeye’s announced its beloved chicken sandwich would return. Now, this sandwich is available in Canada.

If it’s a spicy chicken you’re after, Popeyes has the spiciest option on this list, even though it’s just a spicy sauce and not baked right into the chicken patty. The chicken patty on this one is massive, which is another reason why the sandwich seems so iconic.

3. A&W

Chubby Chicken Burger

 

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A&W has a reputation for its Burger Family, but don’t sleep on the chicken sandwich either. The Chubby Chicken sandwich is where it’s at; the iceberg lettuce is crisp, the bun is lightly toasted and the chicken flavour is on point.

If there’s a slight nitpick against A&W (and with most restaurants on this list), the bun-to-chicken ratio is a little out of whack. If you prefer to scrap the bun entirely, you can request a protein-style chicken sandwich and they’ll nix the bun and wrap it in lettuce.

2. Wendy’s

Classic Chicken Sandwich

Credit to Wendy’s for being one of the true OG chicken sandwich places after all these years. The spicy chicken sandwich has been a staple on its menu for decades, and for good reason: it’s delicious.

Wendy’s is one of the few places that has its spices baked right into the crust of the chicken and doesn’t impart the heat through just a spicy sauce. That extra step gives Wendy’s spicy chicken a different flavour than any other patty on this list.

The “spicy” name is a bit of a misnomer as it’s tame on the heat level, but it’s the bridesmaid when it comes to Canada’s best fast-food chicken sandwich.

1. Mary Brown’s

Big Mary Original

 

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Mary Brown’s is the holy grail of fast-food chicken in this country.

Putting aside the fact that it has one of the best fast-food sides in Canada with its taters, Mary Brown’s chicken sandwich is second-to-none.

The blend of spices is beautiful, the breading is nice and crunchy, and the oblong patty lets you know this sandwich is made with real, genuine chicken.

Hands down, Mary Brown’s is the best of the best for fast-food chicken sandwiches in Canada.

With files from Ian Hunter

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