Despite the chain’s overly explicit name, Burger King rules over much more than hamburgers. The menu is stacked with a surplus of breakfast options, from egg sandwiches and burritos to French toast sticks. Nuggets, fries, fish sandwiches, onion rings, and shakes are always on the table for lunch and dinner. And you can’t forget about the fast-food joint’s collective of chicken sandwiches.
Burger King has offered its pride and joy, the Original Chicken Sandwich, since 1979. But, in the last several years, the restaurant has been upping its chicken game, introducing new menu items left and right. It started around 2019 with the onset of the chicken sandwich wars between fast food chains, and, more recently, BK was also sucked into the chicken snack wrap wars.
Of course, many of these experimental poultry products have come and gone. However, five chicken sandwiches remain on the menu. I tried the entire flock to find out which sandwich stands at the top of the pecking order and which one lays an egg. The results may ruffle some feathers. Here they are, ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the absolute best.
Chicken Jr.
Nutrition: (Per Sandwich):
Calories: 440
Fat: 27 g (Saturated Fat: 5 g)
Sodium: 700 mg
Carbs: 39 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 13 g
Coming in as Burger King’s lowest-cost chicken sandwich–and the most adorable–is the Chicken Jr. Like the Whopper Jr. is to the Whopper, it’s a petite version of the international chain’s Original Chicken Sandwich. As such, it carries the same basic toppings—shredded lettuce and creamy mayonnaise—and is served in a similar, albeit smaller, sesame-spotted bun. Priced at just $1.89, it’s easy to tack onto the end of your order, just in case.
The look: Measuring about 3.5 inches across with very little height, it looks like a sandwich that could be devoured in a few swift bites. The patty is golden brown but thin, accompanied by an acceptable amount of lettuce shreds but just one elusive dollop of mayo.
The taste: The flat and uniform shape of the patty tipped me off that it was not a natural chicken breast but a piece of pressed-together white meat. My first bite confirmed that this was the case, and I was immediately transported back to the days of grade school lunches in the cafeteria. Lackluster is the best adjective I can think of to describe the experience. The chicken and its breading don’t add much in the way of either taste or texture. Plus, there’s not enough mayonnaise, leaving the sandwich high and dry. I’m sorry to say that this sandwich’s only redeeming quality may be its price point.
Original Chicken Sandwich
Nutrition: (Per Sandwich):
Calories: 680
Fat: 39 g (Saturated Fat: 7 g)
Sodium: 1,380 mg
Carbs: 63 g (Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 7 g)
Protein: 23 g
The King’s Original Chicken Sandwich—sometimes referred to as Long Chicken or Chicken Royale—is the sandwich that started it all. The fast-food sensation hit the market in 1979 as part of a new line of specialty sandwiches and immediately turned heads with its unique extended stature. Spin-offs of the sandwich have come and gone over the years, including the Mexican, American, and Italian sammies released early in 2023. But, the original is the only one that has remained steadfast on the menu. It has a modest ingredient list of just lettuce and mayo, which join the chicken on a long sesame seed bun. It cost $4.99.
The look: Certainly lengthy, and more like a sub than a sandwich, sitting high on its fluffy hoagie roll. The chicken patty reaches nearly all corners of the bread, and an adequate amount of mayo is slathered on.
The taste: Growing up, this was my mother and I’s go-to Burger King order. So, it deeply pains me to say that it’s not as good as I remember. It comes with a certain level of ’90s nostalgia. But, as the country singer Shania Twain would say, “That don’t impress me much”—especially when the flavor is sub-par at best. Once again, the chicken here is patty-esque and rather bland. Plus, it’s so flat that it becomes buried under heaps of hoagie roll. Most of my bites were composed of bread and a hint of mildly tart mayo. To me, it’s not worthy of all the hype, or its $4.99 pricetag.
Classic Royal Crispy Chicken
Nutrition: (Per Sandwich):
Calories: 600
Fat: 31 g (Saturated Fat: 5 g)
Sodium: 1,330 mg
Carbs: 54 g (Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 9 g)
Protein: 31 g
Fans were heartbroken when Burger King discontinued its Ch’King chicken sandwiches—arguably one of the chain’s tastiest historical releases. Despite initial rave reviews from customers and even food critics, the sandwiches didn’t generate the results the company hoped for. And the 21-step preparation process proved a nightmare for staff. So, the lineup was axed in 2022, a year after its debut. But, consumers didn’t have long to balk at this decision before a new family moved into the castle: the Royal Crispy Chicken sandwiches. This new generation was introduced in four varieties, including classic, spicy, bacon and Swiss, and southern BBQ, and all remain on the menu today, except the latter.
At $5.39, the classic consists of a crispy white meat chicken breast topped with lettuce and tomato on a potato bun. Instead of mayo, the chain hits you with a savory royal sauce, which is assumed to be a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise, a bit of mustard, onion, garlic, and other spices.
The look: A decent-looking sandwich. The chicken is plump and well-coated with breading. One slice of tomato, multiple slivers of lettuce, and the off-white sauce rest between the meat and glossy, smooth-top bun.
The taste: Not bad by any means, but fairly basic. Adjacent to the previous two sandwiches, the chicken is a considerable step above. It’s both juicy and tender, and my only complaint is the breading could have been a degree crispier to provide the sandwich with an added layer of crunch and texture. The lettuce and tomato are noticeably fresh, but I was not impressed with the oh-so-special sauce. At its core, it’s just a slightly tangier mayonnaise. And, if it had been regular instead, I don’t think it would have made a difference. All in all, it’s solid. But, it could be improved upon.
Spicy Royal Crispy Chicken
Nutrition: (Per Sandwich):
Calories: 760
Fat: 47 g (Saturated Fat: 8 g)
Sodium: 1,580 mg
Carbs: 58 g (Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 11 g)
Protein: 31 g
As one may be able to guess, the Spicy Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich is similar in makeup to its classic brother. It still comes with lettuce, tomato, and savory sauce on a potato bun. This chicken, however, promises to be fiery, coated in the chain’s triple pepper spicy glaze. This saucy layer brings the heat and brings the sandwich’s cost up to $5.79–40 cents more than the basic option.
The look: Darn close to the classic. I had to get up close to tell them apart. But eventually, the spicy patty gave it away, presenting a slightly darker shade and glistening under the weight of its saucy glaze.
The taste: The sauce initially tricked me with a subdued sweetness. Then, just as I thought, “It’s not that spicy,” it hit me. I may have even started sweating ever so slightly. The good news is that the bun, lettuce, tomato, and even mayo-based sauce work together to balance out the chicken’s relentless kick, making for an overall enjoyable experience. The bad news is that the three-pepper sauce doesn’t elevate the sandwich in terms of flavor. Adding heat is its one and only job. This is disappointing because if something is flagrantly hot, I hope it would at least make the pain worth it with a bold and rewarding taste.
Bacon and Swiss Royal Crispy Chicken
Nutrition: (Per Sandwich):
Calories: 740
Fat: 43 g (Saturated Fat: 11 g)
Sodium: 1,920 mg
Carbs: 56 g (Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 10 g)
Protein: 39 g
Last of the surviving Royal sandwiches is the bacon and Swiss—the only chicken sammie on Burger King’s books that includes cheese and the only one to feature a protein boost on top of the standard royal toppings. Of course, these added frills don’t come free. So, this one clocks in for $6.49—the most expensive chicken item on the menu. I hoped it was worth it.
The look: First, I have to call out the fact that my local Burger King served the bacon and Swiss to me with two bottom buns. I initially thought I had unwrapped it upside down, but that was not the case. After laughing it off and hoping this slip-up wouldn’t affect the overall quality, I could see that the rest of the sandwich was assembled quite nicely. A thick slab of breaded chicken? Check. Multiple slices of real bacon? Check. Visible cheese, tomato, and lettuce? Check, check, check.
The taste: There wasn’t a single bite I didn’t enjoy. Somehow, the chicken tastes crispier than the others, balancing out the delicate tomato and the sponginess you get from the bun. A bold and sharp slice of Swiss adds depth, building on what the sauce—which still tastes like standard mayonnaise—set out to accomplish. And don’t get me started on the bacon. I typically don’t expect too much from fast-food bacon—anything that’s not raw and seemingly edible is usually passable. But, these slices brought it. They exhibited a satisfactory amount of crunch and practically melted in my mouth on each bite, obviously steeped in grease but beyond delicious. Everything came together seamlessly. And, even with the bun blunder, the bacon and Swiss was still the best-tasting chicken sandwich by far.
