That’s a BBQ theory as well.
Honestly, that’s an extension of their corporate politics, too.
I’m in Alabama, so Chick-Fil-A is ubiquitous around here. I think the appeal is what many have said – it’s a consistently positive fast-food experience in an industry not traditionally known for that. Their training, attention to detail, and willingness to serve is top-notch (again, for the fast-food industry).
I WILL say the debate over the sandwiches is interesting to me. My go-to at Chick-Fil-A is the nuggets; for my money, they’re better than any other chain offering. I’ll get a sandwich if I’m in the mood, but nuggets are where it’s at.
I’ll have to agree with most that the CFA chicken sandwiches are just so so. I do like the grilled chicken bites though and I think the best thing on the menu is their salads. My go to for chicken sandwiches is a regional chain, Braums, great burgers too.
For a long time I thought CFA made by far the best fast food chicken sandwich. But now that honor goes to Popeyes.
Yes!! I came into the thread to say Bojangles!
I’ve been to Bojangles just once. The flavor was good but the chicken pieces they gave me were so small I thought it was a Cornish hen, or maybe a pigeon. Maybe they were just having a bad day or that’s a bad location, but it didn’t leave a very good impression.
Yeah, that’s it. It’s unremarkable enough that I didn’t bother looking up the exact name.
We are nearing a tipping point for fast food restaurants. Wages in general are not keeping up so customers are price conscious . And food costs and items not being available are cutting into restaurant sales. A $10 sandwich is not a whim and good luck if you are trying to feed 3 hungry kids.
I am all about the breading for chicken meals. The heck with the chicken. And pickles, a must have. So Popeyes is the gold standard to me but I won’t make the effort to go there. I hate Chic fil-a for the lines and cost and the annoying fanbase.
There’s a bunch around here (Chicago and environs) now. I’ve been to them twice. It’s very straightforward. I do like that they concentrate on one thing only, and their chicken fingers are solid. But, yeah, kind of unremarkable. Still, I like their business model and with a couple kids in tow, it’s a safe option. It does kind of blow my mind at how successful they are (and I’ve heard their backstory and how the business school professor or whatever thought it a questionable idea). But chicken fingers have broad appeal.
Oh, I don’t have any problem with the concept of a restaurant specializing in chicken fingers. It’s just that their prices are ridiculous. The best chicken finger possible, still isn’t good enough to justify how much they charge.
Second. I’m in NC, so it’s much more likely to be Bojangles than Popeye’s for me. I’d also say that, IME, Bojangles tends to be a little more consistent than Popeye’s. I still get the bad Bojangles spicy chicken every so often, though.
But…I don’t like dill pickles, so a classic CFA is right out for me. Yes, they will take the pickle off, but I get the stink-eye from all the other customers. Plus, I find I need to slather on the mayo to make it a decent sandwich. I suspect the whole purpose of the pickle is simply to keep some moisture in there.
My ex-wife lives in NC (that’s where she is from) and that’s where my oldest daughter lives, so I’ve been out there many times. The first time I ever had Chick-Fil-A was in NC. (Since then they are all over where I live, which is the greater Seattle area, but not that long ago we had none around here.) This is what I like about Chick-Fil-A.
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They used to have a breakfast bowl I was obsessed with. It had hash browns, pieces of fried chicken (they were like smaller than usual nuggets), scrambled eggs, and cheese. It came with a jalapeno salsa you could drizzle all over it. It was delicious and I used to order it repeatedly. Looking at their menu now, I don’t see it so they must have discontinued it. (ETA: Never mind, they do still have it, it’s called the “hash brown scramble bowl”, get it with nuggets. It’s my favorite thing on their entire menu.)
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They have some really good grilled chicken sandwiches. They come with no sauce, and you would think a chicken sandwich with no sauce (not even mayo) would be bland and dry. But no, something they do with the chicken (maybe it’s the brine as previously mentioned) means you don’t miss it. My favorite is the grilled chicken club, which is a multigrain bun, grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, slice of cheese (you can get colby jack, pepper jack, or American, I prefer colby jack) and bacon. If I am getting a sandwich there, it’s the only thing I get. Their fried chicken is bland and you can get a better crispy chicken sandwich from many places.
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They have a sauce called Chick-Fil-A sauce that is amazing. I buy it by the bottle from the grocery store and use it on chicken I cook at home. Of course, that doesn’t require going into the restaurant. I very rarely actually go to a Chick-Fil-A.
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I had a peppermint shake there one time that was extremely good but it seems to be either a one-time thing or seasonal, probably around Christmas.
So in my experience they have (or had) a few really good things and everything else was something of a disappointment. I don’t care for their waffle fries either.
Bojangles though, since I have been to NC many times I’ve eaten there a few times. They are really good. Fantastic fried chicken. I also really, really like their biscuits. Maybe I lucked out and haven’t eaten there on one of their “off” days.
I don’t remember it being pricey, but it’s been a couple years since I’ve been.
As for the brine on CFA, a lot of the homemade copycat recipes do include pickle juice, but as far as I’ve researched the topic (and I took a pretty deep dive a couple years ago), it does not seem they use pickles in their brine.
Never had Chick-Fil-A. They don’t exist in Canada, which is fine with me; they’re not welcome here.
I don’t get the love for Popeyes. I’ve never had anything from there that I particularly liked, including both the spicy and non-spicy chicken sandwiches. Maybe it’s just a crappy local operation, but I would think that a franchise would have to adhere to corporate standards.
The best chicken sandwich I know of is the one I make myself – marinated chicken breast grilled on an outdoor barbecue, sliced and served on a toasted bun with bacon, lettuce, and Hellman’s mayo. It’s the old story of simple but quality ingredients.
Burger King’s Whopper is also pretty hefty, and the local place makes a great one with smoky flame-broiled flavour. I’ll have to try the chicken sandwich next time.
I think the current BK chicken sandwich is different than the one I remember being huge. It was the previous one, the “Ch’king” that was comically large. It appeared to be most of, if not a whole chicken breast, breaded and deep fried. I haven’t had the replacement “Royal” chicken sandwich yet.
Thanks for the update. Regardless, the local BK makes a great burger, so one of their chicken sandwiches (I think they have several) deserves a try!
As I mentioned somewhere else, the previous place I used to live (over 10 years ago now) was near a BK that was absolutely terrible! The place was messy and a time or two the actual hamburger meat tasted off, like it was spoiled. Turned me off BK for years. But this place is great! 
Yeah I really liked the Ch’king but I’m willing to bet the new one is still good. Probably less chicken in it, but that may be a good thing. The Ch’king was good but definitely extremely chicken-heavy.
If you go back at breakfast time, try a chicken biscuit or the chicken minis. My husband likes the English muffin with egg white and chicken. I like the seasonal tortilla soup and the chicken noodle soup. Half diet lemonade and half unsweet tea is good.