Which Sandwich is Better: Chick-fil-A or Popeyes?

At 6 p.m on Aug. 25, the lines outside of Popeyes are longer than ever. After hearing the chicken sandwich is sold out, the customers inside become triggered, and the atmosphere outside becomes stiffer. They waited for, on average, an hour to order the food, and an extra half-hour if they wanted the chicken sandwich. 

Three reasons—juiciness, bun and classic mayo—account for people’s fierce love of this chicken sandwich and why it is better than Chick-fil-A’s.

Popeye’s focuses significantly on the juiciness of its fried chicken. While cracking the crunchy batter of an all-white chicken fillet, marinated in a blend of Louisiana seasonings, you can find that the chicken juice inside is on the brink of leaking out; it is more flavorful than what you thought, activating your taste buds and driving you to eat more. Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich, on the other hand, lacks the same juiciness, and instead of providing more flavor,  heat from the juice burns your lips.

The buttery brioche bun of Popeyes’s sandwich is well-toasted and hard. Chick-fil-A, however, does not toast the bread as fully  as Popeye’s, so the chicken sandwich is flimsy and easily flattened; moreover, the sandwich steams due to being constrained within the foil bag, deforming t the chicken sandwich and rendering the bun and batter soggy. 

On the other hand, with the support of a suitably hard bun, Popeye’s is able to slather classic mayo on its chicken sandwich, providing the sandwich with a pleasant seasoning and balancing  the hardness of fried chicken. Chick-fil-A’s sandwich lacks the sauce, which is critical to complement the sandwich’s taste. 

Still, a line extended down the block as fanatical fans and curious first-time sandwich-samplers  waited to try the sandwich, and frequent purchasers anticipated their fifth sandwich in the week. Thanks to people’s exclusive love for Popeye’s sandwiches, the company  is adding its chicken sandwich to the regular menu.