We've eaten and reviewed 8308 snacks from 1603 companies in 76 countries!
We've eaten and reviewed 8308 snacks from 1603 companies in 76 countries!
By Melissa Shaw
Senior Reviews Editor
10.01.2008
McDonald's, I eat Chick-fil-A. I know Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is my favorite fast-food restaurant. And you, McDonald's, are no Chick-fil-A.
Earlier this year, McDonald's introduced the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich, its blatant attempt at copying Chick-fil-A, from buttered bun and breaded chicken, right down to the pickles.
I resisted trying it for months as A) I had heard I'd be disappointed and B) I'm cheap. But our local, newly-reopened McD's was giving away free Southern Style Chicken Sandwiches, so I gave it a whirl.
McDonald's Southern Style Chicken is a direct ripoff of Chick-fil-A's famous sandwich, with the exception of taste. The McDonald's version lacks the overall deliciousness of Chick-fil-A. Maybe it's not pressure-cooked in peanut oil as Chick-fil-A's is. Had I never had a Chick-fil-A sandwich, I may have found the McD's version good. Regardless, once you've had the best in Chick-fil-A, don't try all the rest.
What disappointed me most about the Southern Style Chicken was the meat. The box trumpets "tender, juicy all-white meat!" My first bite was indeed all-white meat. My second contained some chewy gristle or tendon or something just gross — which is typical of McDonald's chicken nuggets. You buy 6 nuggets, you're guaranteed to get one gross gristley McNugget. As a teen, I loved McNuggets, but every damn time the experience would be ruined by eating cartilage or something similarly nasty. In the years I've been enjoying Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches, I've never landed a piece of gristle, sinew, or anything other than pure white meat chicken.
So, given the choice of driving 1 hour to the nearest Chick-fil-A, or 5 minutes to the closest McDonald's, I'm gassing up the truck and heading north for the original — and best — fast food chicken sandwich.