Fast Food Critic - Reviews, News and Nutrition Information about Fast Food.

When McDonald’s introduced the new “Southern Style” chicken sandwich, there were many eyebrows raised due to the obvious similarities with the classic sandwich from fast food competitor Chick-fil-A. Yours truly interviewed a CFA rep to get their take on the copy-cat situation, and you can read that exclusive interview here. Now, six weeks later, I’ve had a chance to eat the McDonald’s sandwich on many different occasions, and feel that I can accurately comment and compare it to the item from CFA.

Is McDonald’s sandwich as good as the Chick-fil-A? The short answer is No, but the differences are less than expected. I’ve touched on each main aspect below.

Seasoning and Taste - The McDonald’s chicken breast tastes very much like the CFA. There is no doubt they spent a lot of time and effort studying the competition. If you close your eyes and take a single bite of the McDonald’s sandwich, you might think you’ve just sampled a Chick-fil-A. It has a good flavor, and it’s a close match.

Size Matters - On average, I’ve found the slab of chicken in the McDonald’s sandwich to be consistently smaller and less meaty. The Chick-fil-A breast is bigger.

Moist and Juicy - MickeyD’s chicken has a tendency to be a little dry when compared to the moist and juicy bird on the Chick-fil-A. I’m assuming that’s because it’s a frozen pre-breaded filet, as opposed to fresh chicken hand-breaded by CFA daily. Aside from this dryness, I found the filets are quality cuts of chicken, tasty and satisfying.

Breading - The McDonald’s breading has a similar appearance, but it doesn’t have nearly as many bumps and ridges. The irregularities in the CFA coating produce a nice range of textures from a thin and tender skin-like quality, to slightly chewy in the thicker spots. McDonald’s breading is more even and uniformly applied, which leads to each bite tasting and feeling exactly like the last one. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I enjoy the variety in the CFA crust. It feels more natural to me.

Buns - The buns are also very similar, but Chick-fil-A does a better job of buttering them. Sometimes my McDonald’s sandwiches had barely a drop on the top bun. And they don’t seem to be toasting them at all. The bun is light and fluffy, but would really benefit from a little toasty goodness. I’m not sure why they skipped that step.

Pickles - There’s not much difference here. Chick-fil-A’s pickles have crinkled ridges compared to McDonald’s plain straight-cut pickles. They both taste fine, and neither will disappoint. Some people remove the pickles, making it even less an issue.

Chicken, Bread and Pickles. With only three main ingredients, there’s nothing to hide behind. No cheese, sauce or layers of vegetables. It’s a simple sandwich, but those three ingredients have to be Spot-On to really make it work. Chick-fil-A has made that combination a legend in the fast food industry. McDonald’s effort to reproduce the formula is a success for the most part, but falls short of the original.

The Southern Style Chicken Sandwich from McDonald’s is better than I expected, and the overall taste and quality is solid, especially considering the massive scale on which they’re prepared. It’s not as good as the Chick-Fil-A, but it’s a BIG improvement over the McChicken sandwich. This item is certainly not going to lure away any fans of CFA, but it’s good enough to make some new fans of McDonald’s.

Price: $2.79 / Website: McDonalds.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

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Nutrition Facts - McDonald’s Southern Style Chicken Sandwich.

Calories - 400
Calories from Fat - 150
Total Fat - 17 grams
Carbs - 39 grams
Saturated Fat - 3 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 45 milligrams
Sodium - 1030 milligrams
Protein - 24 grams

Grandy’s chicken-fried-chicken is BIG. Definitely one of the largest single pieces of chicken you can find at a fast food chain. The appropriately named “Texas Size” piece of meat is a butterfly cut whole chicken breast. What does that mean? Instead of cutting the breast in half (like most filets you find on sandwiches), or into strips or nuggets, they slice the whole breast partially thru and unfold the meat to create a single large butterfly shape. A whole chicken breast is very thick, and this process helps meat to cook evenly. And by keeping things in tact, you get one big hunk.

The coating is not crunchy, it’s soft and bread-like, with only the outer edges getting slightly chewy. It’s dotted with large specks of black pepper. The chicken inside is moist, plump and juicy, with all the flavor and character I would expect from fresh natural chicken, even though they’re cut and frozen at a central location, then shipped to each store. Every piece is a different shape and slightly different size. A reminder you are eating something prepared by human hands, not formed by a machine.

They are topped with Grandy’s white cream gravy. It’s the same gravy used on their mashed potatoes and regular chicken-fried-steaks. Thick and creamy, with more black pepper and a trace of beef flavor. Delicious, albeit starchy.

Grandy’s does not publish nutrition information, but the official size of this piece of chicken is said to be 10 ounces. I can tell you first hand, many are bigger. I’ve had some where it’s difficult to keep the lid of the container shut because it’s bulging out both sides. I could slice it in half, and make two full sized chicken sandwiches.

Imagine your favorite chicken filet. Double it’s size, then bread it, deep fry, cover with gravy and treat it like a chicken-fried-steak. Except it’s chicken. Got it? Then get it.

Grandy’s Texas Size Chicken Fried Chicken is wonderful. It’s a taste and flavor that’s different than your typical fast food. It comes served as a dinner plate, with your choice of two vegetables and a fresh baked roll. In today’s case it was Fried Okra (very good) and Corn (average). I also plan to review those, and the other choices separately, including Green Beans, Corn, Fried Okra, Seasoned Rice, Mashed Potatoes, and Baked Beans. I’ve already reviewed the rolls. They’re great. At a cost of $7.29 this is expensive by fast food standards, but keep in mind it’s a complete meal.

Price: $7.29 — Website: Grandys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Grandy’s Texas Size Chicken Fried Chicken.

The company has not published nutrition information for this item. Fast Food Critic makes a point to supply the nutrition facts with with each review, and will update this once the info is available.

I love BBQ chicken when it’s chopped and shredded up, mixed thick with sauce, then slapped between a couple pieces of bread. It’s one of my favorite all-time sandwiches. There aren’t many fast food versions, but KFC certainly has a fine offering.

Tender white and dark meat chicken (Hooray, dark meat) blended with tangy honey barbecue sauce. No cheese, lettuce or veggies, just BBQ chicken and bread. Simple and delicious. It’s the Sloppy Joe of chicken sandwiches, but less messy. The two biggest problems facing this sandwich are availability and price confusion. Availability because some KFC stores don’t have it, and those who do are limited in quantity and frequently run out. Price confusion because their are two sizes of Honey BBQ. The standard sandwich is $2.39 but the smaller Snacker version is only $0.99.

I can’t do anything about availability, but I can help determine which sandwich is a better value. This stems from a conversation I overheard standing in line at KFC where a lady instructed her kids to get 2 snackers instead of 1 normal sandwich. She told them it was a better deal, and said they would get more BBQ chicken that way.

Hearing that claim got me thinking (always dangerous), and I knew this called for some further investigation. After enjoying several examples of each type sandwich recently, from three different KFC locations, I can report the amount of filling was consistent, and the sandwiches I’m using today are accurate representations. The task for me now is simple and straight forward — Carefully remove the BBQ chicken mixture from 2 Snacker versions and 1 Regular version, and see which is greater.

Not quite as easy as it sounds, since the barbecue mixture has a way of sticking to the bread. Once the bulk had been removed, I used a spoon to gently scrape the buns clean of any remaining chicken and sauce. I was able to remove 99%.

The results are clear — 2 Honey BBQ Snackers for 99 cents each are more food for less money, compared to buying the full-size Honey BBQ Sandwich, and it’s the exact same BBQ chicken mixture. Never doubt a Mom with hungry kids to feed.

Now I have two big piles of BBQ chicken and a bunch of empty buns. You might think I’m going to re-assemble them. Not exactly. Instead I’ve piled as much as possible onto a single Snacker bun, and created my own personal SUPER Snacker.

The Honey BBQ Chicken from KFC is delicious, whatever size sandwich you choose. However, after seeing with my own eyes that 2 Snackers is a better bargain and more food then the full-size version, I will be adjusting my future orders. For about 40 cents less, you get more BBQ chicken. There’s also extra bread; two small buns instead of one large one, which makes it even more filling. And if that’s too much bread, just combine them into one sandwich. You can build a SUPER Snacker too!

Price: $.99 / $2.39 — Website: KFC.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - KFC, Honey BBQ Snacker.

Calories - 210
Calories from Fat - N/A
Total Fat - 3 grams
Carbs - 32 grams
Saturated Fat - 0.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 40 milligrams
Sodium - 530 milligrams
Protein - 14 grams

Nutrition Facts - KFC, Honey BBQ Sandwich.

Calories - 280
Calories from Fat - N/A
Total Fat - 3.5 grams
Carbs - 40 grams
Saturated Fat - 1.0 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 60 milligrams
Sodium - 780 milligrams
Protein - 22 grams

I have to give Burger King credit for being creative with their Chicken Tenders. Instead of copying the look and shape of McNuggets from McDonald’s, they added a bit of artistic flair to this otherwise boring segment. Plus, sometimes it’s just fun to play with food, and build things, like when we were kids. These bite-sized deep-fried chicken morsels are great for that purpose, and they make some cool photographs too.

But food sculpture aside, it’s hard to get too excited about them (or anybody else’s processed nuggets) because these products are basically the bottom of the fast-food chicken barrel. After they’re finished using the breast filets and top quality cuts for sandwiches, strips and salads, what’s left of the chicken meat gets chopped and mashed-up, then formed into the shapes we consume. There is real breast and rib meat involved, but it’s the left-over scraps. They also use Mechanically Separated Meat or MSM, which is a product and process used in the industry for over 40 years.

The Crown-Shaped Tenders are breaded, instead of battered like the McNuggets. The result is a looser, more bumpy grainy coating, complete with a few falling crumbs. There are nice sized chunks of black pepper laced thru-out the breading. There is not much of a crispy or crunchy sensation, but I wouldn’t call it soggy either. Just soft.

The chicken inside is similar to McNugget’s meat, with a texture that immediately identifies itself as being heavily processed. If you compare the close-up shot of the bitten Crown (below) with the close-up shot of the bitten McNugget, you will see they look almost the same. To me, they taste almost the same too, but the Burger King version might have a slight edge in seasoning. Keeping in mind both are bland.

This segment of fast-food is wildly popular with kids, but I don’t have any children of my own to ask for opinions. So instead I’ve recruited my good friend Ron James, a regular fast-food eater himself who’s fathered several of these miniature humans, and is working hard to keep them fed. I asked for their feelings, and the answer was short and sweet — they like McNuggets better than Tenders. RJ also shared a funny story with me about his youngest son. Sometimes he purchases the chicken sandwich at Jack In The Box, takes the chicken patty out of the bun, and tells his son it’s a Giant chicken nugget. Apparently he loves it, but has a tough time dipping the giant nugget into those little tiny containers of sauce. I laughed out-loud when he told me.

Anyway, in all fairness, I could probably ask another friend with kids and discover they prefer the Burger King variety. I really think it would go back and forth, because we are not comparing apples to oranges. These products are so similar, I feel it’s comes down to personal preference, more than a question of quality or value.

As with most nuggets and finger foods, these are perfect for dipping and offer a choice of sauces: Barbecue, Creamy Buffalo, Honey Mustard, Sweet and Sour, or Ranch.

NOTE: Burger King sold a product under the “Chicken Tenders” name before, and many people ‘think’ of that product when they see those words. The old Tenders were bigger, longer strips of chicken, not nuggets. BK discontinued them, and this current generation of crown-shaped nuggets inherited the name.

The Chicken Tenders (Crown-Shaped) from Burger King are a worthy competitor to the McNuggets. The fact is, they share far more in common than they differ. And quite honestly, neither taste ‘great’. They have a nice assortment of dipping sauces. I’m not a big fan of nuggets in general these days. My tastes have graduated to the more natural, higher quality strips and filets that are available. That said, I feel BK’s nuggets are every-bit as good as McDonald’s, but I don’t find them to be much better.

Fast Food Critic Score:3 out of 5 stars.

Nutrition Facts - Burger King, Chicken Tenders (8 piece).

Calories - 370
Calories from Fat - N/A
Total Fat - 23 grams
Carbs - 18 grams
Saturated Fat - 6 grams
Trans Fat - 3.5 grams
Cholesterol - 55 milligrams
Sodium - 870 milligrams

N/A = The company has not made the information available.

To quote myself from a previous review — “I grew up eating McDonald’s food, and no matter what anybody else says about them, there will always be a place in my heart (no heart-attack jokes please) for items like the Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets and their world famous French Fries. These classic favorites from my past are showing their age, but it’s nice to visit the old friends to see how they are doing.”

Skip ahead a few weeks to today’s review of the Chicken McNuggets.

Some would say this is chicken, and fast food at it’s worse. But it’s not that bad. The chicken meat is not gray in color as some people would have you believe. There was a time when nuggets were made from a combination of light and dark chicken meat, therefore making the center an off-white shade of blended colors, but it was never the so-called “gray meat” that’s been described and exaggerated so often. A few years ago McDonald’s made a change to using “all white meat”. Whether that was actually an upgrade or not is debatable, but most people would probably consider it so.

Anyway, if you are expecting chunks of a fine breast filet at this price, you are being unrealistic. These are not ‘natural’ cut pieces of filet, they are formed-shapes made from minced breast and rib meat. They also include Mechanically Separated Meat or MSM, a product that’s been used since the 1960’s. The meat is not the best quality, but it’s also not from an alien planet or manufactured by mad scientists in a laboratory. It’s real chicken - with nutritional value - and it will satisfy your body’s hunger.

The nuggets are battered and deep fried, with a crust that’s golden brown, light and crispy. Aside from the switch to all white meat, these are the same nuggets I grew up eating, and they still taste pretty good. McDonald’s has more expensive, more natural chicken strips for the crowd that desires something better, but the nuggets continue to be popular among loyal fans, and it seems that kids universally love them.

Included with the nuggets is your choice of dipping sauce: Barbecue, Sweet N Sour, Hot Mustard or Honey Mustard. These bite-sized chicken pieces wouldn’t be the same without tasty liquid flavors to dunk in. It’s all part of the McNugget experience.

The product is not without controversy. Aside from the tales of gray alien meat and cardboard-like taste, some more legitimate concerns have been raised.

The 2004 documentary “Super Size Me” alleged that McNuggets were, at one point in time, made from sick and/or old chickens unable to lay eggs, and that they also included chemicals such as tertiary butylhydroquinone (phenolic antioxidant), polydimethylsiloxane (anti-foaming agent), and other ingredients not used by a typical home cook. As of 2007, these two ingredients are still listed as possible ingredients of the vegetable oil that is used to fry McNuggets.
Source - Wikipedia.

There are plenty of such claims on record, but sorting thru them and trying to separate fact from fiction is not something I’m qualified to do. I will leave that job for the nutrition experts and investigators. Ever since I was a kid, it seems somebody has been trying to prove McNuggets have a dark side. Wisdom or Witch Hunt? God only knows.

Chicken McNuggets from McDonald’s are one of the original, legendary fast food icons. They still taste pretty good as long as you aren’t expecting too much. They are great for dipping, and include a nice selection of tasty sauces to choose from. I loved them when I was younger, but they are not something I find myself craving anymore. The trip down McNuggets memory lane was fun, but when I’m eating at McDonald’s the higher quality, better tasting and more natural Chicken Selects will be my choice.

Fast Food Critic Score:3 out of 5 stars.

Nutrition Facts - McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets (6 piece).

Calories - 250
Calories from Fat - 130
Total Fat - 15 grams
Carbs - 15 grams
Saturated Fat - 3 grams
Trans Fat - 1.5 grams
Cholesterol - 35 milligrams
Sodium - 670 milligrams

I remember trying KFC Snackers a couple years ago, and it seems like they have gotten bigger since then. I could be wrong about that, but either way — I was happy to see the size of the current version, that was delivered to me via the drive-thru.

They only cost 99 cents, and they’re called “Snackers”. Even the name is warning me it’s only a “snack” and not a full-size sandwich. I was expecting only 2 or 3 bites, but after two good size mouthfuls, the sandwich was barely half eaten. That made me happy. There’s nothing better than finding a real bargain, especially when it’s edible.

These little sandwiches are indeed are bargain, not just because they are larger than expected, but because they actually have a nice piece of chicken inside, and they taste good. The chicken strip was just as tender and flavorful as any other chicken item on their menu. It’s a natural hunk of meat too, with character, texture and the occasional flaw. Better than some pressed and formed glob made of chicken mush. It’s not a breast filet though, instead KFC calls it “all white meat”. That’s fine. There’s lots of good white meat on chicken besides the breast. For that matter, there’s a lot of good dark meat too, but most people are obsessed with breasts. (no joke intended)

I had two different flavors: Fiery Buffalo and Ultimate Cheese. The only difference in the two sandwiches is the sauce. They both use the same chicken, lettuce and bun. There’s not much lettuce but it’s crisp, fresh and torn into large pieces, as opposed to shredded. The bun is lightly toasted, rectangle shaped like a dinner roll, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. There’s really nothing special about the bun, but it tastes fine, it’s the perfect size and it’s better than I expected on such a cheap sandwich.

Fiery Buffalo - My lips had not fully closed from the first bite and my taste-buds were already popping from the flavor. They dip the chicken strip in Fiery Buffalo sauce and it’s completely coated. It was mildly hot for the first couple bites, and then my mouth adjusted and things finished smooth. It’s a lively sauce, and gives this little sandwich a nice size punch. If you like hot and spicy wings, you’re going to like this sandwich.

Ultimate Cheese - Instead of dipping the entire strip in Fiery Buffalo sauce they pour on a cheese sauce. They say it’s a blend of Cheddar and Swiss, and it was fairly cheesy tasting, but there wasn’t much of it. I’m not a big fan of cheese “sauce” or liquid-cheese in general, but this was OK. You get a lot more sauce (and flavor) on the other version. I’m bewildered and amused by the “Ultimate” tag. It’s a tiny bit of cheese on a small 99 cent sandwich. There’s nothing ‘ultimate’ about it — but it’s still good.

The KFC Snackers are tasty, cheap and filling. Those looking for a light meal or snack will be satisfied, and those with a bigger appetite can pick-up 2 or 3, because the low 99 cent price makes them affordable even for the most budget minded. With items like this from KFC, and the Double Decker Taco from Taco Bell, the parent company of both (Yum! Brands Inc.) should be feeling pretty confident with their dollar menu(s).

Fast Food Critic Score:4.5 stars out of 5.

Nutrition Facts - KFC, Snacker Sandwich, Fiery Buffalo.

Calories - 260
Calories from Fat - 80
Total Fat - 8 grams
Carbs - 31 grams
Saturated Fat - 1.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 25 milligrams
Sodium - 860 milligrams

Nutrition Facts - KFC, Snacker Sandwich, Ultimate Cheese.

Calories - 280
Calories from Fat - 100
Total Fat - 11 grams
Carbs - 30 grams
Saturated Fat - 2.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0.5 grams
Cholesterol - 25 milligrams
Sodium - 780 milligrams

Chicken — Bread — Pickle.

So simple. So basic. Yet so brilliantly executed in quality and taste, three ingredients combine to make what is arguably the best Chicken Sandwich in the Fast Food World. I’m talking about the classic chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A.

How can a sandwich that looks so plain, be so special? It’s all about the chicken my friends. I’m talking about chicken that’s so moist and tender, seasoned so perfectly, your mouth will water and you’ll slap your knee proclaiming… “Damn, that’s good chicken!” …I’m talking about chicken that’s so tasty and delicious, you won’t care that your team is losing the big game, as long as there’s another bite left to enjoy.

In case you can’t tell — I love this sandwich. Though, I suppose it would be more accurate to say I love this chicken, that happens to have a bun and pickles attached. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine bun. The perfect size and density to compliment the chicken, without swallowing it up. Lightly buttered, freshly baked and fluffy.

The dill pickle chips taste good, about like any other good pickle, but the surprise is the delightful contrast of flavor they provide to the chicken. I had never eaten pickles on chicken before Chick-Fil-A, and for a long time I would actually remove them. The truth is I’m not a big pickle fan. I don’t dislike them, but they are not something I desire on my burgers or sandwiches. But one day, after years of picking-off the pickles, I found myself so hungry that I ripped into my chick-fil-a sandwich without thinking, and then it hit me! They actually tasted good. The rest is history, and now I eat the pickles.

The main attraction is the wonderful chicken breast filet, a big meaty natural hunk of REAL chicken. Starting with choice cuts, each one is breaded by hand and seasoned using CFA’s secret recipe. They are pressure cooked in refined peanut oil, which not only makes them taste good, it makes them healthier. The bread and pickle serve as perfect compliments to highlight and showcase this great piece of meat. It’s been the same delicious high quality experience all these years, from way back when I was kid, to the sandwich I’ve just finished eating for this review. The Chick-Fil-A simply tastes better, and more natural than most other chicken sandwiches on the market.

The breading on Chick-Fil-A’s is not very crisp or crunchy, nor was it designed to be. It’s soft, light and seems to fuse itself to the breast meat and become-one with the chicken. It’s all part of what makes the Chick-Fil-A so tender and juicy. If you’re the type person who only likes crunchy coated chicken you might be disappointed to hear that, but don’t despair. I think most crunchy lovers will be pleasantly surprised.

The Classic Chicken Sandwich from Chick-Fil-A is simple, pure and scrumptious. This is a shining example of less-is-more. There’s no cheese and no bacon strips. No lettuce or tomato. It’s not very exciting to look at. It’s actually rather plain and dull. But this is not about being fancy, the number of ingredients, or a spicy new sauce. This is about high-quality simple food, prepared and served with care. It’s something that Chick-Fil-A does better than most, and they’ve been doing it for a long time.

Fast Food Critic Score:5 stars.
I’m pleased to present this product the FFC Editor’s Choice Award. This special award was created to recognize those products and services which have achieved the highest levels of quality, value, consistency and overall excellence within the fast food industry.

Nutrition Facts - Chick-Fil-A, Classic Chicken Sandwich.

Calories - 410
Calories from Fat - 150
Total Fat - 16 grams
Carbs - 38 grams
Saturated Fat - 3.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 60 milligrams
Sodium - 1300 milligrams

Like many people, I liked Chicken McNuggets as a kid, but eventually developed a taste for a better piece of chicken. McDonald’s realizes this of course, and their menu includes chicken ’strips’ for people like us. They even use the words “Select” and “Premium” in the product name, to indicate superiority over their little nugget brothers. But are they really better? The short answer is yes, but there’s more to the story.

From the thick crunchy coating and seasoning outside, to the chicken breast meat inside, it’s obvious these are not the same old nuggets. The strips are big. When first opening the box they looked like one large piece of chicken. They are crispy on the outside, with a breading that reminds me of shake-n-bake fried chicken. It’s nothing like the smooth breading on the McNuggets. It’s rough and bumpy, and crumbs fall off when you bite into it. You can see large specs of black pepper dotting the crust.

The meat inside is nice and tender, though it’s a bit dry. The strips appear to be cut from real breast meat. I detected some stringy rib meat too, but that’s not unusual since rib-meat is attached to the breast area. Despite the claims of many companies who say they use 100% breast filet, the fact is lots of those products include the rib-meat. That’s a technicality, and I suppose it’s why so many restaurants can say it.

I ate my first strip plain, to appreciate the taste on it’s own, and then I used sauce for dipping the rest. They tasted pretty good overall, but there’s not as much flavor as I would like. I wouldn’t call them outright bland, but they took the conservative approach when seasoning the meat. The Barbecue sauce helped, but it usually does. Aside from my own opinion, I know these must be decent chicken strips because after my buddy took his first bite, he quickly ate all 3 of his strips without pausing to use either of the two different types of sauces. That’s always a positive sign when eating with him, because this guy puts Barbecue or Sweet-N-Sour sauce on everything.

I’m going to review a lot of chicken strips (and nuggets) over the coming weeks and months, so these strips from McDonald’s will serve as a measuring stick for those others. I am a Chick-Fil-A man myself, but I think McDonald’s has a solid product here, and I look forward to seeing how the competition stacks up.

Chicken Selects Premium Chicken Strips from McDonald’s are good, but not great. They are crisper than I expected, and bigger too. They have a decent flavor but the scale does tip towards the bland side. A little Barbecue sauce improved the overall experience, but that’s certainly not going to help the score. They would have probably rated higher if they had a bit more flavor, or a bit less dryness.

Fast Food Critic Score:4 out of 5 stars.

Nutrition Facts - McDonald’s Chicken Selects Premium Strips, 3 piece.

Calories - 400
Calories from Fat - 210
Total Fat - 23 grams
Carbs - 25 grams
Saturated Fat - 4 grams
Trans Fat - 2 grams
Cholesterol - 50 milligrams
Sodium - 1000 milligrams

On today’s menu, the Crispy Chicken Bacon and Swiss Sandwich from Arby’s.

I wasn’t sure what to expect since Arby’s is primarily known for their Roast Beef sandwiches, and my past experience with their chicken products was hit and miss. But I’m pleased to say they hit the nail right on the head with this one.

The heart of the sandwich is pure white-meat chicken breast filet, and 100% natural. It’s not a very large sandwich to begin with, but it’s a nice size chunk of chicken. And it was cooked just right, with a thin crispy crust and a tender moist center. The crust has a light coating of black pepper. As soon as I took a bite, I rejoiced in the wonderful texture of natural chicken meat flaking away in layers. No formed or pressed mystery-meat inside. This is a very tasty piece of chicken for a fast food place, and dare I say a little similar to a Chick-Fil-A, which is a big compliment in my opinion.

Sitting atop the chicken are two thick pieces of peppered bacon. They are cooked well-done, crispy and delicious. The bacon adds as much flavor to the sandwich as the chicken. Bacon lovers will be very happy, though some hard-core eaters might find themselves wishing for a 3rd strip. Next is a slice of Swiss cheese, which unlike many fast food cheese products, actually tastes like real cheese. It’s a great anchor of subtle mild cheese flavor for the smokey spicy bacon and chicken.

Finish off with a little honey mustard for a smooth kick, and pack it all into a warm toasted sesame seed bun that’s just the right thickness to compliment the goodies inside without muting their flavor. The lack of lettuce or other veggies results in a rather plain looking sandwich, but that won’t matter once you take your first bite.

It gets even better. This sandwich contains zero grams of trans fat. With so many health experts screaming about how bad it is, and the food world making a push to get away from it, this is a welcome sign from Arby’s, and the fast food industry.

I should state that I’m a big fan of Chick-Fil-A. In my mind, it’s been the Gold Standard for years. To find another sandwich I enjoy this much is rare, but today it happened.

The $4 price tag is not cheap in the world of fast food, but it’s worth every penny. And you won’t need to eat a whole bag of these to be satisfied. Next time you want a fast food meal, look past all those $1 menus and treat yourself to something better.

The Crispy Chicken Bacon and Swiss Sandwich from Arby’s is delicious. It has a wonderful combination of flavors, and each component is tasty on it’s own. It’s made from high quality ingredients, a cut above the average. I loved it. I wish I had another.

Fast Food Critic Score:4.5 out of 5 stars.

Nutrition Facts - Arby’s Crispy Chicken Bacon and Swiss Sandwich.

Calories - 624
Calories from Fat - 264
Total Fat - 29 grams
Carbs - 52 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 68 milligrams
Sodium - 1320 milligrams