Roy Rogers’ Gold Rush Chicken Sandwich
I’ll tell FFC readers upfront, there’s no mystery or uncertainty with this one. The Gold Rush Chicken Sandwich from Roy’s is flat out delicious. Sorry if that makes this review boring, but I don’t have many bad things to say about it. Lucky for me I guess, because the Roy Rogers Corporate Headquarters is literally right around the corner from the store where I had lunch. I’m safe from any corporate goons that may be monitoring what is said about their franchises. No worries suits, you’ve got a winner here.
If you aren’t familiar with Roy Rogers Restaurants, their menu is primarily burgers, roast beef sandwiches, and fried chicken. A fix-ins’ bar is available at each location, meaning your eat-in order comes with the basic items, and you’re able to pile on as many or as little extra toppings as you like. Lettuce, tomato, raw onion, pickles, and an array of standard condiments will be at your disposal. Go ahead, help yourself.
Today I decided to go for a chicken sandwich that has rarely ever disappointed me. I’ve ordered the Gold Rush chicken sandwich so many times that it’s become like comfort food to me. This is one sandwich that can be enjoyed as-is. No extra condiments or LTO needed. The Gold Rush is a slightly fried, barely breaded chicken patty topped with Monterey Jack cheese, bacon and sweet barbeque sauce. Roy’s calls it a “sweet barbeque sauce” but honestly, there really isn’t anything “barbeque” about it. I’ve always considered it some sort of honey, and I figured that’s where the Gold Rush name came from. Whatever it is, it’s what makes this sandwich so good, and I say the more sauce the better. Make sure to stock up on extra napkins because this operation can get messy. As you can see from the pictures, my order was loaded with it.
The chicken is tender, juicy and not overly breaded. There isn’t a fried chicken type skin on the Gold Rush, which is good because it really isn’t needed. The bacon has just the right texture, it’s very flavorful, and makes a great compliment to the chicken. In fact, I normally don’t care much for bacon on chicken sandwiches but it works with the Gold Rush. The Monterey Jack cheese is subtle but tasty. The bun is nothing special, but all the ingredients work together to create a stellar chicken sandwich. Match the Gold Rush with a Big Round Up (supersize) holster of fries and beverage, and you’ve got yourself pure satisfaction. My combo, (#5 by the way) came out to $6.79 total, with $4.09 being for the sandwich alone. A little steep, but it’s worth every penny.
I know some of you may be thinking there’s no such thing as a flawless meal. Well, if you really want me to be nit-picky, I’ll give it a shot. As I said before, I’ve ordered the Gold Rush from Roy’s many times. The only occasions where it hasn’t been up to par is when my sandwich had too little of the sweet honey sauce, and once in a while the bacon was a little overcooked. Minor complaints. You can’t avoid a subpar creation of your favorite sandwich from time to time. It happens. Oh, I should also warn you to prepare for sticky fingers. It’s almost impossible to avoid when eating this.
Unfortunately for a lot of FFC readers, there may not be a Roy Rogers nearby. This is an east coast thing. For those of you within 100 miles of a Roy’s location, I definitely recommend you stop by on your next road trip. As far as chicken sandwiches go, in my humble opinion, the Gold Rush is golden, and worthy of an “A+” review score.
Price: $4.09 / Website: RoyRogersRestaurants.com
Fast Food Critic Score: A+
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Nutrition Facts - Roy Rogers, Gold Rush Chicken Sandwich.
Calories - 558
Calories from Fat - 270
Total Fat - 30 grams
Carbs - 51 grams
Saturated Fat - 9 grams
Trans Fat - N/A
Cholesterol - 35 milligrams
Sodium - 1326 milligrams
Protein - 22 grams
I specifically remember getting this sandwich once and being sorely disappointed by the chicken’s dryness. Maybe they’ve corrected that by now.
Mmm, that bacon looks delicious and you can’t fault a fast food joint that actually serves it crispy (an endangered species).
Still, I’d probably trade my availability of Roy Roger’s for an In and Out Burger…
Good grief. I went to their website wondering if there was one in Ohio. I was excited to see a listing. When I clicked the selection; utter disappointment. It’s clear across the complete opposite side of the state, in Cinci. Restaurants in neighboring states are nowhere nearby. Boo!
This looks good — I’ll have to stop in the next time we’re in NY or MD. Thanks.
I have to say that Roy Rogers was the best quality food out of all the fast food places I have even been to. I remember a actual slicing machine for the fresh med. rare roast beef that they use to cook right at the store! I believe Marriott use to own them but sold them and then they were converted to Arbies..
There are a few around on the N.J. turnpike but all the ones on Long Island are gone.
Everyone wish that they would come back to Long Island.. I miss them…
Looks delicious. The crispy, reasonably thick bacon (unlike a certain star-macotted restaurant). The Jack cheese.
Alas, as a west-coaster, I won’t be trying one of these any time soon.
I agree with you Ryan this sandwich is awesome. I have eaten the gold rush many times. It’s sloppy and sticky but that doesn’t bother me. I lick my fingers clean! Great review the pictures make me want one right now!
This is absolutely the best sandwich that Roy Rogers has on their menu. It has never disappointed me.