This previously ran in our December 2022 print issue.

Chick-fil-A: home of the original chicken sandwich. But is it the home of the best chicken sandwich? 

Admittedly, I’m a picky eater, so I’m probably the last person anyone should come to for a food review. But if there’s one food item I’d ride or die for, it’s Chick-fil-A chicken. 

The modern American treasure was first introduced to me as a young child, as a last-ditch dinner when my parents both worked late and didn’t have time to make anything after picking me up from the babysitter’s house. What appeared to them as an easy convenience meal would end up haunting them for the rest of their lives in the form of begging and pleading for a Chick-fil-A dinner.

And that’s exactly what it’ll do to you: after you’ve tried it once, you’ll never be able to look back. Sure, there are haters and there are doubters. But deep down, everyone knows Chick-fil-A will always be number one. The original chicken sandwich is perfectly simple and incomparable to any of its counterparts, try as they may. 

As I just mentioned, part of what makes Chick-fil-A’s sandwich the best is its classic and unwavering simplicity. Times have changed but the sandwich has not. Composed of a bun, chicken patty, and pickle chips, the sandwich boasts grace and elegance in its monotony, and makes it a reliable and trustworthy meal to return to for lunch AND dinner, every day of the week (minus Sundays). The chicken is never dry and always perfectly crisp; not so much as to make a mess, but just the right amount to crunch ever so slightly in harmonious kinship with the pickles. 

In accordance with their chicken, Chick-fil-A offers a broad assortment of sauce choices for customers to choose from. Chick-fil-A sauce, the fan favorite, is a combination of ranch, honey mustard, and barbecue sauce which adds an unreplicated complexity to the sandwich.

Not only is the sandwich delicious, but affordable too. One chicken sandwich a la carte comes in at $3.05, and a meal will put you at $5.95. Spend the extra two bucks, and you get the famous waffle fries with a fountain drink. And as shocking as this may seem, the Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich meal is currently cheaper than ALL of its competitors. That’s important in today’s economy.

All things considered, the Chick-fil-A original chicken sandwich has earned its title as the OG: classic, delicious and inexpensive. The pickiest eaters and the most seasoned culinary masterminds can unify in agreement that this kingpin of a sandwich will forever reign supreme.