Monthly Feature, By Jim Rassinier

Ah, Burger King. I’ve never really liked you. About the only time I’ve ever eaten here was when something was on special, like the Whopper for 99 cents back in the 90’s or the current 10 nuggets for $1.49. BK is on the lower end of my fast food choices; and at the bottom of that barrel has always been their utterly miserable chicken sandwich.

A brief history: Burger King way back in 1978 was having issues with their reputation and image. To address this, they realized that their way of making sandwiches was far more flexible than McDonald’s, and with Wendy’s coming fast on their heels, they decided to create an entire new line of “adult” type of sandwiches. Why they decided to make every one of these new sandwiches look like a hoagie beats the hell out of me.

I digress, the Original Chicken sandwich was the only one that had any lasting appeal, and I’ve never even understood why that was. It was a sad excuse for a sandwich, with chicken so processed it seemed like it should compete with the $1 value chicken sandwiches at most other fast food restaurants. Oh, sure, every couple of years they’d come up with a new take on the sandwich, such as their Italian chicken version (which just added mozzerella slices and a really lousy marinera) or their Cordon bleu iteration (adding ham and swiss cheese, naturally) but at the end of the day, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. These sandwiches were always lackluster.

So color me pessimistic when I heard BK was introducing a “New” Chicken Sandwich. I’d seen this song and dance since childhood, and I was expecting another tube-steak looking monstrocity, perhaps with extra pickles this time around.

Ladies and gents, dare I say this sandwich is actually legitimate! Almost on par with Wendy’s, and that is a bold statement. The chicken is both crispy and juicy, and you get a sizable piece of thick chicken breast from BK for the first time EVER. Now, there is nothing fancy about this sandwich. It is simply placed on a bun with lettuce, tomato and a bit of mayonaisse. But that actually works in favor of the sandwich because it allows the chicken to shine and be front and center of their latest creation.

Now, let’s be clear: This isn’t on par with Chick Fil A, but if you enjoy Wendy’s caliber of chicken sandwiches, you should definitely try this new item. All I can say is the next time I’m hungry and pass by a Burger King, I may not brush it off like I have the past few decades. Oh, and while you’re there, order the $1.49 nuggets. That’s a good deal, no matter who you are.