A game of chicken

Chris Wojtas was watching Good Morning America on February 12 when she got an idea of how to celebrate receiving the second dose of the vaccine.

“The show had a competition; a taste-a-thon for the best chicken sandwich. I thought it would be fun to have our own Chicken Sandwich Taste-a-Thon.”

Wojtas invited a couple of neighbors to join the challenge.

The recent chicken sandwich competition craze began when Popeyes introduced their first-ever crispy chicken sandwich on brioche. Customer demand went soaring and the battle began. KFC, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Burger King, and McDonald’s announced upgraded or introduced new versions of their chicken sandwich.

What chicken sandwiches were for chosen the Wojtas’ taste–a-thon?

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Donna Newbanks, one of the taste testers said, “We picked Culver’s, Portillo’s, MacDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and Popeye’s. We didn’t leave KFC out; we got our coleslaw from there.”

Shirley Plocinski, another participant in the tasting kitchen said, “Really when it comes to fried chicken, have you ever had a bad sandwich?”

There’s a lot to consider: breaded chicken or hand-battered pickles, seasoning; and of course, there is the question of the type of bun.

Not all menu items were purchased.

Helen Banas said, “Chris made garlic parmesan wedges.”

Wojtas said, “We are cutting the sandwiches into fourths and labeling them.”

The cut quarters were placed on a platter with labeled flags identifying each piece. The group gathered to begin their serious task of choosing their favorite.

What were the results?

Plocinski said, “We all rated the garlic parmesan potatoes number one.”

And the chicken sandwich winner?

Wojtas said, “Using a five-star rating system and seven tasters, Popeyes won with four ratings of five and an overall rating of 3.7, with Chick-Fil-A coming in second with a 3.4, Culvers at a 3, Portillo’s rated 2.8 and McDonald’s Chicken Sandwich rated a 2.2 with no 4 or 5 stars given for the sandwich.”

These “chicken wars” are occurring across the United States. Get a scorecard and some chicken sandwiches and see if you agree with these local taste testers.

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