The best chicken sandwich in the fast food game has gotten a seasonal update. But is it an upgrade?
Chick-fil-A, the fast food chain that claims to have invented the chicken sandwich, released a new dish Monday: the honey pepper pimento chicken sandwich. The Georgia-based chicken chain took their classic chicken sandwich and topped it with pimento cheese, honey and jalapeños. It’s the first time Chick-fil-A has made a seasonal variation of their iconic sandwich, and it comes in both classic and spicy variants.
All of those ingredients sound delectable on their own. Pimento cheese, for the uninitiated, is a cheese spread made with shredded cheese, mayonnaise and pimentos (cherry peppers) that is wildly popular in Southern cuisine. It is a logical addition to a chicken sandwich, and the same can be said for honey and jalapeños. Factor in that Chick-fil-A’s classic fried chicken sandwich is succulent and tender, the best fast food money can buy? This seems like a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, Chick-fil-A’s new sandwich is better on paper than it is on your plate.
If Chick-fil-A’s classic sandwich is so good, how could adding three objectively delicious items make it worse? Quite simply, the honey pepper pimento chicken sandwich is too much of a good thing. There is too much going on with this sandwich — so much so that your hands might get sticky from honey dripping off the chicken.
It’s a shame as this sandwich should work in theory. Contrasting flavors make up some of New Jersey’s most delicious dishes. Sweet grape jelly on a savory Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich? Don’t knock it until you try it! This Chick-fil-A concoction has sweet, spicy, creamy and savory all on one bun. But in trying to do so much, all the different components gets lost. While every topping is stupendous on its own — the pimento cheese, especially — the whole is not greater than the sum of its poultry parts.
I ordered both the classic and spicy version of this sandwich. The toppings simply overwhelm the chicken on the classic variation, tasting more like a honey pimento sandwich than a chicken sandwich. The spicy chicken stands up better to all the different taste sensations this sandwich brings together, with the spiciness cutting through the creamy cheese and sweet honey to balance the bite. But still, it all just kind of becomes a sweet, cheesy, sticky mess.
My love of Chick-fil-A is well-documented. When Popeyes was selling out of its chicken sandwich in 2019, I was steadfast in my belief that Chick-fil-A’s rendition of the sandwich was still better. That prompted a further investigation, and upon trying 15 different fast food chicken sandwiches I declared Chick-fil-A still reigned supreme.
Part of what makes it the cluckin’ best chicken sandwich in the fast food world is its simplicity. Sure, you can top the sandwich with whichever sauce your chicken-loving heart desires (Chick-fil-A sauce is undefeated). But even if you don’t sauce it up, the chicken Chick-fil-A uses for its sandwich is so flavorful, juicy and texturally elite that it requires no condiments. That simple beauty is overshadowed when loaded up with over the top toppings like pimento cheese and honey.
I was beyond excited when I heard Chick-fil-A was updating its classic sandwich. But this is definitely a bit of a disappointment. It’s worth trying, but it’s simply not as good as the original.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, Chick-fil-A. Turns out, that saying applies to chicken sandwiches, too.
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.