I compared McDonald's new crispy chicken sandwich to Chick-fil-A's, and I thought they were almost identical

Both sandwiches came in a foil and paper bag. They also both stayed warm, despite half an hour passing between the time I picked them up and when I finally got them home.

I noticed that each sandwich had a very different bun. McDonald's bun was harder and slightly denser, while Chick-fil-A's was softer and slightly bigger than the fillet inside.

The chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A cost me $6.85, making it slightly more expensive than the McDonald's sandwich.

Chick-fil-A has been consistently voted as one of America's most beloved fast-food chains, and customer loyalty is high.

"Chick-fil-A has very strong brand loyalists," former McDonald's chef Mike Haracz told Insider. "I've sat in panels when I was doing chicken work. They will try the food, but when they tell you it's not from Chick-fil-A they'll say, 'Well, I think it's great but I'm not going to buy it because I am a Chick-fil-A consumer." However, there are some people who might go to Chick-fil-A strictly for the flavor, and if McDonald's can match that, they may be swayed."

According to a report by Edison Trends, Chick-fil-A received more online chicken sandwich delivery orders than any other brand in most of 2020, cornering around 45% of the total online order market share.

Chick-fil-A's chicken breast was flakier as opposed to juicy. Looking at both of the sandwiches, the fillet itself also looked slightly bigger. The breading was thinner and clung to the chicken breast well, which gave it a great texture.

However, I was slightly disappointed by Chick-fil-A's pickles — they didn't have the strong briny flavor or crunchiness I usually look for.

The McDonald's crispy chicken sandwich cost $5.99 at my local chain in Brooklyn, New York.

I've been a fan of McDonald's McChicken sandwiches for years, but I could already tell that I was going to like this sandwich a lot more.

The bun held the contents of the sandwich together perfectly, and in terms of size, I thought McDonald's did a great job at nailing the bun-to-chicken ratio.

The breading of the sandwich had a slight sweetness to it. However, it was perfectly balanced out by the tart, crunchy pickles, which had a strong briny flavor. The chicken was thick, juicy, and flavorful.

The only aspect of the sandwich I wasn't totally in love with was the bun — though it was a good size, I thought it was slightly too thick. I'm of the opinion that a sandwich bun's sole purpose is to hold everything together, without overpowering the other ingredients. I think this thicker potato bun slightly missed the mark on that.

So, how similar were the two sandwiches? Pretty similar, in my opinion. If I was to do a blind taste test, I might not even know which was which, unless one was slathered in Chick-fil-A sauce. However, this is not to say that McDonald's is in any way actively trying to copy or imitate Chick-fil-A's most iconic offering.

The fact is that there is a trend in what consumers across the board are looking for in a chicken sandwich, whether they're ordering from Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, Popeyes, or any other chain.

Judging by the success of the chicken-war competitors, consumers want a Southern-inspired flavor with juicy, flavorful chicken and tart and crunchy pickles. McDonald's definitely delivered on all counts.

As far as this food reporter is concerned, the new McDonald's chicken sandwich stacks up well against fan favorites — and might even be a new go-to menu item.