I compared the spicy chicken sandwiches from 3 fast-food chains, and the best was the crunchiest

The coating on McDonald's Spicy Crispy Chicken sandwich was dark brown and looked like it would provide a crisp bite with more chicken than breading. After biting into it, I found all this to be true. The fried outside wasn't as attention-seeking as the one on Burger King's Ch'King, but it still got the job of satisfying a craving for fried food done.

While the texture of the fillet was nice, that of the bun was not. It was dense and a little damp from the steam that gathered inside the package. The classic McDonald's hamburger bun would have been a better choice, in my opinion.

The overall flavor profile was also disappointing. I first got a bit of the sweetness and acidity that came from the bun and pickles respectively, and a tiny bit of sweetness came from the sauce as well. But the heat from the red pepper sauce quickly took over and coated my whole mouth and throat.

A larger, thicker pickle slice could have helped to balance the profile here, but the ones McDonald's chose to use were small, thin, and barely delivered any flavor.

The chain also chose to unevenly schmear sauce on the bottom and top buns rather than use it to coat the chicken fillet. This strategy left some pieces of chicken uncovered and therefore no different from McDonald's non-spicy version of the sandwich.

Simply put, McDonald's sandwich wasn't well-rounded.

Wendy's breading was also on the thinner side and provided a somewhat crispy bite – though not as crispy as McDonald's.

But what made this one better was the seasoning of the fried fillet. Unlike McDonald's sandwich, the flavor came from a peppery dredge rather than a gloopy sauce. It tasted like I was eating a spicy chicken tender on a bun — which is great.

The bun Wendy's used was lightweight and slightly sweet, which allowed the chicken to shine and be the main event.

While the fried-chicken fillet was tasty and satisfying, the toppings didn't really make it better. The lettuce and tomato were both thin and added more texture than flavor.

There was also a mayo sauce between the tomato and the top bun. While I thought it was good for texture and functionality (it cooled down the spice of the chicken a bit), it didn't impart additional flavor the way Burger King's honey-mustard-like mayo did.

Overall, this was a solid sandwich.

Like Wendy's, this sandwich came on a fluffy, chewy, and semi-sweet bun.

It had a rippled, fried dredge that both looked and tasted luxurious and super crunchy.

The tang that came from the sauce complemented the rest of the flavor profile, which included pickle chips and a second sauce that tasted like a cross between mayo and honey mustard.

The pickle chips Burger King used were large enough to cover most of the surface area of the bun, which meant I got some briny goodness in each bite.

Since the fillet was glazed in sauce rather than topped with it, I tasted even flavoring and heat throughout each bite.

The glaze had notes of chili pepper, but it didn't overwhelm my taste buds and fill my whole mouth, but I did think it could have used a bit more salt to highlight the fruitiness of the chilis. I also appreciated the fact that I was able to still recognize the flavors that came from the meat itself.

Taking size, flavor profile, and purpose served by each component in the sandwich into consideration, I think Burger King had the winning spicy sandwich.