I tasted Wendy's fried-chicken sandwiches and think they're better than McDonald's but not as indulgent as Burger King's

Burger King's Ch'King sandwiches became available to customers in early June, McDonald's Crispy Chicken sandwiches have been available since February, and Wendy's released its Classic Chicken Sandwich in October 2020.

Burger King's lineup includes two base sandwiches — an original and a spicy, each featuring sauce and pickles — and an option to upgrade either to a deluxe, which swaps out pickles for lettuce and tomato, for an upcharge.

McDonald's collection offers three sandwich options: Crispy Chicken, Spicy Crispy Chicken, and a Crispy Chicken Deluxe. The deluxe option features a non-spicy chicken breast, lettuce, and tomato. The spicy sandwich features pickles, like the non-spicy option, but it's also topped with a spicy sauce.

Wendy's offers two sandwich options, each of which features lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. The difference is that the spicy sandwich features a spiced breading on the chicken while the non-spicy sandwich is also topped with pickles.

The dark, slightly chewy, light, and fluffy sandwich buns that came from both Burger King and Wendy's had a perfect texture. They weren't dense or moist like McDonald's buns were.

All three chains had buns with an underlying sweetness, but the similar options from the winning chains in this category had more of a robust flavor profile that complemented the rest of the sandwich ingredients.

While McDonald's sandwich had a recognizable flavor in line with its other chicken menu offerings, it fell short in comparison to the Ch'King flavor profile. The pickle chips were thin and small, and there was a complete absence of sauce.

The Burger King contender had a thick, crunchy, rippling crust around the chicken breast that was filled with a salt-and-pepper flavor on its own. Even so, the chain topped it with a honey-mustard-like mayo sauce and two thicker, crinkle-cut pickle chips.

Wendy's fillet had a similar sweetness to McDonald's, but its breading texture wasn't as enjoyable. Overall, though, the lettuce, tomato, and pickles on this sandwich paired with the tasty bun made it a better sandwich than McDonald's.

While Wendy's did the job here, Burger King's sandwich was simply more impressive and offered a much more decadent experience. If you're in the mood for more of a snack, I think Wendy's is a good bet. But if you're looking for a meal, Burger King's Ch'King is the way to go.

Both Burger King and Wendy's did a better job seamlessly bringing the spice into the sandwich than McDonald's did.

After tasting all three, I noticed that McDonald's simply slathered a spicy sauce on its regular Crispy Chicken. The sauce felt like it had a mayo base mixed with tons of red pepper flakes. It offered little to no actual flavor beyond the pepper and even that went away within seconds as the heat element completely took over and coated my mouth and throat.

The spicy Ch'King glazed its fried white meat in a sauce that had ample red pepper flavor, but not as much heat. The pickle and honey-mustard-tasting mayo were welcome additions, though I do think it could have used a touch more salt to bring the fruitiness of the chilis to the forefront.

If you're someone who wants a truly spicy but well-balanced sandwich, Wendy's option may be for you. The breading had more heat and flavor than both Burger King's and McDonald's, and it tasted like I was eating a spicy chicken tender on a bun in the best way. Again, this is smaller and less filling than Burger King's option, but I think it's better for someone who wants to prioritize heat over size and crunch texture.

McDonald's Deluxe Crispy Chicken was the best of the three sandwiches in the chain's lineup. It was crispy, fresh-tasting, and would satisfy a craving for a fast-food chicken sandwich.

The McDonald's chicken fillet was smaller than the one on Burger King's sandwich, though, and the subpar bun was still disappointing and took away from the overall flavor.

I thought the Ch'King Deluxe was the most impressive of the bunch. The lettuce and tomato were fresh-tasting and crisp, the sauce was tasty and not overdone, the chicken was plentiful, and the bun was delicious.

While Wendy's Crispy Fried Chicken did have lettuce, tomato, and pickles, it simply didn't compete with the flavors offered by Burger King's offering.

If you find yourself in the mood for one of these big three fast-food chains while you're craving a fried-chicken sandwich, head to either Burger King or Wendy's.

While Burger King's Ch'King sandwich line is more substantial and would fill you up for lunch, Wendy's also does the job and would suffice as a snack on its own.

McDonald's options are mostly tasty, but their dense, soggy bun choice ruins any of the positive attributes.

This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author(s).