I ordered the same meal at Chick-fil-A and Wingstop, and the bigger chain dominated almost every category
- I compared fries, sandwiches, tenders, and brownies from chicken chains Chick-fil-A and Wingstop.
- Wingstop's brownie was better than Chick-fil-A's, which seemed too dry and just not as exciting.
I compared several popular items from Chick-fil-A and Wingstop.
Like many of us, I tend to stick to what I know when it comes to fast food, especially with my chicken. However, I recently decided to try a few items from Wingstop, a chicken-centric restaurant first established in Texas, and compare them to Chick-fil-A's similar food.
Wingstop, known for its recently launched chicken sandwich and wings meals, is an aviation-themed fast-food chain with over 1,700 locations spread throughout the US. Chick-fil-A, which is also known for its chicken sandwiches as well as its tenders, has over 2,800 US locations.
I tried chicken tenders, sandwiches, fries, and brownies to find which chain had the tastiest food. I ordered carryout from both chains and tasted each item side by side at home.
I was excited to try the items from Wingstop for the first time.
I ordered Wingstop's plain chicken sandwich, four-piece crispy tenders, seasoned fries, and triple chocolate-chunk brownie.
Wingstop's chicken sandwich, which launched on August 30, was sold out nationwide for a few weeks so I was interested to see what the hype was about.
Altogether, my food from Wingstop cost about $20.
I've had Chick-fil-A before so its menu was somewhat familiar to me.
I ordered Chick-fil-A's plain chicken sandwich, four-count Chick-n-Strips, waffle fries, and chocolate-fudge brownie.
My order came out to be about $16, which meant my food from Chick-fil-A was slightly cheaper.
Chick-fil-A carries waffle fries and Wingstop offers a classic shoestring shape.
Wingstop's fries, which were a classic shoestring shape, came with what the chain calls its signature seasoning on them.
Chick-fil-A's waffle fries weren't heavily seasoned so I thought the simple approach could be key.
I tried Wingstop's fries first.
I thought Wingstop's portion size of fries was pretty generous. I got a full basket of seasoned fries for $2.99.
The fries were nice and golden with a great crunch. I'm usually not a fan of fries that still have the skin on them but, even though Wingstop's version did, I thought they were pretty tasty.
I would order Chick-fil-A's fries again.
Chick-fil-A's fries, which were $2.25, were more my speed because they seemed fresh, crispy, and salty and didn't have any special seasoning on them.
The chain's waffle fries managed to be light and perfectly fried with a fluffy center. They just had a bit of sea salt, which I thought was simple, effective and delicious.
The chicken tenders from both chains looked crispy.
Both restaurants' chicken tenders looked golden and crunchy, which was what I was looking for.
Wingstop's chicken tenders had just the right level of crunchiness.
I started with Wingstop's four-piece tenders, which were $7.19. The chain's tenders seemed perfectly fried and held that sought-after crunch I craved when I took a bite.
The tenders were pretty big and had a great skin-to-meat ratio but unfortunately, I thought they were pretty bland. I didn't quite get any flavor from the fried skin or the actual meat but dipping the tenders in ranch certainly helped.
I really liked the flavor of Chick-fil-A's chicken tenders.
Chick-fil-A's four-piece Chick-n-Strips, which were $6.09, had that great balance of flavor in a juicy bite.
Though Chick-fil-A's tenders don't have what I consider the traditional crispy-chicken texture (it's boneless and skinless), there was more meat to enjoy and I could taste the salt, black pepper, and other spices.
Both chains' chicken sandwiches looked promising.
I ordered plain chicken sandwiches from both chains, which included a few pickle slices and large, breaded chicken breasts.
I was curious if Wingstop's new chicken sandwich was worth the hype.
Wingstop's chicken sandwich cost $5.49, but the portion size was so large I felt like I got the bang for my buck. I thought the piece of chicken was a substantial size and the pickles really elevated the sandwich.
However, I also thought it was a bit on the drier side because I couldn't taste any sort of spread on the bun and, to me, the chicken itself lacked any powerful flavor. However, Wingstop carries 12 chicken-sandwich flavors like hickory-smoked BBQ, mango-habanero, and lemon-pepper so maybe those other seasonings would have provided more flavor.
Chick-fil-A's sandwich had a buttered bun and juicy chicken.
Chick-fil-A's approach to a chicken sandwich, which cost $4.39, was more my speed.
I thought the sandwich was so juicy and the buttered bun added sweetness to the whole thing. I think the aluminum packaging my sandwich came in also helped it retain some moisture.
There was a big difference between the franchises' brownies.
Both restaurants had tasty-looking brownies on the menu.
I ordered Chick-fi-A's chocolate-fudge brownie and Wingstop's triple chocolate-chunk version.
Wingstop's brownie was simply delicious.
Wingstop's triple chocolate-chunk brownie, which cost $2.49, was bigger than Chick-fil-A's and, to me, much more delicious.
It was delicate, seemed fresh, and had both chocolate chips and chunks in it. The middle of the brownie was melt-in-your-mouth soft and had a nice hard outer edge. Overall, I thought Wingstop had the perfect brownie.
Chick-fil-A's brownie seemed a little dry.
Chick-fil-A's chocolate-fudge brownie, which was $2.09, was pretty good.
But in my opinion, the brownie was kind of dry, like maybe it had been sitting out a bit too long.
Overall, Chick-fil-A was my winner.
With the exception of the brownie, Chick-fil-A's menu items had the flavor and freshness I was looking for. The chain's chicken tenders and sandwich were juicy and flavorful and the fries, though not anything fancy, were tasty and satisfying.
I thought Wingstop's large portion sizes were great but the chicken itself wasn't as flavorful as Chick-fil-A's. That being said, Wingstop's triple chocolate-chunk brownie was delicious and, in my opinion, was far superior to Chick-fil-A's dessert.
All in all, if I wanted to order a chicken-heavy meal, I'd head to Chick-fil-A.
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