One Of The Best Fast Food Fish Sandwiches Available Comes From A Fried Chicken Chain

When you consider how quickly fish filets cook, it's no wonder they're becoming a staple on fast food menus everywhere from McDonald's to Arby's. We set out to find the best fast food fish sandwich by sampling 10 sandwiches, ranking them according to quality of ingredients, taste and texture, toppings, and tartar sauce. One of the best fast food fish sandwiches, according to our ranking, was from a fried chicken chain.

Coming in a very respectable second place is Church's Texas Chicken's, formerly Church's Chicken, fried fish sandwich made with wild-caught Alaskan pollock, coated in panko breading on a brioche bun with a hefty slathering of tartar sauce and thinly sliced pickles. Since nearly every fast food fried fish sandwich is made with Alaskan pollock, Church's fish sandwich stands out for its execution. The fried fish filet was triangular and naturally shaped as opposed to the patties or cookie cutter shapes of mass produced frozen fish filets. The breading was delicate yet shatteringly crispy, the perfect contrast to the flaky, tender, and buttery filet. A sandwich is the sum of its parts, and there were no weak links with Church's sandwich. The buttery, fluffy yet substantial brioche bun was a delicious vessel for the fish, toppings, and condiments. The tartar sauce stole the show, with a rich and creamy consistency and a beautiful balance of sweet and tangy flavors. Thinly sliced pickles provide that extra bit of crunch and sour bite to complement the umami richness of the fish.

Church's customers took to social media to shower the fish sandwich with praise. One quick car review on YouTube proclaimed "this might be the fish sandwich of the year." Plus, according to the reviewer, you can get a side of fried popcorn shrimp for a dollar, bringing more crunchy seafood goodness to the mix. Another review complimented the fresh, hot filet, as "flakey and crispy, and seasoned well." The reviewer was also especially impressed with the pickle and tartar sauce combination alongside the filet. Furthermore, said the reviewer, "for the flavor and quality, it's not bad at all for the price."

A very thorough review from PeepThisOut gives a play-by-play, stating, "right off the break the flavor of the pickles along with the sauce is primo ... a little bit of sweetness and then you go right into the crispy action with a very decently sized pollock," which the reviewer described as "10% coating and 90% fish." He loved the crispy crunchiness of the panko breadcrumbs and the thickness of the filet itself. The review also praised the bun as "very soft and fun to eat" with a sweet honey butter that works really well with the tangy pickles and tartar sauce. As a last point, he says the sandwich reminds him of the flounder sandwich at Popeye's, which we think is the absolute best fish sandwich. Apparently, the best fast food fried chicken sandwiches have some fishy competition, right in the same restaurants.