What's The Difference Between McDonald's McCrispy And McChicken Sandwiches?

McDonald's may be best known for its Big Mac, World Famous Fries, and Chicken McNuggets, but the fast-food giant has much more to offer poultry lovers, including the Snack Wrap, McChicken, and McCrispy. The latter two are the chain's main chicken sandwich offerings and may look pretty similar based on product photos alone, but there are some important differences between them that are apparent from the first bite. And if you ask die-hard Mickey D's fans, one is clearly better than the other.

Let's start with the similarities. Both use deep-fried chicken, but their quality is drastically different. McChicken's protein is essentially a processed, breaded chicken patty. Think of it like a bigger chicken nugget. For this exact reason, many customers in one Reddit thread comparing the two sandwiches love the consistency in quality and texture of this chicken patty. The McCrispy, on the other hand, is made using a premium, white-meat chicken filet with a Southern-style crispy breading. Despite the premium protein, customers find the quality hit-or-miss, with many saying that a good one is great but a bad one can taste "woody" and "rubbery."

As far as the toppings go, in the McChicken, you'll find shredded lettuce and mayonnaise, a deceptively simple but tasty combination. The McCrispy gives the chicken filet center stage, pairing it with crinkle-cut pickles and salted butter. Then there's the Spicy McCrispy, which we gave the top spot in our ranking of every McDonald's chicken item, that adds a spicy pepper sauce into the mix, or the Deluxe versions that add shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes, and mayonnaise. Variations of the McChicken include the Deluxe, made with shredded lettuce and Roma tomatoes on a sesame seed bun or the Hot 'n Spicy McChicken, which features a blend of bold spices. However, their availability varies by location.

Now let's talk about the bun. The McChicken comes on a plain white hamburger bun, while the McCrispy comes on the soft and slightly sweet toasted potato roll. All these premium ingredients mean the McCrispy is a bit pricier than the McChicken, even though prices vary by location. A McCrispy can run you $5.99 for the sandwich only, while a McChicken is just $2.99 at the time of writing, a value that's hard to pass up. A Deluxe Spicy McCrispy is the priciest at $6.89 per sandwich. Whether those upgrades are worth paying nearly twice as much for, however, is up to you.

On Reddit, fans praise the McChicken, although the McCrispy's got its loyal followers, too. One fan on Reddit said of the Spicy McCrispy that "when you get a good super fresh [one] out the fryer [it] slaps harder than a Hot 'n Spicy ever could." However, they did note that the "problem is they fall off hard if they aren't fresh," which is a common complaint online. For some fans, the value is what keep them coming back for the McChicken, which "actually has seasoning, a better breading, and priced so you can get them a couple at a time," as one Redditor explains.

What about their nutrition content? Customers are actually surprised that the McCrispy comes packed with 26 grams of protein. It also has 470 calories, 46 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of fat. In comparison, a plain McChicken is 390 calories and contains 14 grams of protein, 38 grams of carbs, and 21 grams of fat. They may both scratch the chicken sandwich itch, but that's about where the similarities end.