Does Burger King Use The Same Cut Of Meat For Its Original Chicken Sandwich And Royal Crispy Chicken?

At Burger King, the words "chicken sandwich" can refer to two wildly different-looking patties. Order BK's Original Chicken Sandwich — the undersung fan-favorite of many customers — and you'll get a lightly breaded, oblong chicken patty, which is then topped with lettuce and mayo on a sesame seed bun. By comparison, the chain's Royal Crispy Chicken features a crispy, white meat breast filet, which is then loaded up with lettuce, tomato, and a savory sauce on a toasted potato bun. Not only does the Royal Crispy sandwich come with more toppings than the OG version, but its chicken element is also notably thicker and toothier, creating an overall heartier sammy. 

Where BK's Original Chicken Sandwich firmly belongs to the "classic" fast food chicken sandwich category, the chain's Royal Crispy Chicken could be considered a premium offering. Its patty arrives with a much less processed-looking profile. In Tasting Table's definitive ranking of every chicken item on Burger King's menu, the Original Chicken Sandwich (8th place) was far outranked by the Royal Crispy Chicken (4th place) due to the apparent difference in the patties. As we wrote in our review, with the more "gourmet" Royal Crispy option, "we get actual white meat chicken breast rather than a ground chicken-like substance that comes with a chewy texture." 

Offering two "classic" and "premium" chicken patties is a practice commonly used by competitor fast food chains, too. McDonald's similarly offers the toothier McCrispy with a chicken filet as well as a classic McChicken patty (and just like BK's patty, this one isn't 100% real chicken). Jack in the Box also carries a crispy chicken filet in addition to a thinner crispy chicken patty.

On the business end, one style of patty may be cheaper to produce than the other. According to the ingredients list on the official Burger King website, its Original Chicken Sandwich's patty is made from a mixture of boneless chicken breast with rib meat, water, salt, and isolated oat product as an added filler. By comparison, the Royal Crispy Chicken's white meat filet is made from a seemingly higher-quality blend of chicken breast with rib meat, water, and a seasoning blend including salt, garlic powder, onion powder, buttermilk powder, and celery seed. At a BK location in Chicago, the Original Chicken Sandwich à la carte currently costs $5.79. Meanwhile, the Royal Crispy Chicken costs a slightly higher $5.89.

In a Reddit thread, customers posited that the quality of BK's Original Chicken Sandwich has declined in recent years, with one noting, "It used to be bigger, juicier, crispier." In another thread, a Redditor praised the Royal Crispy Chicken as a better offering, writing, "The only thing that makes the original worth it is if you have a coupon or are getting the 2 for 7 to save some money." A BK employee also chimed in with, "If yall saw what the original looks and smells like right after coming out of the fryer, the choice would obviously be the royal." 

Ultimately, it's worth noting that BK's Original Chicken Sandwich still carries a unique appeal all its own. As one customer quipped in another Reddit thread, "The classic chicken sandwich (The long one) is too good to give up, even if there are technically higher quality options these days."