The Best And Worst Breakfast Biscuits From 8 Fast Food Chains

One of the best parts of living in America is the biscuits. These pillowy, flaky pucks of flour, salt, and butter are a specialty of the American South, and you'll find them served at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The baked goods are so popular that they've naturally become a staple in fast food restaurants, and some chains even add eggs, cheese, and meat to create a complete breakfast. But with a variety of options on the menus, which breakfast biscuits should you order and which should you avoid? We're here to help you.

While there are plenty of fast food chains that serve amazing biscuits, not all of them serve them at breakfast with all the goods. These eight fast food joints do, and we have either tasted them ourselves or researched and found reviews from other diners who have to determine the best and worst breakfast biscuit at each chain.

Read more: The Ultimate Ranking Of American Fast Food Restaurants

Best: McDonald's Sausage, Egg, And Cheese Biscuit

First up is McDonald's. The king of fast food offers biscuits, although we'd argue that the McMuffin and McGriddles are the more popular options based on anecdotal evidence. Still, we personally can't help but gravitate toward the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit every time we roll up to those golden arches for breakfast.

The round sausage patty is more substantial than the thin strips of bacon McDonald's serves, and it allows for each bite of the sandwich to be the same as the last. Too often, eating a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese sandwich from a fast food restaurant is just like eating an egg and cheese with the occasional surprise of bacon. Sausage is just the more reliable choice, and McDonald's sausage brings that tiny hint of sweetness to this sandwich that the chain's biscuits lack.

The only potential downside is the folded egg, which is made with liquid eggs and is cooked, folded, and frozen before being shipped to locations; it is then reheated in stores. If you want to upgrade to a freshly-cracked egg, ask for a round egg instead of the folded egg that comes on the sandwich by default.

Worst: McDonald's McChicken Biscuit

McDonald's forte has never been chicken. From the pink slime catastrophe of "Super-Size Me," which turned out to be a false fact about McDonald's, to its disappointing entry in the chicken sandwich wars, the McCrispy, the golden arches have rarely been a destination for good fried chicken. This is especially true for the McChicken Biscuit, which is the driest iteration of the dish that we've probably ever tried.

This simple sandwich features only a McChicken patty on one of the chain's biscuits. The result has a flavor profile almost exclusively of salt, and the biscuit is remarkably dry. The quality of McDonald's biscuits can be alright at best, but it varies from minute to minute (or it can feel like it), so you never know if you're going to get a dried-out mess. Combine that biscuit with the dry McChicken patty and no condiments (even the McChicken comes lathered in mayo), and you have a pretty one-note biscuit sandwich that is hard to recommend.

Best: Chick-Fil-A Spicy Chicken Biscuit

When it comes to chicken biscuits, Chick-fil-A is coming in to swoop in where McDonald's let us down. Specifically, with the Spicy Chicken Biscuit, the sweet and spicy highlight of the chain's breakfast menu and an item that sent customers into a tizzy.

Featuring a much tastier chicken and a much lighter biscuit than McDonald's or Wendy's, this is the platonic ideal of a Southern fast food breakfast. The Chick-fil-A biscuit has that hint of sweetness you want from a homestyle biscuit, and the chicken is tender and juicy. While you can't go wrong with the regular Chicken Biscuit, the seasoning on the spicy chicken is an excellent contrast to the sweet, buttery nature of the biscuit.

The Spicy Chicken Biscuit is great as served, but it also leaves you open to adding honey for that perfect sweet and spicy balance. Or if you prefer one of Chick-fil-A's many excellent sauces, they are available any time of day and employees are happy to give you as many sauce packets as you please.

Worst: Chick-Fil-A Sausage, Egg, And Cheese Biscuit

Chick-fil-A marketing frequently features cows holding up signs begging you to consume more chicken. It makes sense, then, that pork products like sausage wouldn't be the chain's specialty. This is one place (but not the only) where the chain's Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit suffers.

The sausage patties at Chick-fil-A don't have the freshest texture, and the flavor can often be aggressively salty. Chick-fil-A employees on Reddit claim the chain uses frozen Jimmy Dean sausages. Given the uniform grill marks on the patty and the slightly rubbery texture we remember, we aren't surprised.

The eggs, too, are a bit of a letdown. Like McDonald's, Chick-fil-A uses a folded egg for its biscuit sandwiches. Unlike McDonald's, there is no way to substitute it for something better. If you want an egg biscuit at Chick-fil-A, the Chicken, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit is the way to go.

Best: Burger King Ham, Egg, And Cheese Biscuit

If you ask Burger King diners what their favorite breakfast item from the chain is, you're going to get a variety of answers. The Croissan'wich is a big winner, and many diners will choose that over the biscuit. We are a bit of purists when it comes to croissants, though, and the ones that Burger King uses resemble the real flaky pastry even less than their biscuits resemble their respective progenitor. If you're going with one, though, the Ham, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit is a clear winner.

When it comes to breakfast biscuits at Burger King, critics agree that the ham is the chain's best breakfast meat. A review in The Takeout said the ham "had more flavor than both the sausage and the bacon, maybe partially due to the generous portion."

Even a critical Business Insider reviewer (who only liked one of the items) said that the Black Forest ham Burger King uses  was "undeniably scrumptious, as well as consistent... It paired nicely with the egg and the melted American cheese, which worked well here since it drew out the ham's subtle sweetness without making this sandwich overly greasy."

Worst: Burger King Egg And Cheese Biscuit

Now that we are back on the worst side, we can admit that the biscuits at Burger King are not the best. An AL.com ranking of fast food biscuits listed these as the worst, saying "the biscuit itself is bland and gummy, and I got the worst aftertaste." The additions of Burger King's folded egg and a single slice of American cheese don't do much to make things any more appetizing. The Egg and Cheese Biscuit from the chain is one of its worst menu items by a decent margin.

A lot of the disdain here is for the eggs. Without any meat to hide it, the questionable quality of the liquid egg product stands out when eating this biscuit. As with previous entrants McDonald's and Chick-fil-A, Burger King uses folded eggs made of a liquid egg-pasteurized mixture that contains xanthan gum, citric acid, medium-chain triglycerides, and other preservatives. The bottom line is that they just aren't up to par and this breakfast biscuit is not the one you want to start your day.

Best: Wendy's Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit

Wendy's breakfast might be the most underrated in the fast food game. Not only are the potato wedges a gift from God, but the biscuits from the burger chain are surprisingly (and consistently) good and fluffy. The flavor and texture of them are most similar to the biscuits at KFC, which we consider to be a good thing. When it comes to what to order on that biscuit, Wendy's Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit won't steer you wrong. It is one of the best fast food breakfast sandwiches, hands down.

Between its chicken nuggets and this, it's clear that Wendy's is the one fast food chain to figure out the perfect crisp and consistency on a chicken patty. Even if it doesn't compare to the fresher options at Chick-fil-A and Bojangles, it's still damn delicious. The honey butter, though, is what really sets this sandwich over the edge. By amplifying both the sweet and savory, this sandwich curbs both types of breakfast cravings.

Worst: Wendy's Sausage Biscuit

While McDonald's also offers this very cheap and basic breakfast option, but somehow Wendy's version is noticeably worse. This sandwich is just a patty of underwhelming sausage between two halves of a plain Wendy's biscuit. Listen, as fast food breakfast fans, we love that Wendy's uses freshly cracked eggs where its competitors don't. It definitely gives the chain a leg up in most direct comparisons, but this item doesn't even get the luxury of an egg to give it that boost.

Like its burgers, Wendy's sausage patties are square-shaped, but don't let that trick you into thinking you're eating fresh meat. Unlike its burgers, Wendy's uses frozen sausage for its breakfast biscuits, according to employees. This explains the vast gulf in quality between the two seemingly similar products. Practically, the square sausage also just throws the ingredient ratios off, and you are starting off the meal with bites full of sausage and only tiny bits of biscuit.

Best: Bojangles Cajun Chicken Filet Biscuit

This might just be the most beloved biscuit sandwich in all of fast food. Several Daily Meal writers have tried the Cajun Chicken Filet Biscuit from Bojangles, and they all say it's the best in class. This simple chicken biscuit is a winner because both of its components are golden brown and delicious.

Bojangles makes its biscuits fresh from scratch each day and even replaces them every 20 minutes so customers never need to worry about a stale bite. This puts them in the top tier of fast food biscuits by default. The chain's chicken is perfect on this breakfast biscuit too. The seasoning and crunch of the breading stand out against the sweet and flaky biscuit. There is enough moisture between both components that you won't even need to add any sauces to temper any potential dryness.

Worst: Bojangles Country Ham Biscuit

Bojangles is known for its biscuit sandwiches, but not all of them are bangers. If you order the Country Ham Biscuit, you'll likely find it a bit lackluster. The sandwich features one boring, sad slice of ham in between a biscuit. This salty, dry combo could definitely be improved with the addition of eggs and cheese, but as is it's one of the worst choices you can make at Bojangles.

One problem here is the ratio. There isn't anything inherently wrong with slapping a piece of meat between two halves of a biscuit and calling it a sandwich; see Bojangle's own chicken biscuit. But there's no way this thin slice of ham stacks up to a juicy piece of chicken or even the Steak Biscuit, which features a crispy chicken fried steak filet. With this one, you are getting a mouthful of biscuit with just a hint of ham in the bite. As a result, this breakfast biscuit from Bojangles doubles down on both dry and salty, making for a less than ideal combination.

Best: Hardee's Country Fried Steak Biscuit

Like Bojangles, Hardee's is another chain that makes fresh biscuit dough from scratch each day. According to Hardee's, a fresh batch of biscuits should be coming out every 15 minutes to ensure freshness. The chain merged with Carl's Jr. in 1997, and the two are pretty much synonymous at this point. However, the biscuit sandwich offerings are a bit more diverse at Hardee's. While you can opt for some pretty extreme options like its Monster Biscuit or Loaded Omelet Biscuit (both contain the holy trinity of breakfast meat—bacon, ham, and sausage), we recommend keeping it simple and Southern. The Country Fried Steak Biscuit should do the trick.

This delectably crispy piece of country fried steak on one of Hardee's homemade biscuits is a fan favorite. In a Reddit thread asking for what to get for Hardee's breakfast, multiple diners recommended the steak biscuit. One even recommends piling on a few hash browns and a squirt of ketchup to really make it a perfect breakfast sandwich. A side of Hardee's sausage gravy sounds like it would make for a heavenly combo with the Country Fried Steak Biscuit.

Worst: Hardee's Loaded Omelet Biscuit

When it comes to not delivering on the advertised photo of the product, this breakfast sandwich takes the cake—or biscuit, as it were. The Hardee's menu makes its Loaded Omelet Biscuit look like a towering achievement of sandwich-making; a fully-sized omelet loaded with crumbled sausage, bacon, ham, and American cheese appears to be folded over and stuffed inside two halves of a biscuit. What you actually get is a lot less glamorous.

One photo a diner posted on Reddit showed the messy reality. You can see that the sandwich is mostly a mess of egg and cheese with only a little pocket of mixed breakfast meats, each barely distinguishable from the other. On blogger at Wichita by EB tasted a sampling of Hardee's breakfast items, and they were similarly let down by the lack of meat compared to the ads. Despite this being a longtime occupant of the Hardee's menu, the chances of you getting a properly "loaded" Loaded Omelet Biscuit seem slim.

Best: Jack In The Box Bacon, Egg, And Cheese Biscuit

The best of only a handful of breakfast biscuit options at Jack in the Box, the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese biscuit is a solid take on one of America's most popular breakfast sandwiches. The BEC, as it is commonly abbreviated, can be served on anything. Where we live, in New York City, this typically means a bagel or roll, but personally, we prefer the biscuit. Perhaps this comes from the nostalgic memories of growing up on the West Coast, where this Jack in the Box breakfast item was a staple in the rotation.

Jack in the Box's current lineup of breakfast sandwiches benefits greatly from being made with freshly cracked eggs. Since this is only one of a handful of chains that use fresh eggs, we can't help but commend them on it. The bacon, too, tends to be more consistent in size, texture, and flavor than other fast food joints we've tried. For these reasons, this is a slam-dunk option if you're going to Jack in the Box with a one-track mind set on a biscuit sandwich.

Worst: Jack In The Box Chicken Biscuit

There's a few types of chicken biscuits you can get at Jack in the Box. This one is by far the worst, despite its innocuous name. If you want a substantial and crispy chicken on a biscuit, you are looking for the Homestyle or Spicy Chicken Biscuits. Each of those includes a real piece of chicken breast as the sandwich's centerpiece, whereas the Jack in the Box Chicken Biscuit is a low-cost option that features a thin, breaded chicken patty.

If we're being frank, this is one of the worst places to get a fast food chicken biscuit we can think of. Neither the quality of the biscuit nor the quality of the chicken stack up to places where these items are the core focus, like Bojangles or Chick-Fil-A. I guess this makes the chain truly a Jack of all trades and, at very least, not a master of this one.

Best: Whataburger Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit

Despite having "burger" in its name, one of Whataburger's most famous items is its sweet and savory take on the chicken biscuit. For breakfast perfection, look no further than the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit. Diners on Reddit call it an amazing item and tout it as one of the must-get breakfast items, right there next to the chain's breakfast burger — but that's not served on a biscuit, so it clearly doesn't count in this race.

There is a solid dollop of honey butter on this sandwich, enough to ensure you get some in each and every bite. The only downside is the mess it's going to make dripping out and onto your shirt.

Whataburger's Honey Butter Chicken can be taken to the next level when you get it on the limited-time Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuit. The lifespan of this new item was recently extended, but it might not be around forever, so try the combo out while you still can.

Worst: Whataburger Biscuit With Bacon

Out of all the fast food breakfast menus, this item was the wimpiest. It's barely even a sandwich. No matter how you slice it, Whataburger's Biscuit with Bacon is just a biscuit with a couple pieces of bacon in the middle. No other fast food competitors offer any version of what this item, which speaks to how ill-conceived it is.

Texturally, the sandwich doesn't really work. The combination of crispy bacon with a dense biscuit often leads to an item that is dry and crumbly. Flavor wise, it also ends up being very salty without a lot of contrast to cut that sodium content.

For something that is actually a sandwich, the Egg and Cheese Biscuit at Whataburger costs only 30 cents more . Not only would that be a more filling option for breakfast, but the textures would be harmonious, with the egg and cheese bringing moisture and substance to each bite.

Best: Krystal Bacon Egg And Cheese Biscuit

If you haven't heard of Krystal, you might be surprised to learn that the fast food chain has nearly 300 locations in the United States. These are resigned to the South, primarily in Georgia and Florida. Usually you'll go to Krystal for steamed hamburger sliders (reminiscent of White Castle for us East Coasters), but if you go before 11 a.m., you can get a sandwich on a biscuit. The Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit is a filling, affordable morning go-to.

The chain started using fresh cracked eggs for its breakfast sandwiches a few years ago, and it's a big improvement to their BEC biscuits. With a generous amount of bacon and one fried egg, Krystal is giving even the biggest chains a run for their money with this. When these fresh eggs were a new item, YouTube reviewer Theendorsement gave the Krystal Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit a try and was a huge fan, ultimately giving the item a 90 out of 100 rating.

Methodology

The methodology for these choices are based on what diners like and disliked about the items. To speak to as wide a range of personal experiences as possible, we collaborated with other members of the Daily Meal writing team. For the items on this list that we have not tried personally, we cited online reviews from diners and food reviews on platforms including YouTube and Reddit.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.