Can new McD’s Cajun chicken sandwich match its Popeyes inspo? I tried and compared the 2

A chicken sandwich is just a chicken sandwich, right?

Not even a little bit.

McDonald’s has a new Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy sandwich that has decidedly proven otherwise. The famously hamburger-oriented fast food restaurant launched two new, limited edition chicken sandwiches and I tried them so you don’t have to. But I think you really should.

The official McDonald’s take is that it’s “inspired by soul food flavors of the South, with a bold, creamy and spicy Cajun ranch sauce, applewood smoked bacon and crisp crinkle cut pickles, all served on a warm toasted potato roll.” But we had to have a taste test of our own.

Is the new spicy chicken sandwich any good?

The short answer is yes, very.

The Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispy and the Bacon Cajun Ranch Deluxe delivered on a few fronts. One without lettuce and tomato and one with, respectively, they offer all the things you love about the traditional McDonald’s chicken sandwich, but with a touch of Chick-fil-A texture and added pickle. The sauce is billed as a “bold, creamy and spicy Cajun ranch sauce” and that’s mostly true, but its giving Big Mac special sauce, but with a spicy kick. This is not a criticism, just a thing I noticed.

However, since I believe in science, I gathered a few chicken sandwich connoisseurs to help me with the hard work and research needed to draw an objective conclusion. Since I am not a huge fan of spicy, I had to enlist a couple of tasters who could weigh in on the spice factor, and turns out, it was a hit.

McDonald’s vs. Popeyes

For reference, I compared the Bacon Cajun Ranch McCrispies to the famous Popeyes Chicken sandwich that was all the rage a few years ago. I graded the sandwiches on a scale of 1 - 5 on the basis of flavor, spice and texture, with 5 being best and 1 a hot mess.

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