Skip to content

10 Restaurant Chains that Serve the Best Chicken Sandwiches

Humble but hugely popular, the chicken sandwich comes in many delicious forms at restaurants nationwide.
FACT CHECKED BY Chris Shott
The product recommendations in this post are recommendations by the writer and/or expert(s) interviewed and do not contain affiliate links. Meaning: If you use these links to buy something, we will not earn a commission.

A chicken sandwich can take many forms, from grilled cutlets and chopped-up chicken salad to gloriously golden deep-fried chicken. Whether served on a bun or inside a wrap, it's a simple, satisfying American standby.

While the exact origins of the chicken sandwich are extremely murky, American restaurants have been serving them in some form for almost a century. One of the earliest mentions of a fried chicken sandwich appeared in a newspaper advertisement for the Booker T Café in Topeka, Kan., all the way back in 1936.

While you can find a great chicken sandwich at pretty much every fast food chain (but maybe not at Taco Bell), there are also a lot of juicy, craveable chicken sandwiches at sit-down restaurants across the country, too. In fact, many of your favorite full-service chains are serving not-so-humble chicken creations between the bread right now.

Here, we've rounded some of the best of them, so you know what to order the next time you're out for a meal.

Cheesecake Factory Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Spicy Chicken Sandwich at Cheesecake Factory
Cheesecake Factory

Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich With Chipotle Mayo (Per Order): 1170 cal, 74 g fat (24 g saturated fat), 1600 mg sodium, 62 g carbs (2 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 62 g protein

With its famously robust menu, it's hardly a surprise that the Cheesecake Factory offers a fantastic chicken sandwich. The restaurant's spicy chicken sandwich features a crispy fried fillet with melted cheese, lettuce and tomato, served on an airy brioche bun. You can choose between spicy buffalo sauce or spicy mayo to top.

 The Best & Worst Menu Items at The Cheesecake Factory

Texas Roadhouse Mushroom Jack Chicken Sandwich

Mushroom Jack Chicken Sandwich at Texas Roadhouse
Texas Roadhouse

Mushroom Jack Chicken Sandwich (Per Order): 710 cal, 30 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 1360 mg sodium, 48 g carbs (6 g fiber, 11 g sugar), 63 g protein

A chicken sandwich at a steakhouse? Absolutely! Texas Roadhouse serves a sandwich made with fresh chicken breast that's topped with sautéed mushrooms. melted jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion served on a Texas-sized bun with steak fries and a pickle spear. You can add cheddar cheese and bacon or even Texas red chili to your fries if you're really hungry!

Carrabba's Italian Grill Chicken Caprese Sandwich

Chicken Caprese Sandwich at Carrabba's
Carrabba's Italian Grill

Caprese Sandwich with Grilled Chicken (per order): 740 cal, 30 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 1360 mg sodium, 44 g carbs (3 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 69 g protein

This grilled chicken sandwich, from the popular Italian chain with around 200 locations, is the perfect pick-me-up on a busy workday. Chicken cutlets are topped with fresh milk mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil, pesto with pine nuts and walnuts on a baked ciabatta roll. This hearty sandwich also comes with your choice of cup of soup, side salad, side of French fries, penne pomodoro, or sauteed broccoli. 

 The 12 Best Italian Chain Restaurants In America

LongHorn Steakhouse Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich

Crispy Chicken Sandwich at LongHorn Steakhouse
LongHorn Steakhouse

Crispy Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich (6 oz): 920 cal, 55 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 2190 mg sodium, 66 g carbs (5 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 43 g protein

Another favorite steakhouse, LongHorn offers an excellent crispy buttermilk chicken sandwich, which is not only delicious, it's a great deal. The sandwich is made from chicken breast hand-breaded and fried to order, topped with lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles and house made ranch on a toasted potato bun. Then, for under ten dollars, you also get your choice of sides, including a loaded baked potato, shrimp and lobster chowder, or steakhouse mac 'n' cheese.

Maggiano's Little Italy Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

Maggiano's Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
Maggiano's Little Italy

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich (Full Order): 1330 cal, 70 g fat (20 g saturated fat), 1980 mg sodium, 122 g carbs (12 g fiber, 15 g sugar), 55 g protein

Only available at lunch, this breaded patty, smothered in marinara and provolone, is worth taking an extended lunch break for. Served on a grinder-style roll, the sandwich lives up to Maggiano's reputation for large portion sizes. You can get it with Vesuvio potatoes and add a side house, Caesar, or Italian salad for a few dollars more.

 8 Restaurant Chains That Serve The Best Chicken Parmesan

Del Frisco's Grille Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich

Del Frisco Grille's Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich
Del Frisco Grille/Facebook

Nutrition information unavailable

The more casual outpost of the Del Frisco's brand offers a nearly perfect fried chicken sandwich topped with shaved lettuce, red onions, and finished with a spicy truffle citrus mayo that adds the perfect amount of brightness to contrast the crisp of the fried chicken. With 73 locations across 16 states in the U.S., Del Frisco's Restaurant Group also operates Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Barcelona Wine Bar, and Bartaco.

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich at Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich (Per Order): 940 cal, 55 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 2080 mg sodium, 64 g carbs (3 g fiber, 8 g sugar), 48 g protein

Based out of Irving, Texas, this chain is known for making everything on its menu from scratch, which is exactly how you should want a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich to be made. Fresh from the fryer and super crispy, Cheddar's version is made with hand-breaded buttermilk fried chicken and served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and American cheese. You'll also get a hearty side of fries. 

 11 Restaurant Chains That Serve the Best Southern Food

Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich at Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings/Facebook

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich (Per Order): 740 cal, 41 g fat (12 g saturated fat), 3440 mg sodium, 59 g carbs (4 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 31 g protein

If anyone knows chicken, it's B-dubs, and the buffalo ranch chicken sandwich shows this prolific sports bar chain is more than just a wing master. Hand-breaded chicken is topped with shredded lettuce and tomato, drizzled with buffalo sauce and ranch on a fluffy challah bun, for what's basically a giant boneless buffalo wing on a bun.

Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Fried Chicken Sandwich

Bloomin' Chicken Sandwich at Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse

Bloomin' Fried Chicken Sandwich (Per order): 700 cal, 34 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 1380 mg sodium, 62 g carbs (5 g fiber, 11 g sugar), 37 g protein

Bloomin' onion fans, we've got important news for you: Outback's chicken sandwich is hand-battered in the Aussie-themed chain's signature Bloomin' onion seasoning, deep fried and drizzled with spicy signature bloom sauce, then topped with house-made pickles, onion, lettuce and tomato. You can also get the chicken grilled instead of fried, and the sandwich comes with a steakhouse side of your choice.

 I Tried Every Bloomin' Onion Spin-Off at Outback & the Best One Was Better Than Steak

Chili's Bacon Avocado Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Chili's Bacon Avocado Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Chili's Grill & Bar/Facebook

Bacon Avocado Chicken Sandwich (Per Order): 1150 cal, 62 g fat (15 g saturated fat), 2230 mg sodium, 75 g carbs (8 g fiber, 15 g sugar), 78 g protein

With more than 1,500 locations around the U.S., chances are you've had a chicken sandwich at this massively popular chain. If you haven't, you should try the bacon avocado grilled chicken sandwich during your next visit. This grilled chicken sandwich has it all in the toppings department: bacon, Swiss cheese, sautéed onions, lettuce, tomato, and mayo, piled high on a toasted buttery roll. This umami bomb of a sandwich comes with an order of fries, making it a meal for lunch or dinner.

Tanya Edwards
Tanya Edwards is a seasoned food and health journalist, who has held roles at Yahoo Health as Managing Editor and at Food Network as Programming Director. Read more about Tanya