By: Mia David and Emilia Moberg

The school year is about halfway done now, and we have been able to try a wide variety of lunches this year. We have seen a few new meals introduced and some classics returning.

One significant difference in lunches this year is the glaring lack of spicy chicken patties. What was once a meal that appeared almost once a week has unfortunately slowly been seen less and less in the lunch room. Further, when this meal does occur, there are many times when the school only serves the regular chicken sandwich, and not the spicy one.

To remedy this problem, we have both tried multiple types of spicy chicken sandwiches from different restaurants. Hopefully, the following reviews of these sandwiches, that we have written, will help decide where you will get your next spicy chicken patty.

First up, we have Culver’s spicy chicken sandwich. This sandwich is simple, with tomato, lettuce, and pickle. There are only specific sauces on the sandwich if asked for. The spice level is relatively low, and there isn’t a massive difference between the regular and spicy patty. Overall, the sandwich is quite similar to the school lunch sandwich, and we would rate it an 8/10.

Our next sandwich comes from Buffalo Wild Wings, which they call the saucy chicken sandwich. This sandwich only comes with pickles on it and could use some lettuce or tomato. Unlike the Culver’s and school lunch sandwiches, this chicken has a more flakey sort of breading, and instead of the breading being spicy, there is a buffalo sauce drizzled on top. This adds a strong spice level to the sandwich but makes it quite messy, and the bun gets soggy quickly. Overall, we would say this sandwich is very different from the school sandwich but is still good, and we would give it a 6/10.

Next up are the spicy chicken sandwiches from McDonalds. At McDonald’s, there are two different options when it comes to spicy chicken sandwiches – the regular sandwich and the deluxe. The regular sandwich comes with spicy sauce and pickles, whereas the deluxe sandwich includes lettuce and tomato as well. We would say that the regular sandwich gives the closest resemblance to the school chicken patty, but both are good options to try. The greatest difference between these two sandwiches and the school chicken patty is, like the sandwich from Buffalo Wild Wings, the McDonalds sandwiches are spicy because of the sauce, and school chicken patties are spicy because of the breading. Overall, the spice level is relatively low, but still noticeable. These sandwiches get a 7.5/10.

Popeyes also has a spicy chicken sandwich that is worth checking out. Similarly to the regular McDonalds sandwich, this sandwich includes spicy sauce and pickles. There is also a notably good ratio of the bun and the chicken to balance the spice from the sauce. The chicken itself, however, is much crunchier and flakier than the McDonalds sandwich and school patty. This creates a much different eating experience than the school chicken patty, but still provides much of the same flavor. Overall, the Popeyes sandwich gets an 8/10.

Hopefully, the school spicy chicken patty will soon make its way back into the lunch room. Until then though, if you are someone who has been missing the spicy chicken patty or never got the chance to try it, this list gives you a starting point to try to introduce some more spicy chicken sandwiches into your life.