Who has the best hot chicken sandwich in Lexington? We tried 15. Here is our winner.

In the summer of 2019, fried chicken fast food restaurant chain Popeyes introduced a new chicken sandwich to its menu, available in regular or spicy, and it would soon become a national obsession. Chicken sandwich enthusiasts were quick to take notice and fall in long lines to try it. The demand was off the chart. The internet blew up. Social media was awash with tweets, memes, debate, and commentary as to who sold the best chicken sandwich in the restaurant business.

The hashtags #ChickenWars and #ChickenSandwichWars dominated. Popeye’s had essentially ignited a battle for poultry perfection. Popeyes sandwich was so popular it sold out nationally for a brief time. The “Chicken Sandwich Wars” officially began, and the chicken sandwich has since reached pop-culture status.

An article in Ebony magazine in 2019 traced the humble chicken sandwich’s roots as far back as 1936 and while the sandwich has been around for decades, it is certainly not showing any signs of declining popularity.

According to a recent GrubHub ‘State of the Plate’ report, the spicy chicken sandwich has seen a nearly 300% rise in popularity this year.

Armed with that knowledge, I recently set out on a Lexington hot chicken sandwich crawl to compare, contrast, and determine who offers the best spicy chicken sandwich locally. Over a two-week period (before the dine-in shut down occurred), I ventured inside Lexington restaurants that have thrown their hat in the ring, in the battle royale for hot chicken sandwich supremacy.

My judging criteria was simple: 1) The sandwich had to be fried; and 2) had to have similar components to its competitors (within reason). To keep the comparison a little more local, I excluded the Top 20 national chain restaurants with Lexington locations including McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, Burger King, KFC, Popeyes and Wendy’s.

Here are my findings, in alphabetical order by restaurant name:

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse’s Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. One of the tastiest hot chicken sandwiches in town. A plump and juicy crispy breaded fried chicken breast dipped in Nashville hot sauce and served with tangy, crunchy dill pickles and creamy ranch on a toasted Parker House bun. Simple ingredients and a very satisfying level of heat and terrific flavor from the combined ingredients. Two thumbs up on this one. Medium heat. $12.75 (includes a side). Rating: 9/10.

Bru-Burger Bar’s Bru Hot Chicken Sandwich. A large sandwich consisting of Southern fried chicken tenders covered in a Nashville hot dry rub, served with mayo, crunchy pickle slices and lots of crisp shredded lettuce. It was certainly juicy with a slight crunch and filling, but the heat was inconsistent and mild and the bun began to fall apart while I was finishing the sandwich. $11. Rating: 7/10.

Buffalo Wild Wings’ Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. A large hand-breaded chicken breast, beer-battered with Lagunitas IPA and tossed in a Nashville hot sauce, topped with Napa cabbage slaw, Fresno chile peppers, ranch dressing and pickle slices, served on a challah bun. While filling, the heat was uneven and surprisingly moderate at best. Not a bad sandwich but certainly not a standout. $11.79 (including fries). Rating: 7/10.

BurgerFi’s Spicy Fi’ed Chicken Sandwich. An all-natural, cage-free, hand-breaded boneless chicken breast topped with ghost pepper honey, homemade jalapeño-infused pickle chips, spicy mayo and sliced jalapeños on a branded potato bun. Surprisingly, there was very little heat overall, possibly due to the light smear of spicy mayo. Unremarkable. Stick with BurgerFi’s burgers. $6.97. Rating: 7/10.

Carson’s Food & Drink’s Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. A massive chicken breast tossed liberally in a thick buffalo sauce, served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, dill ranch dressing and bleu cheese crumbles. The chicken breast jutted well out of the bun. It was by far the largest, heftiest hot chicken sandwich of any that I sampled. So large in fact, it took both hands to pick it up and handle it. The heat was tangy-spicy and powerful. A delicious mixture of ingredients and you had better be hungry to finish this one. A definite standout. $14 (including fries). Rating: 10/10.

City BBQ’s Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. A spicy fried chicken breast with a heaping serving of creamy cole slaw, dill pickles and Nashville hot mayo on a griddled, buttered bun. City BBQ bills the sandwich as “hot and cool” and it lived up to its billing. The chicken breast batter was nicely crunchy however the sandwich was very messy due to the Cole slaw topping. But the heat definitely comes through. While flavorful, the sandwich was simply too messy and the bun began to fall apart as I attempted to eat the sandwich, making it difficult to handle. You will need extra napkins. $7.99. Rating 7.5/10.

East End Tap and Table’s Fried Chicken Sandwich. A fried spicy chicken breast, hot honey, cole slaw, pickle slices, and a generous slice of tomato. This sandwich was flavorful and delicious bite after bite. The ingredients blended well, and the heat was evident but not overpowering. It was a bit messy due to the slaw however, but you cannot go wrong with this one when you are craving a tasty hot chicken sandwich. $12 (including fries). Rating: 9.5/10.

Joella’s Hot Chicken Classic Chicken Sandwich. Joella’s offers its chicken — including its chicken sandwiches — in choice of five different heat levels. I chose the “Tweener” (medium heat) level. The menu describes the sandwich as featuring a chicken breast however, my sandwich instead included two chicken tenders and while the tenders were plump and juicy, the staff neglected to add the all-important hot sauce leaving me with nothing more than a basic chicken sandwich. ‘Hot’ may be in the restaurant’s name, but it was certainly not in this sandwich. Accordingly, you cannot win the Hot Chicken Sandwich War if you show up to the battle unarmed. $7.42. Rating: 5/10. (This rating reflects the lack of hot sauce.)

Oscar Diggs’ Buffalo Hot Chicken Sandwich. Rather than a traditional chicken breast, Oscar Diggs goes with a chicken thigh which tends to be juicier and more tender — but the sandwich is subsequently smaller than the competition. The thigh is dipped in buffalo sauce and served with a generous dollop of Duke’s mayo and tangy dill pickles on a tasty artisan bun from Epping’s on Eastside to finish it off. “A Staff favorite” according to the menu and Kentucky Proud ingredients. While enjoyable, I am a bigger fan of Oscar Diggs’ burgers. Mild heat. $14.79 (including fries). Rating 8/10.

Ramsey’s Diner’s Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich. An ample boneless fried chicken breast dipped in a hot buffalo sauce with a side of homemade bleu cheese dressing and served on an onion roll with lettuce, tomato, and lots of onion slices. Moderate heat at best and overall, there was nothing remarkable about the sandwich. $11.95 (including fries). Rating: 7/10.

Shake Shack’s Hot Chick’n Sandwich. A large nicely crunchy chicken breast slow-cooked in a creamy buttermilk marinade and then dusted with a Guajillo chilis sauce and cayenne pepper blend, topped with cherry pepper slaw and large tangy, crunchy dill pickles; all served on a toasted potato roll. You can customize your heat level in choice of hot or extra hot. I went with hot and the heat was apparent and satisfying with each bite. This hot chicken sandwich was superb, albeit a bit messy due to the slaw. Lots of crunch and lots of flavor. $7.09. Rating: 9/10.

Tolly Ho’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. One of the largest chicken sandwiches in the city, stacked with not one, but two chicken patties that had a spicy breading that was nicely crunchy, topped with lettuce, two large slices of tomato, mayo, sliced jalapeños, and a slice of habanero cheese on a toasted sesame seed bun. You will not be hungry after tackling this delicious sandwich. It was so large I could barely fit it into my mouth. Moderate heat and a great value for the price. $7.49. Rating: 9/10.

Wing Zone’s The Big Red. A hand-breaded chicken breast with Hot Shot (bold buffalo sauce), topped with Pepper Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. While the chicken breast was juicy, the heat level was far from “bold,” and in fact, barely noticeable. Disappointingly mild. $7.99. Rating: 6.5/10.

World of Beer’s Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. A lightly hand-breaded, beer-brined chicken breast tossed in an extra spicy buffalo sauce and topped with melted cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, served on a toasted brioche bun. The chicken breast was plump, crispy, flavorful and the heat was powerful and ever-present, while the brioche bun was sweet and light. From first bite to last, one of the most delicious spicy chicken sandwiches in Lexington. $11.50 (includes a side). Rating: 9.5/10.

Zaxby’s Signature Sandwich. With the current trademark of “The Chicken Sandwich War Ain’t Over Yet,” one would expect Zaxby’s newest sandwich with a “double hand-breaded, premium chicken breast fillet, three thick-sliced pickle chips, served on a buttery toasted potato bun with choice of Zax Sauce or Spicy Zax Sauce” to be impressive. Unfortunately, it was not. It was simply average—with only a hint of Spicy Zax Sauce to be found, I officially declare Zaxby’s signature sandwich to be a casualty of the chicken sandwich war. $4.99. Rating: 6/10.

And the winner is… Each of the fifteen hot chicken sandwiches I sampled has its respective merits and is worthy of your money. But after comparing them, the massive size of Carson’s Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, combined with the tastebud tantalizing blend of ingredients and capped off with the intense heat of the bold Buffalo sauce, elevates the sandwich above its local competition. Carson’s Buffalo Chicken Sandwich clearly tops the pecking order on a list of Lexington’s best hot chicken sandwiches.

Rob Bolson is a local foodie who prides himself on eating local. Often.

This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 6:00 AM.