When fast food joints decide to expand beyond the burger, the first place they go is typically the chicken sandwich. After all, the kids in the back of the joint can basically do all the same things, just to a different patty. (Why don't the bigwigs just pick fish? Well, you know, the whole tartar sauce issue.)
Sonic Drive-In has recently added two new "premium" chicken sandwiches to its menu: Chicken and chicken bacon ranch. Both come either fried or grilled with an option for a "wheat" bun option (that apparently, per the nutritional details, does not actually contain any whole grain). As far as I can tell the quote-unquote wheat bun and slightly larger size are what make these suckers "premium."
Between the chicken and the bacon ranch chicken, guess which one tastes better? Well, the plain chicken (which I ordered grilled) is just that: Plain. A chicken patty arrives topped with lettuce, tomato and mayo on a less-squishy-than-usual bun. Though it's not that thrilling, at under 500 calories it's one of the less-heinous fast food options out there.
Naturally, the fried version with bacon and ranch dressing is more exciting even if it could use a bit more bacon or another dollop of ranch and you'll have to scurry double-time on the treadmill later. Is it tastier than the other chicken sandwiches on the market? Eh. Sonic falls into the chicken spectrum thusly: Superior to a McChicken, worse than a Carl's Jr. and can't compete at all with chicken-specializing chains like KFC or Popeye's. On my next trip to Sonic I think I'll just stick to burgers and Java Chillers.
Got a fave fast-food chix sandwich that makes the others look like frauds? Let us know in the comments.

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4-14-2009 @1:44PM Mary said... We love Chick-fil-A!
The Chick-fil-A Chargrilled chicken sandwich is tasty and only 260 calories/3g of fat/27 gram of protein, it's a great fast food choice.
Even the original Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich has 430 calories/17g of fat/31g of protein and is a crowd pleaser with my whole family. Delish!
Not too bad for the occasional outing.
Mary
http://www.healthy-diet-mom.com
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4-14-2009 @1:57PM Grace said... Pretty much anything at Chick-fil-a. As the above comment said, the chargrilled chicken sandwich is delicious and pretty good for you, for fast food.
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4-14-2009 @2:12PM melissalytle said... Chick Fil A. I do love the Original, but I'm also a big fan of their spicy wrap.
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4-14-2009 @2:10PM KF said... First, I'd never order "chicken bacon ranch" anything, from a fast food restaurant. Nothing nutritious can result from that combo and makes me queasy just thinking about it. Second, Mary and Grace, thanks for the good tip. I don't think about Chick Fil-A and we just got one in our city this year, so the charbroiled chicken sounds like it would fit my goals -- something healthy on the go, when it's necessary.
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4-15-2009 @12:17PM Sara said... I think the BK chicken sandwich all the way. Juicy, good bun, I think only 583 calories. (only. ha!)
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