Eats

My Top 5 Chicken Sandwiches of 2022: Because Chicken Sandwiches Are Delicious

In 2019, Popeyes launched a fried chicken sandwich that swept the national by storm, kicking off a full fledged chicken sandwich war. Every fast-food restaurant scrambled to reinvented their chicken sandwiches, eager to win over the taste buds, hearts, and dollars of happy eaters across the world.

The boom wasn’t exclusive to fast food. Elevated chicken sandwiches began gracing the menus of hip and trendy establishments, and niche shops starting popping up across big cities.

I was late to the trend (as per usual), and 2022 was my first year of diving into the wild world of fried chicken sandwiches. And I must say, I found some pretty stellar ones…

My Top 5 Chicken Sandwiches of 2022

5. Dough and Fuku Collab

For a limited time in Spring 2022, Dough and Fuku teamed up to make a fried chicken doughnut sandwich that was nothing short of epic. I was invited to give them a try because #influencer (who’s always late to the trends….) I got the CBR Sando on a glazed doughnut. It had crispy habanero-brined chicken breast topped with bacon, ranch, and a pickle.

The sweet, salty, and spicy worked together beautifully to create a flavor explosion of tremendous proportions. Earning it a spot on this top 5 chicken sandwiches of 2022 list.

4. Double Chicken Please

Double Chicken Please is a posh Lower East Side spot that has earned a spot on a “Top 50 Bars in the World” list. The backroom serves up innovative food-inspired cocktails like mango sticky rice and cold pizza. The front room serves up tap cocktails. And you can snag an out of this world chicken sandwich in either.

The hot honey sandwich features a delightfully crunchy piece of chicken that is topped and bottomed with a Thai basil sauce. A toasted pretzel bun ties it all together. The Thai basil sauce adds a little va-va-voom and freshness while allowing the chicken to shine. It’s a solid chicken sandwich that’s well worth trying.

3. Scoville Hot Chicken

Scoville Hot Chicken is an Atlanta based chain that opened its first NYC location in March 2022. There’s only one chicken sandwich on the menu, and it’s up to you to pick the right spice level. My sandwich was loaded with a huge piece of chicken that was topped with cabbage for a crunch and a special sauce to tie it all together.

This sandwich kicked off my chicken sandwich craze. Earning it the #3 spot on my top 5 chicken sandwiches of 2022 list.

It was also a spot on one of my Lower East Side fried chicken sandwich crawl! Read about it HERE!

2. Harlem Public

The hot fried thigh from Harlem Public is everything you want in a chicken sandwich. Juicy chicken, loads of pickles, a soft toasted brioche bun, and a healthy dousing of hot sauce

1.Namkeen

Namkeen serves up fried chicken sandwiches with a unique Pakistani flare. The chicken is absurdly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, making it some of the best fried chicken in the city. Plus, you get to customize your heat level, ranging from naked (calm & ready) to mild (palms sweaty) to medium (knees weak) to HOT (blaow!)

The Nashville Sandwich has fried chicken, pickles, coleslaw, and chipotle aioli all nestled between a brioche bun. It’s one of those fried chicken sandwiches that you’ll eat in silence as your brain goes into a tizzy on how it can taste so damn good, which is why it’s #1 on my top 5 chicken sandwiches of 2022 list!