McDonald's vs. Wendy's: The 2021 Spicy Chicken Sandwich Wars

In 2019 and 2020, we had Popeyes vs. Chick-fil-A in the battle for the country's best spicy chicken sandwich.

In 2021, we have McDonald's and Wendy's pitted against each other for the title. 

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At the beginning of the new year, McDonald's announced the addition of three new sandwiches to its menu, including a Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich, effectively submitting its entry into the competition. 

Weeks later, at the beginning of February, Wendy's answered McDonald's challenge by unveiling the Jalapeño Popper Chicken Sandwich.

Could this be Wendy's attempt to troll Mickey D's? We think so — Wendy's took a stab at its competition in a news release about the new sandwich.  

"While everyone else is playing catch up and distracting consumers with stale chicken drops, we are listening and bringing exciting flavors and bold ingredients forward to help fans avoid the McStake of settling for the same boring chicken sandwiches from other fast-food joints," said Carl Loredo, chief marketing officer at Wendy's.

A "McStake"? Those sound like fighting words and McDonald's is at the other end of them. 

McDonald's hasn't responded to its red-haired rival, so we bet they're leaving it up to chicken enthusiasts to crown the best spicy chicken sandwich in 2021.