The First Fast Food Fried Chicken Sandwich Launched In 1967 — And It Wasn't From KFC Or Popeyes

Fried chicken sandwiches feature on the menus of numerous fast food restaurants, and it's no wonder why. Customers love the flavorful crispiness that can be hard to replicate at home, and chicken is cheap for restaurants to sell due to the way chickens are fed and raised, which benefits the bottom line. But which fast food purveyor originally brainstormed the idea to sell fried chicken sandwiches to the public? Though fried chicken sandwiches certainly existed before 1967, Chick-fil-A is credited as being the first fast food restaurant to launch them on the menu.

The Chick-fil-A sandwich actually dates back to 1964, when owner S. Truett Cathy ran the Dwarf Grill diner. He created the sandwich recipe that year and sold it at the Dwarf Grill, then brought it to Chick-fil-A when the chain's first mall location opened in 1967. Originally a fast food staple of shopping malls, Chick-fil-A didn't open its first solo location until the late 1980s. Though Chick-fil-A sides like the waffle fries are much loved, its chicken sandwich is the main draw.

In contrast, KFC started serving its Chicken Littles and Zinger sandwiches in the 1980s, though the Zinger was specifically released in Trinidad and Tobago to appeal to that market's tastes. Popeyes debuted its classic chicken sandwich in 2019 and drew massive attention and sales. However, Popeyes has sold other chicken sandwiches over the past decade, including the Creole Chicken Sandwich at some international locations and the Chicken Po'Boy.

Chick-fil-A claims that it has continued using its original 1964 recipe for decades without any changes. Developing the recipe took S. Truett Cathy hundreds of tries, so it makes sense that the chain would stick to what works best. Though the seasonings are top-secret, we do know that Chick-fil-A uses refined peanut oil to fry its chicken and brines pickles for days on end to achieve that recognizable tangy flavor. The chicken filets are also coated in a milk and egg wash before being breaded — no pickle juice present in the batter, despite popular myth.

While the history of who invented the fried chicken sandwich is harder to uncover, Chick-fil-A appears to come out on top for introducing this dish to the fast food world. Though it did so with a tried-and-true chicken recipe, that doesn't mean the chain hasn't seen other transformations since its 1960s debut. Various changes to Chick-fil-A in 2026 have included the addition of permanent menu items and new merchandise to celebrate its 80-year history starting with the Dwarf Grill.