Burger King's Original Chicken Sandwich

This weekend, we went up to Westchester to visit friends who were celebrating their child's second birthday. Once the kids were tucked in, the adults chatted over beers, which of course induced hunger. One of our friends was fixated on taking a ride to a local Burger King. As thirty-somethings, our friends are healthy eaters and rarely consume fast-food. I don't drink, so I offered to take everyone's order and escort a friend to come along. He hadn't seen a Burger King menu in a while and wanted the full-on drive-thru experience.


As we crept toward the drive-thru box, he asked for a few minutes to review the latest and greatest Burger King offerings. After placing the order, we approached the window. There he insisted on adding an "Original Chicken Sandwich" to the order. The cashier began to rattle off toppings such as lettuce, tomato, mayo, etc. I agreed to everything when suddenly my buddy stopped me. "NO! There is never tomato on the Original Chicken Sandwich," he exclaimed. He was right. I had totally forgotten about that, though I didn't think it mattered.


The Original Chicken Sandwich was introduced in 1978 as part of Burger King's "Specialty Sandwich" line and successfully helped Burger King increase sales by 15%. As we drove back to our friend's house, I realized that it had been more than 20 years since I had ordered one of these signature chicken sandwiches from Burger King. The Original Chicken Sandwich is unique compared to the other fast food chicken sandwiches -- unlike most fast-food chains' chicken sandwiches Burger King's resembles a chicken cutlet in length and shape and isn't round or shaped like a patty.

Remember the long seeded bun, mayo and the shredded lettuce? How about when Burger King would spice things up and serve the Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich with slices of ham and Swiss cheese or the Italian Chicken Sandwich, their idea of Chicken Parmesan, which came with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Although I've never ordered these varieties, I do remember them.

I'm sure most of you no longer eat Burger King and I expect a flood of nasty comments. I'm not promoting that you all run to your local BK, but the idea that this friend ordered this sandwich brought back memories. We joked about how it's the only fast-food chicken sandwich with that unique shape and he sliced a sample for each of us to savor as we reminisced about the old days of Burger King and their traditional menu items.

Forgotten Foods | Yes, Another Food Blog

RE-POST FROM OCTOBER

As you may have noticed most of my blogs revolve around food. Forgive me, it's just that I've always been both a big-time consumer and sadly a big-time eater.

Today I thought of some scrumptious memories involving foods we're no longer able to indulge in ... I Googled a bit to see if images or info exist and was surprised to discover videos, photos and old ads from the deliciousness of days gone by.

McDonald's McDLT 1985-1990

Remember the McDLT (McDonald's Lettuce and Tomato)? I'm not gonna lie. I've always been a sucker for the latest food fad. How could you resist the concept of "the cold on one side" and "the hot on the other." The nifty dual packaging and open-faced burger presentation fooled me into thinking the McDLT was more of a "real burger" than a "rat burger" as my dad so lovingly called Mickey D's meat.

The McLean Deluxe 1991-1996

Who could forget McDonald's attempt at a lean cheeseburger? With 91% lean meat and less calories than a Quarter Pounder, it was somewhat acceptable to order. I am really bummed that it's gone. Why are dieters forced to order salads or grilled chicken sandwiches? If I'm home and we want ground beef without massive guilt, we can slap a 93% lean burger on the grill. What happened McDonald's? I was also a fan of the McRib until one summer night around 1982. I became violently ill somewhere in the hallway between my bedroom and the bathroom. I will never forget the stench of cheap BBQ sauce that lingered for days.

Team Flakes 1963-1990s?

Mom as you may recall, was anti sugar cereal and apparently so was my paternal grandmother. I learned to love the mom-approved cereals like Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes and Raisin Bran but one cereal my grandma always served us when we slept over was TEAM Flakes. I remember reading the back of the orange box (recipes for TEAM flake chicken, etc.) while savoring the famous four grains flavors -- corn, rice, oats and wheat. Something about this cereal was so addicting, my grandma would often let me take a box home with us. Maybe it was hard to find on Long Island since we didn't have ShopRite which is where she always bought it.

Almost Home Cookies 1985?

Again, I was sucked in by interesting packaging. I clearly remember the knitted stitching on this soft baked batch.

It reminded me of a "Home Sweet Home" sign that hung in a family members' house - which is exactly the vibe package art was intended to conjure up. A feeling of family and old fashioned times when moms had time to freshly bake chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies.

JELL-O 1-2-3 1969-1996?

Said to have hit shelves around 1969, I don't remember this product until the mid '80s. It was the prettiest jello I had ever seen. It featured three different layers - one was transparent another was fluffier and the top was creamy.

Today there are many different recipes available to create it yourself at home, but I'm sure it won't match the store-bought version, no longer available. I remember making boxes of this growing up and thinking it was such a fancy dessert. I found a Jello 1-2-3 petition online. I wonder if I should call Kraft and urge them to re-release the old favorite.

Dunkin Donuts Cereal 1988-1990?

"Time to make the doughnuts" was a slogan we kids loved, but the pretty pink boxes and idea of donuts for breakfast must have caught my attention in high school which is when this silly idea for a cereal hit shelves. I loved the sugary cereal and by that point I earned my own money and Mom had long forgotten her "no sugar cereal" policy.