Sometime during our rich cultural history, America forgot what “Parmesan Cheese” is.
Once a noble hard cheese, the name now conjures images of tall green plastic cans. Industrial cylinders full of white dust, kept in the fridge long past all flavor has faded away. It’s now closer to a condiment than a proper dairy product.
It’s a hit job on a fine piece of Italian cuisine, executed by decades of corporate cheese ownership. So imagine my surprise when Burger King gave this proud cheese a primary placement on its Chicken Parmesan Sandwich, which is an updated version of the one that came out in 2012.
It starts with a crispy chicken patty, topped shavings of real Parmesan cheese, a slice of gooey mozzarella, and enveloped by two layers of marinara sauce. It’s all put between a toasted potato roll, for a thick and decadent sandwich. The chicken is the same as BK’s recently revamped Crispy Chicken Sandwich – a juicy whole breast fillet that tastes fresher than one would expect. It isn’t quite Chick-fil-A quality, but it’s impressive for the price point.
The first bite was concerning, as the side of the sandwich was coated in marinara sauce. A heavily acidic taste overtook my mouth, reeking of undercooked tomato. Fortunately, the sauce was more evenly distributed in the remaining bites – having soaked into the bun. Each bite delivered a satisfying blend of the soft potato roll, salty cheeses, and hearty white meat chicken. It’s a very rich sandwich, with the two kinds of cheeses and sweet roll creating a buttery mouthfeel.
Since the chicken patty is the same as Burger King’s other premium chicken sandwich, it lacks the heavy Italian seasoning you’d expect from a more authentic chicken parm. But the King has crafted a workable version, largely thanks to a generous helping of Parmesan cheese. Forget the weak powder that stuffs the paper packets in pizza boxes; this is the real deal. The shavings are piled on thick, ensuring no bite goes without.
The Parmesan is under a layer of mozzarella, which is notably more processed. Resembling a white Kraft single, it doesn’t get a satisfying melt. As a result, it serves only a structural purpose – gluing down the pile of Parmesan. It’s a necessary element, and nothing more.
Overall, Burger King’s “new and improved” Chicken Parmesan Sandwich is a success. Building on their strong Crispy Chicken base, this is a delicious offering that stands above most fast food chicken.
(Nutrition Facts – 570 calories, 25 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 1340 milligrams of sodium, 57 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 32 grams of protein.)
Purchased Price: $6.99 (for meal with large drink and fries)
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Generous helping of real Parmesan. Delicious chicken patty. Soft, decadent potato roll.
Cons: Sauce is acidic and can be overwhelming in large doses. Mozzarella was under melted. Gross green can cheese.
I am an italian from brooklyn I reside in texas. This is the worst sandwich BK ever made the sliced parm cheese makes the sandwich taste rotten if your going to make it just use the sauce and mozzarella cheese!
I had it this weekend. Second worse thing I have ever had at BK, right there behind Mac n Cheetos.
I just had a chicken parm sandwich at a local BK. it was possibly the worst sandwich I have ever had next to a liverwurst sandwich. The cheese was not melted. the marinara sauce was non existent. Not to mention the fries were luke warm. I am not one to complain ,but this was just awful. I am reminded why I don’t go to BK or MD’s
On and off for about 25 years, Burger King has offered a chicken parm/Italian chicken sandwich. Until a few years ago, it was based on BK’s original chicken sandwich with the elongated patty and bun.
I Loved it ! Needs to be fine tuned by each Burger King . But I loved the old one you had also . Wish it was advertised better . And made with better care . Really need Coupons for them !
Loved it here in Alpena Mich. flavors blended will,look forward to the next visit.
Tried it today, disappointed right out of the wrapper, top and bottom bread flat as a pancake. Enjoyed the cheese, sauce and chicken but condition of sandwich was a bummer. Should have requested another sandwich but didn’t have time and had to eat.
I had one the other day and even though IO couldn’t eat for a while and it got cold, I didn’t think it was half bad. Hopefully, the next time I have it, it won’t be as long.
I’m old enough to remember their original chicken parm that was in a sub style roll! Why the smaller downsizing? Why the change? What’s next, mini whoppers?
My local bk used shredded parmesan, not the shaved stuff as advertised. They also forgot the mozzarella. The mozzarella was obviously employee error but my franchisee obviously went cheap on the parm.
I remember the older version with the long bun which I liked, but I really enjoyed this one! I like the potato bun, (I prefer it over the plain old white bread bun) the hot crispy chicken, the barely melted cheese and the marinara sauce.
I have had it several times and will get it again.
I tried the chicken parmesan sandwich today and the chicken was so tough that I couldn’t even bite it off or even cut it. Never had a bad sandwich from Burger King until today. Very disappointed ?.
This must be a “love it or hate it” thing.
That absolutely looks REVOLTING! Blegh.
I tried it today & couldn’t finish it because it was awful. Didn’t even taste like Chicken Parm. The roll was gross tasting. I give it a -6
Just tried one. Didn’t get past the second bite.Gross!! Smells aweful.parm cheese looks like rubber and sauce is not good. Very disappointed. Loved the dollar one from years ago.
Undercooked or just a badly designed sandwich I’m not sure. Either way, it was one of the worst sandwiches I’ve ever tasted and I couldn’t finish it. Compared to the one they offered a few years ago, this one was just awful.