Mcdonald's Vs Chick-Fil-A: Who Serves The Better Breakfast?

Whether waking up after a late night with nothing in the house or running late for work and needing a quick breakfast, fast food chains have saved our mornings on numerous occasions. Two of the biggest players in the fast food breakfast market are McDonald's and Chick-fil-A, both offering their own signature meals and benefits. Though they differ in a number of ways, the two major chains are also alike in many respects, especially when it comes to their breakfast offerings.

We looked at many different aspects of both restaurants to determine which of these huge chains serves up the very best breakfast. Though McDonald's has been the leading fast food chain for breakfast for quite some time, Chick-fil-A has taken the fast food world by storm in recent years. Both are here to stay, but which should you frequent for a good and convenient breakfast? 

In order to determine which of these staple fast food restaurants is superior in the craft of breakfast food, I used my own personal experience as a breakfast patron, as well as a small quality test. I considered a number of criteria when judging which chain does breakfast best. From quality to affordability to nutritional factors, here's how McDonald's and Chick-fil-A stack up against each other.

Breakfast is big on protein, much of which comes from some kind of central meat. While sausage and bacon are high on the list for breakfast proteins, chicken takes the lead at Chick-fil-A. Despite having a menu that heavily relies on chicken, Chick-fil-A's breakfast menu does offer bacon and sausage breakfast sandwiches.

With that being said, in my opinion, McDonald's does sausage and bacon better than Chick-fil-A. Whether it's because it is more practiced with it or has simply adapted to meet higher demand is unclear, but Mickey D's knows how to roll out a sausage patty. There's more flavor and grease in the sausage and bacon, and it feels like you're actually having a substantial American breakfast.

McDonald's does occasionally have chicken available for breakfast sandwiches – such as the McChicken Biscuit, which is available at some restaurants. However, I think that the fried chicken breakfast offerings at Chick-fil-A rival any breakfast sandwich at the Golden Arches. If you're in the mood for a classic bacon, egg, and cheese or sausage, egg, and cheese, I'd grab one from Mickey D's. However, you're going to get an overall better meat-based sandwich if you're open to a chicken breakfast sandwich from Chick-fil-A.

In my opinion, hash browns can make or break a breakfast joint. Every place seemingly does them differently. This is very true when it comes to McDonald's and Chick-fil-A, but that's not a knock to either restaurant. The hash browns at both establishments are the crowning jewel of the breakfast menu and the very best of their offerings. Both versions of hash browns have their unique traits, and it's tough to pick one that leads.

Different in appearance, the McDonald's hash brown is a large, oval-shaped hash brown with a satisfying crunch. The taste is pretty unique to McDonald's, with a slight spicy tang as an aftertaste. Meanwhile, Chick-fil-A offers a box of hash brown minis, all of which have a pretty perfect crunch factor. Pairing the hash browns with Chick-fil-A sauce is nearly unmatched — but if we take sauces out of the equation and base it purely on the quality of the hash browns, McDonald's pulls ahead in this category. There's also a nostalgia factor to the one big Mickey D's hash brown, as it has been slinging them in its restaurants for basically half a century.

I'm going to risk angering the breakfast sammie gods here, but I really am not a fan of the biscuits sold at either fast food giant. Both McDonald's and Chick-fil-A offer a relatively dry and flavorless biscuit, at least according to my taste buds. Neither can hold a candle to, say, a butter-slathered and carb-loaded biscuit from Bojangles. However, if I absolutely had to choose, a biscuit from McDonald's would come out on top between the two rival breakfast menus.

McDonald's has a better biscuit in both flavor and texture. Though the texture of both biscuits can be a bit rough at times, a Chick-fil-A biscuit is one of the worst things the otherwise beloved franchise offers. With the McDonald's biscuit, at least, you can taste a bit of butter on top, and they're less likely to be totally hard and dry.

When considering a biscuit for a sandwich, you want a solid foundation that also pulls off a flaky and somewhat spongy texture. Neither fast food giant comes close to this, but at least on some level, I kind of expect to be disappointed by McDonald's. Chick-fil-A's total failure when it comes to the biscuit is akin to a betrayal, which knocks them down a couple of pegs in Mashed's best breakfast competition.

As good as a breakfast sandwich is on the typical bread foundations — such as a biscuit, bagel, or English muffin — it's great to have choices first thing in the morning. McDonald's and Chick-fil-A both offer solid alternative bread options for breakfast sammies, so this category is pretty hard to choose a winner.

Chick-fil-A, on the one hand, offers chicken sliders on honey-butter-coated bread. This is one of the most iconic breakfast items at the restaurant, and these sweet yeast rolls are a major reason why. Their sweetness pairs well with the savory fried chicken, especially when you dunk it in Chick-fil-A sauce (noticing a trend here?). The downside of these buns is that they're kind of inconsistent with thickness and can get pretty out of whack with the bread-to-chicken ratio of the meal.

On the other hand, McDonald's has the McGriddle line of sammies, which come on maple syrup-infused, pancake-like buns. I'm a big fan of the taste, even if I do wish the texture had a bit of crispness to the exterior. The texture is very sponge-like, which is probably a win if you like fluffy pancakes. Overall, McDonald's McGriddle bread takes the prize over Chick-fil-A's slider bread, but it's a close call.

Admittedly, I'm kind of an egg snob. Eggs are a non-negotiable for me when it comes to breakfast sandwiches, and breakfast in general. It's tough to get a good egg at a fast food place, but I'll say that Chick-fil-A does a much better job at it than McDonald's.

I have a few issues with the eggs at McDonald's. My biggest issue is with the McGriddle sandwiches, which feature folded sheets of egg. These are barely recognizable as eggs, as they don't taste great and the texture is, in my opinion, abominable. Biting into this form of "egg" is like biting into a sheet of foam, and you can actually see the bubbled texture after biting. To McDonald's credit, the eggs are much better in the non-McGriddle sandwiches. The only issue here is that they often get overcooked and develop that bluish-gray hue around the yolk, but this admittedly isn't the end of the world. One of the best breakfast upgrades at McDonald's is swapping out the folded eggs for the McMuffin eggs!

Chick-fil-A also offers a range of egg options that taste and feel as though they are better quality. In addition to the regular breakfast sandwich eggs, you can also order egg whites and scrambled eggs. For fast food, these eggs are totally acceptable, though they also tend to get overcooked.

Chick-fil-A offers fresh, chilled fruit during breakfast. This is a refreshing option, especially if customers don't want to start their day with greasy hash browns. Still, it's best to keep your expectations realistic. After all, it is still fast food fruit. Grabbing an apple or an orange from your fridge at home is nearly always going to taste more satisfying. However, the mixed fruit with apples, strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin oranges is a decent fast food option that actually tastes like real fruit.

McDonald's also has fruit in its oatmeal (which comes with red and green apples, cranberries, and raisins) and the apples that typically come with a kid's meal. However, these apples are pre-sliced and bagged. Personally, I would rather go without an apple for a year than eat a bagged apple that tastes akin to chemicals. No surprise here, but Chick-fil-A wins the fast food breakfast fruit category.

Both of these fast food restaurants have more than a few coffee offerings. If you're a coffee lover like me, neither chain pulls out a total win. However, ordering from the McCafé menu will probably make you happier than finding something on Chick-fil-A's meager coffee menu.

Chick-fil-A's main coffee offering is plain, hot black coffee with the option of adding creamer. The chain also offers iced coffee and cold brews. For those who want more of a frozen, sugary coffee, the frosted coffee is likely the best option. This is basically ice cream for breakfast, as it's simply coffee mixed with ice cream. Though this sounds overly caloric, some McCafé drinks are equally sugar-heavy.

McDonald's offers the standard hot and iced coffees as well, but has a more extensive list of offerings. This includes most espresso drinks, like lattes and macchiatos. Frozen Frappés are available for the early morning sweet tooth, and more flavors are available to customize drinks. If choice is a priority, the McCafé is a great fast food option.

When considering what these fast food giants offer other than your typical breakfast sandwich, McDonald's comes out ahead. Chick-fil-A's full breakfast menu only really offers two meal options that aren't classic breakfast sandwiches or some kind of spin on a sandwich. You'll find the hash brown scramble on the menu, which is basically just scrambled eggs with hash browns and your choice of meat (so, basically a sammie without the bread, put in a bowl with the sides all mixed in). Another offering is the wrap, which is exactly the same thing just thrown in a wrap. Yogurt and fruit are present on the menu as well, though they're more of side choices.

McDonald's also has a wrap option with the sausage burrito, which comes with green chiles for an extra dose of effort. It's the hot cakes, though, that pull out the win in this category. You can actually get a full American breakfast at McDonald's with hot cakes, a sausage patty, and a hash brown served alongside a cup of black coffee. For that reason, the Golden Arches (fittingly) take the gold.

No contest: McDonald's breakfast had much more value than Chick-fil-A's. I don't think I've ever gone to Chick-fil-A and spent less than $15 for my little one and me, no matter what I've purchased. I'm not saying it's impossible, but a cheap meal here isn't the norm.

Alternatively, McDonald's is still very much built on affordability. Grabbing a small breakfast here for two can easily be kept under $10, especially when you consider the chain's rewards app. As a simple comparison, it's $4.29 at my local Chick-fil-A in Richmond, Virginia, for just the sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwich, while a meal is more than $7.50. At the McDonald's down the street, it would cost $4 for a sausage McMuffin, a hash brown, and coffee.

If you're signed up to McDonald's loyalty scheme via its app, you know it's about more than collecting points for rewards. Regular deals drop there, typically including a $2 breakfast sandwich. Add a hash brown, and your total will still be less than $4 before tax — and in my opinion, that can't be beat these days.

Where McDonald's offers some cheap eats, Chick-fil-A provides options for a more health-conscious customer. When you eat at McDonald's, you go in fully knowing that many of its breakfast options will be served with a healthy helping of grease. And for a lot of people, that's part of the appeal. While Chick-fil-A can certainly be heavy on the calories, the chain's breakfast menu does feature a number of options for those who want a lighter meal.

Egg whites are a great low-calorie option for those watching their diet, and this is only available at Chick-fil-A. It's also possible to have a breakfast that isn't based on fried, greasy food at Chick-fil-A. While fried chicken is among the most popular proteins here, grilled chicken is available for a healthier sandwich. For those wanting to do away with bread altogether, yogurt and fruit can be purchased during breakfast as well.

If health is a priority, Chick-fil-A arguably offers better, lighter options. Many items on the McDonald's menu come dressed with grease. One option, though, is the oatmeal, which gets mixed reviews. Some love the oatmeal at McDonald's while others claim it is a slop of a mess. On the other hand, the standard Egg McMuffin only has 310 calories, so it will do in a pinch.

Overall, I'm going to give this one to McDonald's. They've not only got some decent breakfast options for the average Joe, but they've got nostalgia on their side. The affordability of Mcdonald's also wins the chain some massive points. They've managed to offer some items at a very affordable rate, even when fast food has ceased to be a fully affordable option for most people.

This win for McDonald's comes with some caveats, though. If you're even a little bit worried about health when grabbing a bite to eat in the morning, you will probably want to opt for Chick-fil-A. If you want quality on your side, you'll also probably head over to the cow place. Additionally, those breakfast-goers who want a chicken sammie will want to go to Chick-fil-A, as the only chicken worth eating between the two restaurants can be found there.

In conclusion, your answer to the question of who serves up the best breakfast between McDonald's and Chick-fil-A may be different from mine. Depending on what you value in a breakfast sandwich, either restaurant may check the box for a convenient and satisfying morning meal.

The main method used to decide whether McDonald's or Chick-fil-A offers the best breakfast was simply personal experience. Mom life is hectic, and the occasional fast food breakfast is practically unavoidable. I've visited both McDonald's and Chick-fil-A for breakfast a number of times over the last few years, and have plenty of opinions about both chains. In an attempt to get rid of any previous biases, I also did a small taste test of a breakfast sandwich from each establishment beforehand.

Criteria used for this little competition between iconic fast food chains were pretty simple. First, I wanted to break down the different parts of a breakfast sandwich and judge them separately. Offerings of both restaurants were similar enough that this was a pretty solid comparison. I also wanted to compare affordability, as that is a major concern for many individuals and families frequenting fast food joints. Finally, I gave some credence to whether each menu had health-conscious food items available.

While there usually was a clear winner in each category, it's hard to weigh just how much each category is worth in the grand scheme of the comparison. As you consider each category, you may want to put your own weight to each aspect of these restaurants and determine if you agree with our winner.