Arby’s sent a few gift certificates for me to compare and contrast the two. There is a Facebook page that you can vote on which one you like better and Arby’s is surely trying to grab the market here. The Subway version is their featured $5 foot long this month.
This week, I gave both of them a try.
Arby’s Grilled Chicken & Pecan Salad sandwich was $6.99 for a combo here in the capitol city and comes in sandwich (with bread) or wrap (tortilla) form. When first opening it, there was a hefty scoop of chicken salad on the sandwich and it actually looked pretty good. Upon first bite, I thought, “this is a pretty decent sandwich for a fast food place.” All the pieces were cut to be about the same size and that made it easy to eat. It was a rare occasion that I tasted any pecans as they were so small that they competed with the grains in the bread. The apples and celery added a nice crunch. However, the sandwich was a little bland. I added pepper and that brought it back to life.
I tried Subway’s Orchard Chicken Salad sandwich on wheat bread. I took the picture with onions and tomato, but removed them for the tasting. I like the fact that I could customize my sandwich at Subway, however, there was not a lot that I wanted to add. Subway’s chicken salad has chicken, apples, celery, grapes, dried raisins and cranberries. It didn’t appear to have any nuts.
There was a lot more mayo on their sandwich. Also, the pieces were cut up smaller and the apples and celery didn’t have any crunch to them. I could’ve used a lot more celery in the mix. It wasn’t repulsive, but I walked away thinking that this was truly a fast food chicken salad.
Winner: Arby’s. Not because they paid me either. I thought their ingredients tasted fresher and it was a quality sandwich. I didn’t like the dried fruit in Subway’s and just like any other Subway sandwich, the amount of actual meat/salad was disproportionate to the bread/filler. Arby’s chicken salad needs a little more salt and pepper and extra layer of lettuce would go a long way. If you love chicken salad and are in a time crunch, the Arby’s sandwich will help you get your fix.
-wibia
Tags: Arby's, chicken salad, Food, subway, taste-off
Interesting. The Arby’s one sounds amazing, but I can’t eat it. Allergic to uncooked apples.
@Leslie… that is a new one for me.
I’ve got to admit…my curiousity about the Arby’s Chicken & Pecan salad wrap might just be enough to get me to go to Arby’s for the first time in probably eighteen months or so. I’ve grown to love wraps and you just don’t find a lot of fast food places that offer them.
I wish someone would trot out a tasty shredded chicken salad sandwich (I have to rely on Patachou, which is marvelous, but also $10).
I tried the Arby’s because it was free. I wasn’t a fan. I was a glad I hadn’t paid for it. I thought there was too much mayo, and I agree that it was fairly bland. I also found that the amount of chicken salad did not balance well with the huge slices of bread. I also think it would have been improved if they toasted the bread.
I agree that the subway version would benefit from some more texture. I did like sandwich overall though, it’s much lower in calories than the Arbys version, but doesn’t taste like a “light” option.
My hubs just looked up caloric content. A double quarter pounder with cheese is less calories than Arby’s chicken sandwich
I’ve heard that Subway’s orchard chicken salad uses yogurt instead of mayo. That’s the only reason it’s a viable option when you’re on Weight Watchers (which I am). I’m not of fan of Subway’s chicken, period. The texture is very “fake” feeling to me.
My girlfriend got the Arby’s sandwich for lunch, and saved half of it so I tried it when I got home. I have to admit I thought the bite I took was pretty tasty, but if the caloric content is actually that bad I don’t know if I’ll be getting it. Also, she said it was 6 bucks for just the sandwich and a Diet Coke which reminds me why I don’t often go to Arby’s.
I tried this… ehhh… I’d pass. Also, the bread is what jacks up the calorie count on most of these Arby’s sandwiches. Just bc it says it’s honey wheat or whole wheat does not mean it’s healthy. To me, the bread overwhelmed my poor sammy, and it seemed a bit dry. My glob of chicken salad was lacking in flavor… oh well.
I’m also in NC so I’m not sure if the free sandwich receipt applies to you.
The only reason I go back to Arby’s is for the loaded potato bites, and the fact that if you save your receipt and just write a number down you can get a free beef n cheddar or free roast beef. Sometimes I’ll even buy a jr RB off the value meal and get my free RB and just put all the meat on one bun.