The battle for the best fast-food chicken sandwich wages on with White Castle's Crispy Chicken Slider launch.
I Tried White Castle’s New Crispy Chicken Slider, and It Was Seriously Surprising
Published on Jul. 02, 2025
Some fast-food chains are more experimental than others, adding and subtracting new menu items constantly to try and keep their customers entertained—while others tend to stick to the tried-and-true classics. White Castle, one of the country’s oldest food chains, is in the latter camp; it isn’t known for changing things up on the menu. But in a surprise move, the chain has announced it’s adding its first new permanent menu addition in three years: the White Castle Crispy Chicken Slider.
What is White Castle’s New Crispy Chicken Slider?
The Crispy Chicken Slider is a sure sign that the fast-food fried chicken sandwich wars are far from over. Just this year, McDonald’s announced McCrispy Strips, Popeyes dropped a pickle-glazed chicken sandwich, and even Taco Bell brought back chicken nuggets for a bit.
White Castle’s new chicken sandwich is available in two forms. Its standard preparation consists of a crispy buttermilk breaded chicken patty covered in a tangy new honeycomb sauce between the chain’s signature soft bun for $2.39. For 20 cents more, you can go with a Crispy Chicken Slider Deluxe, which comes with the honeycomb sauce plus a slice of American cheese, lettuce and tomato on top.
Is White Castle’s Crispy Chicken Slider good?
As a chicken sandwich aficionado, I had to try White Castle’s version. My personal favorite fast-food offering belongs to Popeyes. Could these sliders even come close? I got myself to the nearest White Castle I could find and ordered the Crispy Chicken Combo, which comes with two of the Crispy Chicken Sliders, fries and a drink.
Admittedly, I’m not sure I ever tried White Castle’s original Chicken Slider. When I’ve been in the mood for chicken at White Castle in the past, I’ve gone with the chain’s perfectly satisfying Chicken Ring Slider. But even without its predecessor to compare it to, I have to say I was impressed by the new Crispy Chicken Slider.
Though I wanted to try the Crispy Chicken Slider Deluxe, the restaurant I’d traveled to somehow did not have any lettuce or tomatoes on hand. Instead, they served me the standard Crispy Chicken Slider with the honeycomb sauce and a slice of American cheese.
The slider was delicious and nostalgic—especially at its $2.59 price point for the Deluxe offering. The honeycomb sauce was the star of the slider, with its sweet tang pairing perfectly with the very crispy, quite thick chicken patty. The crispy patty also contrasted deliciously with the pillowy bun. The freshness and pop of lettuce and tomato would have benefited the slider even more, but I truly couldn’t find much to complain about.
As for how the White Castle Crispy Chicken Slider stacked up against other fast-food chicken sandwiches, I do think the slider is a very worthy competitor for the likes of Popeyes and Chick-fil-a. I’d definitely order it again—but I do wish the chain would do something about its fries, which unfortunately were a bit mushy with a strange aftertaste. But the new slider is a winner—maybe just pair it with onion rings or mozzarella sticks instead.
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