I compared the spicy fried-chicken sandwich from Burger King and McDonald's and the winner came down to the sauce

Burger King's Ch'King sandwiches became available to customers on June 3, whereas McDonald's Crispy Chicken sandwiches have been available since February 24.

At Burger King, customers can order the Ch'King or Spicy Ch'King. There is also an option to turn either into a deluxe sandwich, with lettuce and tomato instead of pickles, for an added charge. Each sandwich costs customers around $4, depending on the region where they buy them (the chain sent me the three sandwiches as part of a press preview).

McDonald's offers similar options: a Crispy Chicken sandwich; a spicy version; and a deluxe. I paid around $6 for each sandwich when I ordered through a third-party delivery service in New York.

Both buns were slightly sweet, but I thought Burger King's had a more noticeable flavor.

Burger King's bun was lightweight, fluffy, and a bit chewy. Surprisingly, it wasn't soggy at all even after being delivered and sitting out for around 20 minutes between tasting stages.

McDonald's bun was a little wet to the touch immediately after taking it out of the packaging, and it was much more dense than its competitor. After tasting, I thought that the classic McDonald's burger bun would have been a better option.

After carefully examining each spicy sandwich, I think the main difference lies in the sauce.

The piece of fried chicken in the Spicy Ch'King was glazed in sauce, while the Crispy Chicken fillet was topped with and perched on a large dollop of the stuff.

In my opinion, the glaze better allowed for even flavoring throughout each bite. With McDonald's dollop strategy, there were some bites of chicken that had no sauce at all in my sandwich — and therefore no spicy flavor.

Regarding flavor specifically, Burger King's glaze was more well-rounded. It offered notes of chili pepper without overwhelming my taste buds or taking away from the flavors of the actual chicken. I did think that a bit more salt would have added balance to highlight the fruitiness of the chilis.

While McDonald's sauce looked delicious, it was pepper-flake heavy and barely had any additional flavor. The mayo base brought a smooth texture and a slightly sweet flavor on first bite, but it quickly disappeared when a stinging heat took over.

McDonald's chicken coating was dark brown, understated, and looked like it had a thin, crisp bite — it did and the texture was lovely.

Where this sandwich fell short, in my opinion, was the overall flavor profile.

The first bite had a sweet and slight acidic taste, but the power of peppers in the sauce took over. The pickles were small, thin, and barely delivered any flavor.

The Burger King sandwich's rippled coating looked crunchy and decadent — and tasted that way, too.

The taste of the sauce complimented the rest of the flavor profile, which included pickle chips large enough to cover most of the surface area of the bun. I got briny goodness in each bite, which is something I couldn't say for McDonald's version of the sandwich.

Ultimately, it comes down to which sandwich I would eat again, or recommend someone spend their money on. After tasting both, I think the Spicy Ch'King is the better option.