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McDonald's Snack Wraps are back on menus after being discontinued in 2016.
Popeyes offers its own version of the iconic wraps.
I compared both chains' chicken wraps and was torn about which wrap was most worth ordering again.
The Snack Wrap is officially back after years of anticipation.
McDonald's Snack Wraps returned to nationwide menus on Thursday after almost a decade of fans begging for their comeback.
The wraps, which are a favorite among McDonald's customers, disappeared from many menus in 2016 before being officially discontinued by the chain in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to downsize menus.
Since then, other chains, including Burger King and Popeyes, have released their own chicken wraps to fill the void for customers still hungry for the beloved Snack Wraps.
Upon the release of the new McDonald's Snack Wraps, Popeyes — which launched its own lineup of wraps in June — advertised a promotion to give away a chicken wrap with any purchase of $5 or more until July 13.
Both chains' wraps have a similar price point. But which chain is poised to win the wrap wars?
I tried the lineup of chicken wraps from McDonald's and Popeyes to determine which one was most worth snacking on. Here's how they compared.
McDonald's Snack Wraps returned to menus last week.
The Snack Wraps were labeled with what kind of wrap was inside.
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They're priced at $2.99, excluding tax.
The paper wrapper showed what kind of wrap was inside — either the spicy version or the ranch version.
The Snack Wraps featured a thick tortilla.
The Snack Wraps are available in two flavor options.
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Both the spicy and ranch Snack Wraps are made with chicken tenders, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheese.
The ranch version appeared on the original Snack Wrap lineup.
The ranch wrap was covered in creamy sauce.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
The ranch sauce was rich and flavorful and coated every inch of the chicken tender, tortilla, and toppings.
The ranch wrap tasted light but still had a substantial amount of flavor.
I enjoyed both versions of the new Snack Wraps.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
The creamy ranch balanced out the fresh-tasting lettuce and the crispy chicken tender, while the tortilla held it all together for easy snacking on the go.
The spicy Snack Wrap is made with a new spicy-pepper sauce.
The spicy Snack Wrap came with a new sauce.
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This is the newest iteration of the Snack Wrap. When Snack Wraps first left the menu in 2016, they were available with a ranch or honey-mustard sauce.
When I opened this wrap, a pretty generous amount of sauce was slathered on the chicken tenders, shredded cheese, and shredded lettuce.
The chicken tender was crispy, while the lettuce added freshness.
The spicy Snack Wrap packed more heat than I expected.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I was impressed by the size of these wraps. Despite being snack-size, I found one of the wraps filling enough for a quick and easy lunch.
The spicy sauce did pack a punch — it didn't leave my mouth tingling from the heat, but it had enough kick to justify the spicy name.
That said, I wish there had been more sauce. Some bites were completely dry and lacked any of the spicy, savory sauce.
I could see why the McDonald's Snack Wraps are so popular.
The Snack Wraps proved that simplicity and good value are enough to win over customers.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
For a quick, reasonably healthy lunch, these wraps deliver. Crispy chicken, bold flavors, and a budget-friendly price — no wonder fans have been demanding their comeback for years.
I tried Popeyes' lineup of wraps to see if they could hold a candle to the iconic Snack Wraps.
Popeyes' menu of chicken wraps is available in three different flavors.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
The wraps are priced at $3.99, excluding tax. They're available in three different flavors: classic, spicy, and honey mustard.
Popeyes doesn't have custom wrappings for each kind of wrap. Instead, the different flavors were written in pen on the paper wrapping.
Like the Snack Wraps, these chicken wraps come in a tortilla. But I preferred the one used at McDonald's.
The wraps came wrapped in a tortilla.
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While the McDonald's tortilla was thick and held the wraps together perfectly, the wraps I got from Popeyes were made a bit more haphazardly.
I was worried that if I were truly on the go, they might fall apart.
The classic chicken wrap from Popeyes is made with mayonnaise.
The classic chicken wrap came with mayonnaise.
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The wrap is made with one of Popeyes' chicken tenders, mayonnaise, shredded cheese, lettuce, and pickles.
The classic wrap's flavor profile, thanks to the mayonnaise and crunchy pickle slices, somewhat reminded me of the chain's famous chicken sandwich.
The wrap could have used a touch more flavor.
I preferred the ranch Snack Wrap to Popeyes' classic chicken wrap.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
While I thought the chicken tender was crunchy and juicy, and I loved the addition of the pickles, the mayonnaise lacked flavor compared with the ranch-smothered wrap from McDonald's.
Popeyes also has a honey-mustard version.
The honey-mustard wrap was packed with flavor.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
McDonald's used to sell a honey-mustard version of its Snack Wrap, but that flavor didn't make its way back onto menus this time around.
I loved the slightly spicy flavor of the honey-mustard wrap.
I liked the Popeyes honey mustard wrap and would love to see a McDonald's version.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
The pickles and tangy honey mustard packed a lot of flavor into this wrap, while the chicken tender was thick and filling.
I would love to see McDonald's bring back a honey mustard version of its Snack Wrap to compare the two.
Overall, I preferred Popeyes' spicy chicken wrap to the McDonald's Snack Wrap. But the tortilla let me down.
The spicy wrap came coated in sauce.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
While the McDonald's tortilla was thick and had a wheaty flavor, the Popeyes tortilla tasted noticeably dry and bland.
But when it came to the other elements of the spicy wraps — such as the lettuce and the amount of sauce — I thought Popeyes far surpassed McDonald's.
The spicy sauce completely coated every inch of the wrap.
Popeyes' spicy chicken wrap impressed me the most.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
It packed enough heat to be both flavorful and manageable, and the pickles added the perfect balance of texture.
Out of all five wraps I tried from both chains, this is the one I'm dying to order again.
The chicken wraps from Popeyes did measure up to the Snack Wraps but fell short in a few areas.
I had to give the overall win in the chicken wrap battle to McDonald's.
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
While I'm still dreaming about Popeyes' spicy chicken wrap, the chain overall fell short compared with McDonald's in terms of value and the quality of the tortilla used in the wraps.
Popeyes' chicken wraps cost $1 more than the Snack Wraps, but they're pretty comparable in terms of size and ingredients.
I liked the addition of pickles in the Popeyes wraps and the sheer amount of sauce used in the spicy wrap, but it wasn't enough to justify the higher price tag.
While I'll definitely order both chains' chicken wraps again, I walked away thinking that the Snack Wrap is iconic for a reason. Other chains' attempts to replicate its magic are in for an uphill battle.
