I tried the chicken parmesan sandwich on a recent United Airlines flight and found it to be surprisingly delicious… another win for United’s Bistro On Board menu in economy class.

Taste Test: Chicken Parmesan Sandwich On United Airlines

I was traveling from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (ORD) and upgrades simply do not clear any more on these hub-to-hub routes, even if you have top-tier status. If I’m traveling alone, I just book directly into first class, but since I was traveling with my kids we opted to stay in economy class. They are simply happy if a flight has a screen, and our flight was operated by an A321neo featuring United’s latest IFE system.

After leveling off, flight attendants began service and I looked over the menu before settling on the chicken parmesan sandwich.

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
Italian breaded chicken cutlet with marinara sauce, provolone and fontina cheese and garlic aioli in a crispy ciabatta roll.

The cost was $11 or 1,300 miles. However, as a Premier 1K traveling in economy class, it was comped for (along with a cold brew coffee from illy…one of my favorite drinks in the United onboard line-up).

As always, the ingredient list on anything United serves onboard is a mile long…but at least for this sandwich, I don’t see any particular ingredients that raise a big red flag.

I quite enjoyed the sandwich, though it was very messy. But knowing it would be messy, I took a couple of wipes from the flight attendant (offered during boarding) such that I could clean my hands after eating. I’d usually eat a sandwich like using a fork and knife, but that’s rather difficult when there is no plate…I wasn’t about to use the tray table as one.

While I prefer the Tuscan caprese burger (the other hot menu option on the flight), this was pleasant and a substantial meal all by itself.

I am grateful that United offers hot options on flights over 1,190 miles in economy class…it makes the flight much more bearable and does not force me to eat something before the flight.

Have you tried United’s chicken sandwich? What did you think?

Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.