Today, we are reviewing the Arby’s Chicken Cheesesteak. In 2025, Arby’s introduced its first Angus Cheesesteak and decided to revamp it, adding it as a regular menu offering earlier in 2026. Now Arby’s is continuing its cheesesteak journey by tackling the chicken cheesesteak. It has introduced three varieties of a chicken cheesesteak for a limited time:
- Chicken Cheesesteak: Highlighted by Chicken, Cooper American Cheese, and Caramelized Onions
- Chicken Cheesesteak Deluxe: Adds Lettuce & Tomato to the Chicken Cheesesteak offering
- Spicy Chicken Cheesesteak: A spiced-up version of the Chicken Cheesesteak
Forrest and Leroy Raffel founded Arby’s in Boardman, Ohio. Today, Inspire Brands operates 3,472 restaurants in the U.S., plus locations in Canada, Costa Rica, Egypt, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Turkey. Arby’s originally started as a fast-food chain that didn’t focus on burgers, though it now offers them. Their signature menu item is the hot roast beef sandwich. In the 1970s, they used the slogan “Arby’s – America’s Roast Beef, Yes Sir.”
We are assessing Arby’s classic Chicken Cheesesteak. Before diving into this assessment, I see it as Arby’s take on a chicken cheesesteak. While many might draw comparisons to a classic Philadelphia-style chicken cheesesteak, it’s important to evaluate it on its own merits.
The Construction
Let’s first review the components of the Chicken Cheesesteak. The Chicken Cheesesteaks used in this assessment were ordered with all default ingredients and no customizations.
- “Philly” Chicken (Default)
- Sesame Seed Bun
- Melted Cooper Sharp White Cheese (Default)
- Caramelized Onions (Default)
- Sandwiches Eaten: 2
- Location: Indian Trail, NC
- Length: 7.5 inches
- Weight: 9.5 ounces
- Price: $7.99/sandwich
There are several customization options. The Cooper Sharp can be served with Swiss, Big Eye Swiss, or cheddar, but there’s no option to remove the Cooper cheese. You can also get lettuce, tomato, and red onion. You can also choose from various sauces, including ketchup, mayonnaise, cheddar sauce, Arby’s Sauce, and Horsey Ranch. Arby’s also gives various dipping sauces.
The Appearance (*)
Chicken Cheesesteaks are not pretty. Any pundit who takes a shot at the aesthetics is probably just looking for attention. That being said, I still thought the promotional photo of the Chicken Cheesesteak looked way better than the actual offering. The promotional Chicken Cheesesteak was not smushed, and the roll had a better crust.
Comparison Rating: Poor
The Experience
We used the following scoring for this assessment. This is the same algorithm used as with the Arby’s Angus Cheesesteak, which pretty much is our de facto standard for assessing cheesesteaks:
- Chicken: 4 points
- Roll: 2 points
- Condiments (Cooper Sharp Cheese, Caramelized Onion): 2 points
- Intangibles: 2 points
Meat (Chicken)
Arby’s calls its chicken “Philly Chicken.” Essentially, it’s chopped chicken that’s seared with garlic, onion, and paprika. While the chain is best known for its beef, I was pleasantly surprised by the chicken in this sandwich. Surprisingly, it outshines its Angus counterpart. The seasoning really shone through, and the meat was tender, providing a nice savory element. The spices enhanced the flavor. However, the sandwich’s cheese nearly overpowered the chicken, overshadowing its potential.
Score: 2.0 out of 4.0 points
Roll
When Arby’s introduced the Angus Cheesesteak as a regular menu item, it highlighted that the rolls came from Amoroso’s Bakery in Philadelphia. However, the Chicken Cheesesteak doesn’t list a specific source for its bun, and while I can’t confirm whether the Angus offering does either, I found the Chicken Cheesesteak bun quite different. Surprisingly, I thought the Chicken Cheesesteak had a better seeded bun overall. Although it was a bit softer than I would prefer for a cheesesteak, the bun had a split-top pretzel appearance, even though it wasn’t a pretzel bun. This bun had few seeds, and I would have appreciated more of the nutty flavor they could provide. The roll had a mild wheat flavor, and while it was an improvement over the bun I had with the Angus Cheesesteak, I still consider it average.
I do like the fact that the bottom of the bun is dusted with cornmeal.
Condiments
The Cooper Sharp Cheese used on this Chicken Cheesesteak is essentially a sharper variant of white American cheese made by Cooper Cheese. It stays creamy but leaves a finish on the palate that resembles sharp cheddar. Overall, it’s a good choice and melts well; however, the sandwich has an overly generous amount, and ultimately that doesn’t help. The caramelized onions add a nice sweetness that complements the cheese.
Score: 1.00 out of 2.00 points
Intangibles
This is where the Chicken Cheesesteak falls down. First, when I mention the sum of the parts over the experience, this is where things miss the mark completely. I don’t get an elevated experience here. The reason is simple – there is too much cheese. The cheese completely overwhelms this chicken cheesesteak, and it definitely mutes the flavors. The onion and the roll aren’t bad, but they can’t overcome the cheese’s dominance.
I found this sandwich to still be light on what was inside the bread. In other words, I would have liked more chicken. At the same time, this sandwich is messy. It’s a sandwich you don’t want to eat in the car. Perhaps more chicken is not a good idea.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
The Chicken Cheesesteak had more positives than its Angus Cheesesteak sibling, namely better meat and, surprisingly, a better roll. As mentioned, the problem is that everything comes together. Arby’s has a fundamental problem with its cheesesteak offerings – too much cheese. Cheese should not overwhelm a cheesesteak; it should complement it. Until Arby’s moves away from this, it’s hard to recommend this cheesesteak. This would have actually been pretty good with less cheese. In the meantime, I do not see myself coming back to this.
Summary
| Chicken (4 points) | 2.00 |
| Roll (2 points) | 1.00 |
| Condiments (2 points) | 1.00 |
| Intangibles (2 points) | 0.25 |
| Total (10 points) | 4.25 |
Score: 4.25 (out of 10 points)
Value: Slightly Below Average
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.
* Not scored in the overall numeric assessment rating.
