Two domestic first class dinners, one route, and a verdict that might surprise anyone expecting airline food drama: the blogger behind Live and Let's Fly recently flew Los Angeles to Chicago on both American Airlines and United, got served chicken both times, and came away pleased with both plates.
The American Airlines meal came via a same-day upgrade — earned at the lowly AAdvantage Gold tier, which meant no chance to pre-order a special meal. The choice onboard was simple: chicken breast with rice, or pasta shells in tomato sauce. Chicken it was, arriving as a lean breast in white sauce, white rice, green beans, a side salad with sun-dried tomatoes, and a small vegetable ramekin with croutons that the reviewer couldn't fully identify but enjoyed anyway. Dessert was raspberry sorbet, though the piece notes some nostalgia for the Häagen-Dazs tubs — and the proper sundae carts — that used to appear on these flights.
United's offering is part of its current "signature entree" lineup out of Los Angeles: pollo asado chicken thigh with charred corn farro, street-corn style zucchini and an asado sauce. This was the clear winner of the week — flavourful thigh meat, well-seasoned farro, and zucchini that hit close to home for a reviewer who grows his own. The meal also came with a salad of sun-dried tomatoes and cucumber, a cornmeal roll, and a "hot chocolate" cheesecake that went untouched.
The takeaway is refreshingly unglamorous. Neither dinner was exciting, and neither tried to be. But both were tasty, and there's a real argument that a simple, well-executed chicken dinner beats a fussy attempt at fine dining at 35,000 feet. For domestic first class — a cabin more about extra legroom, free drinks and a hot meal than a restaurant experience — that's exactly the bar you'd hope for.
If you're weighing which carrier to pick for a transcontinental first class booking, this comparison suggests the food gap is narrower than marketing might imply, with United's signature entree currently edging American on flavour. Frequent flyers on shorter upgrade-eligible hops should also note the practical wrinkle: same-day complimentary upgrades often mean no meal pre-order, so picky eaters may want to plan around whatever the two onboard choices happen to be.
