An unsettling study led by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) uncovered information about fast-food chicken that consumers may find hard to swallow.

The CBC teamed up with researchers at Trent University's Wildlife Forensic DNA Laboratory to test the chicken at five major fast-food restaurants -- and the results were harrowing.

Included in the experiment were six crowd-favorite sandwiches: McDonald's Country Chicken (grilled), Wendy's Grilled Chicken Sandwich, A&W's Chicken Grill Deluxe, Tim Hortons' Chipotle Chicken Grilled Wrap, Subway's Oven Roasted Chicken Sandwich and Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki (chicken strips).

Luckily for fast-food lovers, a majority of the meat came back between 85 and 90 percent chicken DNA -- except for Subway's.

The study found that Subway's oven roasted chicken only contained about 53.6 percent chicken DNA, and the sweet onion chicken teriyaki strips had just 42.8 percent.

Subway's results were apparently such an outlier that the team tested them again, "biopsying five new oven roasted chicken pieces, and five new orders of chicken strips" only to come up with similar results.

So, if Subway's "chicken" isn't chicken ... what exactly is it?

DNA testing reveals it's soy -- a common additive in the fast-food industry, according to Ben Bohrer, a food scientist at the University of Guelph.

In a process called "restructuring," smaller pieces of meat are bound together with other ingredients to make them last longer, taste better and, as Bohrer puts it, "add value" -- i.e. help the restaurant make more money off less quality meat.

While this process may have a plethora of benefits to be reaped by the restaurant industry, the negatives fall entirely on consumers.

According to the CBC, fast food chicken with fillers (like soy) have about a quarter less protein than consumers would get in a home-cooked equivalent.

Also notable are the higher sodium levels of "restructured" meat, which the CBC found to be between seven and 10 times what they would be in a piece of unadulterated chicken.

Subway Canada released a statement saying they "cannot confirm the veracity of the results of the lab testing," and claiming "all of our chicken items are made from 100% white meat chicken which is marinated, oven roasted and grilled."

"However, we are concerned by the alleged findings you cite with respect to the proportion of soy content," Subway continued. "Our chicken strips and oven roasted chicken contain 1% or less of soy protein. We use this ingredient in these products as a means to help stabilize the texture and moisture."

In the mean time, if you're looking for an alternative lunch spot, Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich had nearly 90 percent chicken DNA.

Or maybe just fire up your oven and make some at home.

UPDATE:

A Subway representative reached out to AOL.com to provide the following statement, including information on two additional testings that have discredited the aforementioned CBC study:

Two independent laboratories testing Subway® chicken have found that alleged test results broadcast on Feb. 24 by the Canadian Television show, Marketplace, were false and misleading.

Test results from laboratories in Canada and the U.S. clearly show that the Canadian chicken products tested had only trace amounts of soy, contradicting the accusations made during the broadcast of CBC Marketplace.

Subway representatives immediately contacted the program and the lab that conducted the tests to inquire about the methodology and the testing process. The program and the lab declined to engage with Subway except to share the results. In response, Subway sent samples of the Canadian products that Marketplace claimed contained 50% soy protein to Maxxam Analytics in Canada and Elisa Technologies, Inc., in Florida.

The results from both labs found soy protein below 10 ppm, or less than 1%, in all tested samples. These findings are consistent with the low levels of soy protein that we add with the spices and marinade to help keep the products moist and flavorful.

"The stunningly flawed test by Marketplace is a tremendous disservice to our customers. The safety, quality and integrity of our food is the foundation of our business. That's why we took extra caution to test and retest the chicken. Our customers can have confidence in our food. The allegation that our chicken is only 50% chicken is 100% wrong," said SUBWAY President and CEO Suzanne Greco.

Dave Theno, Subway's Chief of Food Safety & Quality, said, " Our chicken is 100% white meat with seasonings, marinated, cooked and delivered to our restaurants. The chicken has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Through years of testing, we've never seen results like the program claimed."

Subway has shared the results of the independent tests with Marketplace and the lab that conducted the flawed test. The company is demanding a retraction and apology.

Here are some chicken recipes to get you started:

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