When it comes to chicken and fast food, there are many options to choose from. The fast food chicken world gives you Mexican, Filipino, Southern, Cajun, and South Korean options and flavors to gorge on. Of course, fast food fans will endlessly debate over which chicken joint is the best. When it comes to food, it's all about an individual's point of view, and a chicken recipe can be a joy to one person but feel like blasphemy to another. Who does it best when it comes to chicken in the fast food world? Here's our ranking of fast food chicken chains, from worst to best.
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00:00As America falls deeper in love with chicken, the number of chicken chains seems to be growing
00:05by the day.
00:06However, you don't need to go out and try each restaurant.
00:09Instead, dig into this finger-lickin' good ranking of the most popular fast food chicken
00:13chains in order from the worst to the best.
00:17You can find Champ's Chicken in gas stations and convenience stores all across the country.
00:22That fact shouldn't deter you from trying it, though, because lots of great food can
00:26be found in gas stations.
00:28What should steer you away from Champ's Chicken is the fact that they have terrible chicken.
00:33First of all, Champ's Chicken apparently hunts down the scrawniest chickens available.
00:37Then they manage to simultaneously undercook the skin while overcooking the meat.
00:41The result is mealy and fatty skin wrapped around tasteless slivers of meat.
00:46Order a drumstick and you'll feel like you're gnawing on a sandy shoe.
00:50Champ's Chicken exists because it's conveniently located and inexpensive.
00:55If you actually care about what your chicken tastes like, you'll go a few extra miles
00:59and spend a little bit more money to find an alternative worth eating.
01:04Boston Market has been known for their home-style meals and amazing rotisserie chicken for decades.
01:09However, in recent years, the quality of their chicken has drastically declined.
01:14What used to be a dependable spot to find juicy, tender chicken and other delicious
01:18offerings is now an inconsistent eatery where the chicken is often more rubbery than juicy
01:23and the seasoning is more bland than ever.
01:26It's not just the quality of the chicken that seems to be causing the demise of Boston Market.
01:31It's the fact that you can find rotisserie chicken in almost every grocery store these
01:35days.
01:36When you can get a perfectly cooked bird at Costco for $4.99, why would you venture to
01:40Boston Market for a more expensive and less appetizing meal?
01:44KFC used to be the go-to chicken place for just about everybody in the country.
01:50But over the years, their inconsistency has made many people turn to other alternatives.
01:55Sometimes you'll hit the jackpot and the chicken will be perfect, but those times are few and
02:00far between these days.
02:01It's still finger-lickin' good.
02:05The breading on their original recipe is usually peppery and flavorful, but the chicken meat
02:09itself is typically greasy.
02:12If you bow out of the original recipe and opt for Extra Crispy instead, it's almost
02:17always too crispy.
02:19Though you want to feel the crunch, chicken shouldn't be difficult to bite into.
02:23Sometimes it's so overcooked that the chicken meat inside has practically turned into dust.
02:28What KFC still does right is their mashed potatoes and gravy and their buttery flaky
02:32biscuits.
02:33So if you want to grab your sides at KFC and get your chicken elsewhere, that's perfectly
02:38acceptable.
02:40The Lee in Lee's Famous is Lee Cummings, and if that name doesn't sound famous to you,
02:45you surely know his uncle, Harlan Sanders, as in Colonel Sanders of KFC.
02:51The story goes that Cummings had access to the Sanders Family Spice Mix since he was
02:55the one who helped Sanders sell his chicken in the early days.
02:59Before long, he developed his own Famous recipe.
03:02Of course, many surmise that Lee's Famous recipe has the same 11 herbs and spices as
03:07the Colonel's.
03:08Lee's is definitely in the KFC range of flavors.
03:12It may actually be better.
03:13This packs a bit more pepper than KFC, and the chicken is much more consistent.
03:18It's cooked fresh, never frozen, and has a more succulent flavor than the Colonel's.
03:23The breading really shines on the breast strips.
03:26You might try Lee's for the novelty of the KFC comparison, but then find yourself pleasantly
03:31surprised enough with the flavor to make it a regular dining option.
03:36When it comes to the breading on fried chicken, Church's Chicken delivers some of the best.
03:40The crispness, the seasoning, everything is just perfect.
03:44But then when you take a giant bite, your mouth quickly fills with disappointment.
03:49The chicken quality just isn't there.
03:51While sometimes you can luck out and get a fresh piece of chicken, most visits to Church's
03:55Chicken result in the feeling that this chicken meat sat a day or two too long in the freezer.
04:01Where Church's redeems themselves is with their biscuits.
04:04If you haven't had Church's biscuits, you have been missing out.
04:07These biscuits are buttery and flaky, and glazed in sticky honey butter heaven.
04:12Does the bliss of these biscuits make up for their iffy chicken?
04:15Almost, but not quite.
04:18When it comes to chicken restaurants, Zaxby's is firmly in the middle of the pack.
04:23While the chicken quality is outstanding at some Zaxby's locations, others fail with tough
04:28meat that just tastes, well, old.
04:31It truly depends on the location and the time of day.
04:34At Zaxby's, if you're in the mood for a sandwich, stay away from their Chicken Finger Sandwich.
04:39It just doesn't work.
04:41Instead, go for their Kickin' Chicken on Texas Toast.
04:44The use of ranch dressing and their tongue-torch sauce truly delivers a memorable flavor combination.
04:50While they have a lot to offer on their menu, including salads, appetizers, and sides, their
04:55traditional bone-in wings are their only other chicken offering worthy of a hearty recommendation.
05:02How many types of chicken does Raising Cane's offer?
05:05Just one, Chicken Fingers.
05:06Sure, you can have them in different size combos or laying across a kaiser roll in their
05:11sandwich, but the entire menu is still just Chicken Fingers.
05:15In other words, they're a one-trick pony, and if you only have one trick, you better
05:19do it well.
05:21Luckily for Cane's, they're pretty good at it.
05:23Their breading isn't overly spicy, and that is probably because they're counting on you
05:27to dip the fingers into their Cane's sauce.
05:30Even on its own, Cane's Chicken holds up with some juicy fingers and just the right
05:35crunch to make it the fingers place that you'll want to frequent.
05:38Sometimes just doing one thing is enough when you do it right.
05:43If it's chicken wings you crave, look for the nearest Bonchon.
05:46However, don't expect to find traditional wings when you peruse their menu.
05:50Their perfectly seasoned chicken is deep-fried twice to deliver crunchy, juicy wings that
05:55are some of the best you'll ever have.
05:57You don't have a lot of flavor choices at Bonchon.
06:00It's either soy garlic, spicy, or half-and-half.
06:03And honestly, the half-and-half is your best bet, because both soy garlic and spicy are
06:07so good.
06:09Bonchon wings may be a little more pricey than those from the mainstream wing chains,
06:13but you do get a free side, which can range from fries to rice to pickled radishes.
06:19If you've got a hankering for some wings from a national chain, your best choice undoubtedly
06:24is Wingstop.
06:25Whether you prefer bone-in or boneless, Wingstop's wings are always plump, fresh, and juicy.
06:30You'll never feel like you're getting shortchanged when it comes to the meat.
06:34The true joy of these perfect wings, however, comes from the flavor options.
06:38If you want to bring on the heat, their Atomic Wings deliver.
06:42Mango Habanero is another spicy flavor that Wingstop has perfected.
06:46However, if you're a bit of a coward when it comes to spicy foods, don't worry.
06:51You have plenty of other delicious choices.
06:53From the mild flavor, to their amazingly buttery Garlic Parmesan, to their sweet yet
06:58tangy Hawaiian, there's something for everyone at Wingstop.
07:01Look, we get it.
07:03It's wings.
07:04And if you're in the mood for chicken, you're probably not getting wings.
07:07But let's give credit where credit is due.
07:10Wingstop does chicken well.
07:12Bojangles Famous Chicken & Biscuits is the go-to place for many a fan.
07:17With all-day breakfast and out-of-this-universe biscuits, it's easy to swing in any time and
07:22grab some delicious chicken.
07:24But alas, there is one issue that even the biggest Bo fan will peep about.
07:28The consistency varies from store to store.
07:32If you're blessed with more than one Bojangles in your neck of the woods, you might classify
07:36them as the good one and the bad one.
07:38This is a common issue with Bojangles.
07:41When it's good, it's oh-so-delicious.
07:43But when it's not, it's just another generic chicken joint.
07:46It'd be unfair to rank them too high because of that.
07:50If you like spicy, flavorful chicken, you'll love Crispy Crunchy Chicken.
07:55Like Champ's, KKC is often found in convenience stores and gas stations.
08:00But unlike Champ's, KKC is scrumptious.
08:03KKC offers crispy bone-in chicken, juicy tenders, and delicious sandwiches.
08:08They've also got an impressive array of sides, including fries, honey butter biscuits, jambalaya,
08:14mac and cheese, red beans and rice, and several others.
08:17When visiting, your best bet is to keep things simple and load up on the chicken and biscuits,
08:22as none of the sides are a true standout.
08:24The chicken is meaty, never stringy or dry, and the crispy Cajun coating is what you'd
08:29expect to find in a Southern food joint.
08:32Jollibee offers a wide variety of dishes on their menu, from their Jolly Spaghetti in
08:36its sweet sauce made from banana ketchup to their Holo-Holo dessert, which is surprisingly
08:41good even though it's made with beans.
08:44But let's talk about the star of the show at Jollibee.
08:47Whether you're having the Breakfast Chicken Sandwich, the Boneless Chicken Dippers, or
08:51their Bone-In Chickenjoy, this fried chicken is exactly what it should be.
08:55It's well-seasoned and never dry.
08:57Also, the skin of the chicken is perfectly cooked, always crunchy, never rubbery.
09:02It's what most fried chicken is striving to be.
09:06You won't find fried chicken at El Pollo Loco, but instead, citrus-marinated, fire-grilled,
09:11super-yummy chicken.
09:13You can get whole pieces of chicken served with your choice of sides and tortillas or
09:17burritos, bowls, quesadillas, and other specials.
09:21Though their combinations are simple, they are anything but basic.
09:25What makes El Pollo Loco chicken special is its extremely tender and juicy, but never
09:29too soft or slimy.
09:31The skin is never rubbery or burnt.
09:33A word of warning, though, stick with the beans and rice as your sides.
09:37Their mac and cheese is not flavorful and often a little runny, while their mashed potatoes
09:42and gravy don't mesh well with the citrus flavor of their chicken.
09:45And don't forget to add their salsa to kick things up a notch.
09:49PDQ stands for People Dedicated to Quality, though their service is also pretty darn quick.
09:56Their 100 percent natural chicken is hormone-free, steroid-free, and never frozen, and all of
10:01that makes a huge difference in the taste.
10:04They don't serve bone-in chicken, instead focusing on nuggets, salads, sandwiches, and
10:09tenders.
10:10Their Honey Butter Chicken Sandwich is absolutely delicious.
10:13The crispy chicken is dipped in homemade honey butter and served on a toasted brioche bun
10:18with crunchy pickle slices.
10:20They also craft all their sauces and salad dressings every day.
10:24They offer nine tantalizing sauces for their juicy chicken, but their Buffalo Blue and
10:29Sweet Sriracha deliver big, bold flavor that shouldn't be missed.
10:33In 2020, PDQ announced store closures in Arizona after closing all Oklahoma and Texas locations
10:39prior to that.
10:41It's a rough run for the chain, but that doesn't mean they've slipped in quality.
10:45Give them a shot if they're around your area, and you'll see just how delicious it truly
10:49is.
10:51If you love spicy fried chicken, Popeyes is your place.
10:55Their chicken is superbly crunchy on the outside and exquisitely juicy on the inside.
11:00Bite after bite, location after location, the excellence is consistent.
11:05And though Popeyes has always been known for their bone-in fried chicken, in 2019,
11:09they turned the chicken world on its head with the release of the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich.
11:14I've been trying to make the perfect chicken sandwich forever.
11:17How does that make you feel?
11:19You know me, it had to be just right.
11:21This sandwich became an overnight viral sensation, and it sold out all over the country.
11:26It wasn't complicated, but it was absolutely one of the best chicken sandwiches ever made.
11:31Thankfully, after a brief absence, it's now back for everyone to enjoy.
11:36Even if you're not a chicken sandwich person, though, you can't go wrong with Popeyes' many
11:40other delicious options.
11:42It's all good, from the drumsticks to the spicy tenders.
11:46Here's the only problem with Popeyes.
11:48If you don't like your chicken super crunchy, this isn't for you.
11:51And despite the juicy chicken, it tastes like, well, chicken.
11:56There's no bonus flavor to it.
11:58The spice comes from the crunchy texture.
12:00So it's great chicken, but there are reasonable faults to it.
12:05Year after year, Chick-fil-A tops the American Customer Service Index to be named the nation's
12:10best fast food restaurant.
12:12People can't get enough of their chicken and everything else on their menu.
12:16The secret to making the chicken so good is their brine.
12:19With a vinegar base, it balances the perfect tang that really hits the taste buds in all
12:23the right ways.
12:25Chick-fil-A's nuggets are also a tasty fast food delicacy, especially when dipped into
12:30their magically sweet Polynesian sauce.
12:33Chicken isn't the only thing on the menu at Chick-fil-A, but it's all equally delicious,
12:37from the milkshakes to their waffle fries.
12:41When it comes to chicken, Chick-fil-A makes the most tasty one.
12:44No gimmicks, no sauces, no super crunch.
12:47It's just a superior tasting bird.