The Best Fast Food Fried Chicken, Ranked
Updated: Apr. 16, 2024
We set out to find the best fast-food fried chicken at national restaurant chains. The results are surprising, and you just might find a new restaurant to try the next time a fried chicken craving hits.
When it comes to fast-food chicken, we have certainly done our fair share of sampling all sorts of menu items. We found the best fast-food chicken sandwich and hunted down the best fast-food chicken nuggets. But who serves the best of the best when it comes to traditional fried chicken itself? We embarked on a mission to find the best fast-food fried chicken.
This could mean bone-in or boneless options; white meat or dark meat. Even though there are a wide variety of sauces, flavors and seasoning options in relation to fast-food fried chicken chains, we focused our search to sample the most classic choices or the signature menu items of each location. The taste test analyzed the crispiness of the skin, the tender and juicy nature of the meat, and the balance of seasonings used in the breading.
Here are the fast-food joints we visited:
- bb.q Chicken
- Checkers (or Rally’s)
- Chick-fil-A
- KFC
- Popeyes
- Raising Cane’s
- Wingstop
Keep reading to find out how your favorite fast-food fried chicken ranked!
7. Checkers
Checkers (also known as Rally’s in some areas) is a fast-food restaurant chain operating in 28 states throughout the country. They have been serving classic drive-thru menu items for the past 37 years and have a strong following of loyal customers. Checkers offers “Fry-Seasoned Tenders” that are white meat crispy chicken tenders coated in the chain’s famous seasoned fry batter, which delivers a signature zesty taste.
In our taste test, we were immediately drawn to the generous flavor of freshly ground black pepper in the coating. However, this coating was on the thinner side and the pieces of chicken were not as substantial as we would have hoped.
Bottom Line: While the tenders were certainly enjoyable to eat, other restaurants outshined Checkers when it came to their fried chicken.
6. KFC
Kentucky Fried Chicken is undoubtedly the most well-known fried chicken restaurant, with over 25,000 KFC outlets in more than 145 countries and territories around the world. The iconic Colonel Sanders, as well as the secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, have made this restaurant and its fried chicken recognizable across the globe.
The chicken itself was delightfully moist, but the skin left something to be desired. It didn’t crackle under our teeth with that first bite, and instead was almost rubbery rather than crispy. The seasoning in the coating is lovely and certainly a flavor we all know and love. However, the coating itself was a bit too thin to earn top honors.
Bottom Line: Even though KFC put fast-food fried chicken on the map, it wasn’t our top choice in this taste test.
5. Wingstop
Wingstop is a Texas-based international chain of restaurants that primarily sells chicken wings. The menu boasts a plethora of classic wings, boneless wings or crispy tenders, with 13 flavor options. Everything is deep-fried to order so not only is the fried chicken fresh, but it is also customizable. For the purpose of this taste test, we opted for plain, classic wings so as not to skew our findings with unique seasonings or sauces.
The wings were some of the best we tasted, and it is clear that Wingstop knows its signature product. It is always a plus when you can actually watch your food being prepared and the warmth of the to-go bag tells you the meal is as fresh as it can be. However, the plain wings were, well, quite plain. This is a case where it is best to go with a mild, medium or hot dry seasoning or wet sauce to enhance the flavor of the quality chicken pieces.
Bottom Line: If you are one who immediately reaches for the wings when fishing through a bucket of fried chicken, Wingstop is likely to be at the top of your list for the best fast-food fried chicken.
4. Chick-fil-A
The name says it all: Chick-fil-A does chicken, and it does it well. The Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips are boneless white meat chicken tenders seasoned to perfection, freshly breaded and perfect for dipping in the signature Chick-fil-A sauce. The meat retains its moisture because this fast-food restaurant pressure cooks the strips.
Bottom Line: The flavorful seasoning in the breading certainly makes these chicken strips stand out, plus the breading offers a nice crunch—exactly what we’re looking for in good fried chicken. This is a classic option that will leave you wanting more.
3. Popeyes
For over 50 years, Popeyes has served southern fried chicken to loyal customers hungry for an authentic New Orleans flavor experience. Today, they boast around 4,000 locations globally.
Upon taking that first bite of the signature fried chicken from Popeyes, we were blown away by the incredible crunch. The coating was well-seasoned and substantial. We also noted the impressive sizes of the chicken pieces themselves, and felt that bite for bite, there was definitely a lot of fried chicken bang for your buck. The meat was as tender and juicy as we could ask for as well.
Bottom Line: On any given day, this might be the best fast-food fried chicken out there. The only reservation was that maybe the battered coating was almost too thick in some spots, and for that reason Popeyes didn’t land the top slot on our list.
2. Raising Cane’s
The focus at Raising Cane’s is entirely on chicken fingers, and my goodness do they do it well. The craveable chicken fingers are marinated for 24 hours and are always cooked to order. Nothing here felt processed or like something from a kid’s menu. The chicken pieces were very tender and perfectly juicy. The coating was incredible and had an amazing crunch.
Best of all, we found Raising Cane’s to be the best value pick of all the fast-food joints we tried. The price per piece was lower than any other restaurant on our list, yet the fried chicken was top-notch in all categories. Since Raising Cane’s offers family sized combos and even tailgate boxes that can serve up to 33 people, this will be our new go-to choice for feeding a crowd high-quality fast food for a reasonable price.
Bottom Line: If you want the best fried chicken fingers, look no further than Raising Cane’s.
1. bb.q Chicken
This Korean fried chicken chain is our winner for the best fast-food fried chicken. It is an up-and-coming international chain with more than 4,000 stores spanning 59 countries, so if you haven’t seen a location near you just yet, it is likely one might pop up in the near future.
The bb.q in their name stands for “Best of the Best Quality”, and that’s exactly what we discovered after sampling this fried chicken for the first time. The Korean-style of frying chicken is slightly different than the traditional American approach. It is typically fried not once but twice—the first time to seal in the flavors, and the second time to crisp the skin. The result is a less messy piece of chicken that actually seems lighter than you might expect and without being overly battered.
The chicken itself was the most succulent of the bunch, and the light yet crisp skin provided the ideal amount of crunch without overwhelming the meat. We tasted a stronger hint of garlic and onion powders in the batter than other restaurants, but it was a pleasant flavor profile without being overwhelming.
Bottom Line: We found our order from bb.q Chicken was the best of all worlds in one perfect take-out box. We highly recommend seeking out a bb.q Chicken chain near you and giving it a try. You won’t be disappointed!
Originally Published: September 12, 2023
