The Chain Restaurant With The Best Fried Chicken

If you were to go on a road trip to find the best fried chicken in America, you'd likely stop at indie establishments such as Philadelphia's Federal Donuts and Atlanta's Busy Bee Cafe. And let's not forget about swinging through Pittsburg (no "h"), Kansas, to check out both Chicken Annie's and Chicken Mary's. (Theirs is one of the great U. S. restaurant rivalries.)

If you're obliged to stay closer to home, though, you may need to stick with chain chicken. If you live in a large urban area, it's possible you'll have a variety of options to pick from, so which chicken chain should you choose? Mashed checked out customer reviews from 14 different fast food restaurants with chicken on the menu and found that you get the best bang for your cluck at Popeye's.

Popeye's may be famous (or infamous) for starting the great Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019 to 2020-something, but its real strength lies in its bone-in chicken. Not only do reviewers rave about the crispy coating and juicy meat, which is the bare minimum it takes to achieve fried chicken supremacy (or even adequacy), but many find Popeyes' spice marinade to be way tastier than KFC's top secret recipe. That's why the latter ranked last while the former came first on our chain restaurant fried chicken list.

Popeye's and KFC, the alpha and omega of our chicken chain ranking, both dish up what is often thought of as Southern-style fried chicken, as do most of the other restaurants on our list. Two of the ones that placed in the top five, however, offer something a little different. In third place is TKK, a Taiwanese chain with a handful of locations in 15 states and the District of Columbia. TKK, too, keeps its spice blend proprietary but implies that the spices are more Chinese than Western. Customers enjoy the seasonings and apply the usual accolades (crispy, juicy, flavorful, etc.) while also appreciating the fact that the chicken is cooked on demand.

Coming in fifth we find Bonchon, a Korean chicken chain found in 25 states and D.C. Bonchon chicken is, of course, Korean-style, which means that the batter-dipped exterior is coated in a sweet and sticky sauce (soy garlic, spicy, or Korean barbecue). Reviewers say the sauce adds a whole new dimension to the chicken, taking it places where juicy and tender alone can't reach.

If you scrolled straight to the end, here's the two-sentence recap: If standard (aka Southern) fried chicken is what you're looking for, Popeye's produces pretty good stuff on a consistent basis. If you want fried chicken that provides an alternative eating experience, then Bonchon's your pick, but if you want something that's a little bit different but not too extreme, then TKK should suit.