Over 43% Of People Say This Is The Best Fast Food Chicken Chain

There's no denying that chicken is having a moment in the fast-food world right now. Crispy chicken sandwiches — or crispy chicken sandwich tacos, in the case of Taco Bell — are prominently advertised on the menu board of just about every drive-thru. But for the times you're really hankering for a succulent piece of juicy poultry, you probably want to turn to a chain where the bird is their claim to fame. Unfortunately, this doesn't exactly help narrow down where to go, as there are several fast-food chains that specialize in chicken, and simply making your choice based on which one is closest to you at the moment may ultimately leave you disappointed with your meal.

In order to help you find the proverbial "winner winner, chicken dinner," Mashed conducted a survey in which we asked participants to pick the best fast-food chicken chain out of the following options: Bojangles, Chick-fil-A, Church's, KFC, Popeyes, Raising Cane's, and Zaxby's. A total of 599 people from the U.S. responded, and based on their answers, it seems like you shouldn't plan on making Bo Time a regular thing, as the North Carolina-based Bojangles received a dismal 1% of votes to take the last spot in the poll. Church's Chicken fared only slightly better, earning votes from 3% of the group, while Zaxby's and Raising Canes took 4% and 7%, respectively. We know these results look a little bleak, but that's only because the winner won by a landslide.

Despite finding itself the subject of several controversial news stories, there's no denying that Chick-fil-A serves up a good meal. The chain arguably pioneered the chicken sandwich that so many other fast-food restaurants are trying to compete with these days, having perfected their recipe in 1964 (via Chick-fil-A), but it's their nuggets that customers seem to pine after, as The Chicken Wire reports that the bite-sized pieces of chicken have been the restaurant's best-selling entrée for three years straight. With a myriad of other poultry options that includes Chick-n-Strips and grilled chicken sandwiches, it's no wonder that the brainchild of S. Truett Cathy came out on top in our survey, racking up a whopping 44% of the vote to be dubbed the best fast-food chicken chain around.

The downside to being a Chick-fil-A fan is that you always seem to want it on Sundays, which is when all 2,713 of the eatery's U.S. locations are closed for business (via ScrapeHero). Fortunately, 21% of survey respondents showed some love for KFC, while 20% named Popeyes as the purveyors of top-tier chicken, making them both suitable options for when the notoriously friendly Chick-Fil-A employees are enjoying their day off.