5 Restaurant Chains With the Best Fried Chicken Buckets, According to Diners
I was recently watching Love Story, the Ryan Murphy biographical romantic-drama anthology television series, and spotted a true 1990s icon in one of the scenes: a red-and-white KFC fried chicken bucket. Did you really live in the 1980s to 1990s if you didn’t have the social experience of sharing a bucket of white and dark chicken pieces with a group of people? I’m not sure why the fried chicken bucket isn’t as popular as it once was, but if you want to eat fried chicken in nostalgic style, there are a handful of places to do so. Here are 5 restaurant chains with the best fried chicken buckets, according to diners.
Jollibee
Jollibee understands the assignment with its crispy Chickenjoy bucket, an elevated, more international take on the southern favorite. “Jollibee is the best fried chicken in the area. Drums and thighs only, spicy or regular, served with gravy on the side,” writes a Redditor in Northern Virginia. “Jollibee is delicious,” adds another.
KFC
KFC still serves the world’s most famous fried chicken bucket, seasoned with 11 herbs and spices. You can get an 8-, 12-, or 16-piece meal served in the chain’s famous red-and-white bucket, starting at around $20. “Choose between Variety Bucket (2 drums, 2 thighs, 2 breasts and 2 wings) or our all-dark meat Drum & Thigh Bucket (4 drums and 4 thighs),” says KFC. One diner calls the bucket experience at KFC “a blast.”
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
KFC’s biggest competitor, Popeyes, serves Cajun-style fried chicken buckets praised for spice and crunch. Many diners prefer it to KFC. “Besides Korean fried chicken this is easily the best answer. No other fast food chain comes CLOSE to the product Popeyes makes,” a Redditor says. Some diners say it is “crispier and just tastes better,” compared to KFC. “Popeyes all day, every day,” another says.
Royal Farms
Convenience stores and gas stations are also popular places for fried chicken buckets, especially Royal Farms. “Do Good. Eat Good. It’s Chickenpalooza Time!” the chain captioned a Facebook post. “Winner winner chicken dinner love rofo chicken,” writes a fan. “I love Royal Farm chicken and wedges,” adds a shopper. “Its insanely good for gas ststion chicken. Its very good for cheap and fast fried chicken. Its pretty good for fried chicken in general. They use fresh chicken not frozen, pressure fryers which makes it crispier and they have a pretty decent spice blend. Its best if you get it right out of the fryer and slowly loses its goodness as it sits in the steam table,” a Redditor explains.
Weis
Grocery stores, including Weis, are other spots to get the best chicken buckets. The Weis2Go Fried Chicken Bucket Hot is in the deli section for $13.99. “I got really good fried chicken at the Weis in Macungie the other day. I could not believe how good it was,” writes a Redditor. “It was so amazingly moist and tasty.”