7 Fast-Food Chains With the Best Fried Chicken, According to Customers
Fast food fried chicken has blown up over the last few years, with stalwarts such as KFC and Popeyes facing new contenders such as Dave’s Hot Chicken and Bonchon. Consumer demand for chicken has skyrocketed (the average American ate over 100 pounds of chicken in 2024), and shows no sign of slowing down. While supermarket and rotisserie chicken is a grocery staple, hitting the drive-thru remains one of the most convenient ways to take care of lunch or dinner. So which restaurants are serving up fresh, juicy, crispy fried chicken people are raving about? Here are seven fast-food chains with the best fried chicken, according to customers.
Popeyes
Popeyes arguably sparked off the chicken sandwich wars and remains a firm fan-favorite chain. “Popeyes is now my number one fast food chicken joint. I love their sides—the mac n’ cheese is great, the fries are solid, and the red beans and rice are a classic,” one Redditor said. “They really need to bring back the dirty rice! Their chicken has a nice flavor with the spice I like.”
Pollo Campero
Guatemalan chain Pollo Campero serves up delicious fried and grilled chicken items, customers say. “Anybody who has been to Central America knows Pollo Campero rules,” one raved. “Had it in El Salvador and Guatemala. So freaking good,” another agreed.
Bonchon
Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken is mentioned several times for its impressive fried chicken and other menu items such as Chicken Katsu and spicy Buldak. “Some of the best fried chicken I’ve had was at Bonchon. Same with their bulgogi fried rice! Fantastic food,” one fan said.
Bojangles
Bojangles is beloved for both chicken and sides. “Bojangles has the chicken biscuit game on lock, I miss them so much since I’ve been away from them for awhile. Especially being able to get them after typical breakfast hours,” one fan asserted. “I love Bojangles as their biscuit outclasses Popeyes by a lot, and I like their chicken the most,” another agreed. “Their Mac and cheese is top class, and if the fries are hot and crispy, the whole thing is just top of the mountain in every category for me.”
Jollibee
Jollibee fans rave about the delicious crispy cbone-in hicken
“Jollibee has won USA Today’s Top Fried Chicken 2024 and 2025. As a Filipino American I’m proud! I’m partial to Bojangles too,” one Redditor said. “Jollibee is an easy #1 for me,” another agreed.
Church’s Texas Chicken
Church’s Texas Chicken gets top points for a spectacular spicy chicken option. “I was, and hopefully am, still a fan of Church’s. Haven’t tried since the re-brand through. I feel they’re the only ones that were a threat to Chick-fil-A’s sandwich,” one Redditor said. “I also like Church’s over Popeyes but they are getting harder to find. Popeyes is still good, don’t get me wrong but I like my chicken greasier, lol,” another fan said.
KFC
KFC is frequently mentioned as absolutely fantastic when it’s done right (one major complaint is consistency issues from location to location). “I just had my yearly craving for KFC. 7 piece extra crispy – It was delicious, so I’m still choosing KFC,” one fan said. ‘KFC really varies by location. They have the best and the worst,” another commented.
