I just had a memory flash that I’m going to go with until some other Nashville resident or visitor can show otherwise, but the restaurant I was thinking of was the Hi-Ho on 21st Avenue South, between the Vandy and Peabody campuses and Hillsboro Village on the west side of the street. In addition to the KFC offering they had above average sit-down fare and did a good business for the years I was in school nearby. I ate there only a few times, and I can’t even remember eating the chicken!
So far, I have been unable to dig up any supporting cites to validate my memory.
Popeye’s is better than KFC, but Bojangle’s is the bomb. I bet a lot of you who are voting for Popeye’s have never tasted Bojangle’s. Even their dirty rice is better.
Here’s the last word on the subject. From worst to best:
7. Roy Rogers
6. Churches
5. Chick-fil-a
4. Bojangle’s
3. Modern KFC
2. Popeye’s
Old KFC
Popeye’s blows the wings off modern KFC, but isn’t even in the same coop as old KFC. With my advanced taste bud total recall, I recall just how finger lickin’ good the Colonels’ breasts and thighs really were, circa 1969. Old KFC simply made cluckin’ great fried chicken. I don’t remember exactly when the KFC magic went afowl, but I hope it was after Sanders’ was long plucked and buried.
I voted for Popeyes.
In all fairness, I’ve only had the chicken biscuit from Bojangles. It was good, but I wasn’t impressed with it.
Churches, I haven’t had in at least seven years. I used to get it at a mini-mart/gas station/Churches on Route 66 somewhere in Southern California between Irwindale and Victorville. Better then KFC.
Chic-Fil-a; does it even count as a national chain? Even if it does. I’ve only had chicken strips and chicken biscuits there. Do they even serve fried, on-the-bone chicken?
I do luvs me some KFC. First “fast food” chicken I ever had. Either it’s not as good as it used to be, or I’ve been exposed to much better fried chicken since.
Popeyes is my vote. Not the best restaurant fried chicken I’ve ever had, but the best chain. I prefer the spicy, but I’ll take the mild over anything else on the poll. Not too greasy, batter is pretty light and has some taste.
Roy Rogers, I’ve never had anything from there. I used to live near there Roy Rogers museum, if that counts for anything.
KFC all the way, baby. Never had Church’s, Popeye’s was pretty meh the couple times I had it, and Bojangles is the only fried chicken I have ever in my life thrown away half-eaten. That shit was just plain nasty.
I looove fried chicken and growing up my favorite was always Roy Rogers but the only one near us closed many many years ago and I haven’t had it in ages. There was another RR in Penn Station in NYC but it wasn’t the same also I am pretty sure Hardees in the midwest used the same chicken recipe because it tasted just like it.
Barring that I would go for KFC, original recipe. I would agree that the color varies, even at the same location. The darker batches are not as good but still pretty good.
I’ve never eaten at Popeye’s before so I voted for KFC, but all the hearty endorsements in this thread is making me curious. I’ll give them a try today and see if they’re really that much better.
Because of this poll, I went to Popeye’s (which I’ve never had before) for lunch to compare head-to-head to KFC. 50 points for the entire meal.
Biscuits 10 points.
KFC used to be the standard but they overbake them now so that the biscuit is actually crunchy. Taste good but biscuits need the proper crumb to really be great. The earn 1/2 a point because they still have an almost (but not quite) flake.
Popeye’s? OMFG! Baked prefectly. Soft and dense but with holes so its not overly heavy or doughy. Could be a touch lighter so they lose 1/2 a point. Big difference, Popeye’s taste is homemade and KFC has deginerated into mass-marketed.
KFC - 6.5
Popeye’s - 9.5
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy 10 points
KFC loses 1/2 point for the potatoes a little too creamy and another 1/2 point for not enough gravy.
Popeye’s - WTF! Cajun sauce? I should not have to chew my gravy. The only reason Popeye’s gets any points is because the taste was good but it is not mashed & GRAVY
KFC - 9
Popeye’s - 4
Crunchiness 15 points
First of all, KFC loses 2 points since they rarely have extra crispy available. I really think they the temps they cook at is all wrong or the breading is too thick because because the skin, while edible just does not have that crunch that fried chicken should. However, the extra crispy is great. Still tons of breading but you have that crunch that you need when eating chicken. It is for that reason that KFC get OK but not great marks (minus two)
Probably the best way to explain Popeye’s is the skin is part of the chicken when you eat it. Thin crisp coating. No complaints
KFC - 8
Popeye’s - 15
Taste 15 points
11 herbs and spices kick ass. KFC gets all 15 points
Popeye’s, how do I score you? Tasted homemade. Awesome homemade. But that’s the problem isn’t it. Homemade fried chicken is always a bit bland and I’m not getting anything from Popeye’s that I don’t get at home. So while Popeye’s is really good, it still has that meh factor. And I tried their spicy and again, meh. Perfect hotness but like a lot of “spicy” fast food, not a lot of flavor in the spice. It was just there to add some capesin to the equation. Now if it added a sauce like Black Angus Buffalo (which is just butter and tabasco) it would be awesome. I know this score will be contraversial because some people love having homemade flavor when they eat out and some people eat out to get something different than they can cook at home.
KFC - 15
Popeye’s - 11
Total
KFC - 38.5 / 50
Popeye’s - 39.5 / 50
Looks like Popeye’s won but barely. But then again, if KFC actually made their extra crispy more availble, they would have won. But then again, if I were partial to homemade flavors (and I can see why non-cooks would be), Popeye’s would be a clearcut winner. But then again …
For some reason, I’ve apparently already voted in this thread. However, the vote does not reflect my true tastes.
For me, the hierarchy runs Popeye’s, then Church’s, then KFC. But the KFC near me is very poorly run, we have no Church’s, and Popeye’s is too far to visit regularly.
Fortunately, we have a locally-owned place that has awesome chicken, so we’re covered.
It’s just a shame I don’t eat fried chicken anymore.
Ok, so now that I’ve had my Popeye’s meal I can make a comparison. Overall I liked it. Their biscuits are not dry and crumbly like at KFCs and have a buttery note to it. I didn’t order any of the sides, just like I don’t at KFC. Their spicy chicken definitely delivers with the spice, and I’m a fan of spicy foods.
As far as chicken quality though, when compared to KFCs extra-crispy chicken, I think they’re both pretty much the same. Given the choice of going to either I think I’d give a slight edge to Popeye’s for their better biscuits and pricing options.
Very nice review, but you made a glaring Popeye’s newbie mistake. . . Mashed potatoes? Screw that! No visit to Popeye’s is complete without red beans and rice. Next time, skip the potatoes, get the RB&R, and use some as a sort of dipping sauce for the biscuit. **C’est magnifique! **
I haven’t read all of them, so my opinion may change. But KFC’s original recipe is my favorite of the chains. Though I must admit that the local grocery store’s chicken is much better.
I can’t figure out why people like Chik-Fil-A so much. Every single item on their menu is bland. It’s pretty bad when I think the best thing on a menu is the fruit cup.
My wife and the rest of the mid-south seem to be against me on that, though.
I had it for the first time just before New Year’s, and I thought Chik-Fil-A was pretty darned good: just a simple deep fried chicken sandwich with pickles. It’s got nothing on a pork tenderloin sandwich (similar minimalist idea, but with pork), but it’s solid and tasty. If you want your chicken sandwiches with a whole bunch more toppings on them, or much more aggressively spiced, it’s probably not for you. But when you’re just looking for straightforward chicken, I think it’s great. That said, I also liked McDonald’s Chik-Fil-A ripoff sandwich, although its texture was just a bit too soft and “over-brined” to me.
