You might expect most of that sodium to come from the gravy but it's actually the potatoes that are the culprit. And there was one category in which the two restaurants tied price. If you want to give it a try to see if it makes a difference, you'll have to make a batch of KFC fried chicken first. That's where coleslaw comes in. Not counting the salt and pepper, that means you can make this dish with fewer than six ingredients, and you likely have most of them on hand at any given time. Year after year, Chick-fil-A tops the American Customer Service Index to be named the nation's best fast food restaurant. The breading really shines on the breast strips. Mango Habanero is another spicy flavor that Wingstop has perfected. It contains breaded and fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and sweet corn. How does the fried chicken compare? They don't serve bone-in chicken, instead focusing on nuggets, salads, sandwiches, and tenders. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. KKC offers crispy bone-in chicken, juicy tenders, and delicious sandwiches, as well as an array of sides including fries, honey butter biscuits, jambalaya, mac and cheese, red beans and rice, and several others. $20.00. People are serious about their drumsticks and nuggets, so please, do tell: which chain is your king on your list? When you have the three-piece chicken meal with mashed potatoes and Sprite at Popeyes, you can expect to consume 1390 calories, 69 grams of fat, 135 milligrams of cholesterol, 3455 milligrams of sodium, 146 grams of carbs, and 77 grams of sugar. However, Chick-Fil-A fans (AKA everyone who isnt a vegetarian) are passionateabout their nuggets and waffle fries. Bojangles offers a variety of other things on their menu, including sandwiches, bowls, salads, and their iconic biscuits. A "regular" size of mashed potatoes and gravy was $1.99. The gravy didn't disappoint, either; it had a deep, dark, rich flavor that paired perfectly with those fluffy potatoes. The flounder is served on a brioche bun with pickles and tartar sauce and the shrimp option is a quarter pound of battered popcorn shrimp. Popeyes has plenty on its menu, offers nuggets, tender, fried chicken, fries, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, biscuits, red beans and rice and mac and cheese, along with three different types of desserts blackberry cheesecake fried pie, cinnamon apple pie and a chocolate chip cookie. After all, the magical combo of carbs plus carbs is hard to beat. If you stirred while you added, there shouldn't be any lumps in the gravy. Add the beef and chicken bouillons to the hot water, stirring until the mixture is well combined. Fancy or fast? Both KFC and Popeyes have very good coleslaw offerings. As a bonus, instant potato flakes have a long expiration date, and you can feel pretty secure about keeping a box on-hand for last-minute or emergency situations. In the 90 years since, hundreds of other chicken chains have joined the flock. And with "meatless Mondays" gaining traction and vegetarianism continuing to be a talking point, fast food restaurants have realized they need vegetarian options. However, you don't need to go out and try each restaurant. I have only had the mashed potatoes at Popeyes a couple times. Our feelings about our KFC order weren't as nice as our feelings about our Popeyes order. You won't find fried chicken at El Pollo Loco, but instead citrus-marinated, fire-grilled, super-yummy chicken. The instant flakes are easy to incorporate into our hot liquid, so they turn out perfect every time. For more great stories, head to INSIDER's homepage. Bojangles' chicken on the bone is beyond greasy. What KFC still does right is their mashed potatoes and gravy, and their buttery, flaky biscuits. Chick-Fil-A almost feels out of place lined up next to KFC and Popeyes, but technically, what they offer us Monday through Saturday (insert eye roll) is indeed a form of fried chicken. But, in the end, quality may make you happier than quantity. $10 gets you enough food for leftovers or to share in both restaurants. Melt some unsalted butter into the liquid before adding the flakes, and stir until they're well combined. The gravy was tasty and contained meat, green peppers, and pepper, but the potatoes themselves were the fakest of fake. These booming franchises have competed against each other for years, fighting tooth and nail to remain the provider of the worlds favorite fast food chicken. However, don't expect to find traditional wings when you peruse their menu. KFC tastes a little bit more like it's just got salt and pepper (I know it's not but they're the predominant flavors), whereas Popeye's actually has FLAVORS going on. We made gravy with chicken bouillon only the first time around, but it wasn't dark enough to match up with the real deal. The chicken itself is generally juicy enough, but they forgot the seasoning. Stir constantly using a whisk until the mixture turns a light golden brown, about 5 minutes. we'd have come out pleased. And when they're juicy and tender, they make an even better snack. Bite after bite, location after location, the excellence is consistent. We tried Popeyes, El Pollo Loco, Culvers, Church's Chicken, KFC, and Boston Market. Drain the potatoes and garlic. They're also not terribly crispy, which is a very important component of fries. It comes in spicy or regular. Lee's is definitely in the KFC range of flavors. So, if you want to grab your sides at KFC and get your chicken elsewhere, that's perfectly acceptable. KFC edges out Popeyes by offering a few more options in almost every category, which is perfect for those who need to feed a bunch of people with varying tastes. KFC and Popeyes both bring two pretty good biscuits to the table. For consistency's sake, we ordered the smallest option at every restaurant (called "small," "individual," or "regular") and tried the potatoes and gravy separately and together to grade both parts. If you do happen to stop by one of Bojangles' 740-plus locations, just grab a cup of Sweet Tea or Patio Red Cherry and get out as quickly as possible before you end up with a pile of grease-soaked napkins and an overall feeling of regret. But does Raising Cane's serve the best chicken? After it quickly sold out, the coveted sandwich didn't return until two months later and the frenzy continued with people across the country waiting in long lines. The ingredients list is actually pretty simple when you get down to it. We wanted to find out which ranked higher the Louisiana-influenced flair of Popeyes or the Americana-drenched cuisine of Kentucky Fried Chicken? Those bits are then mixed in with gravy powder and water and strained out after they infuse the sauce with their flavor. The freshness doesn't end with their chicken. All prices provided on this website are averaged and should only be used as estimates. We mean, have you ever gone to a Chick-fil-A when there wasnt a line of cars wrapped around the building? (Yes, Popeyes makes the best fried chicken sandwich, but that's . It also has a tasty brioche bun, pickles and spicy sauce or mayo. But for accessing the restaurant around the country and the world, as well as offering the flexibility of pick up or delivery, KFC takes it. With only a $0.10 difference in price between the two, you want to eat where the food tastes better. KFC tries to pass its seasoned potato wedges off as french fries, but we don't think that counts. KFC Vs. Popeyes: How Far Will $10 Go? According to FastFood Geek, "The bun was large and pillowy, yet sturdy enough to handle the large breast of chicken and super schmear of mayo without any noticeable sog.". It's certainly enough food to share or save for leftovers. This may be the toughest category yet, because macaroni and cheese is just really difficult to pull off in a fast food setting. But unlike spicy gravy, which your tongue can eventually understand, the tangy flavor profile of this gravy was a little overwhelming. The use of ranch dressing and their Tongue Torch sauce truly delivers a memorable flavor combination. If you're not into spiced food (not exactly spicy, but just loaded with various spices), then maybe Popeyes won't get your vote. Drain, leave in colander to steam dry for 3 minutes. The mashed potato tiebreaker comes down to the gravy. In fact, back in 2016, it was the fastest, increasing sales by nearly 26 percent for the year. Of course, many surmise that Lee's Famous Recipe is the famous recipe the 11 herbs and spices one. But it's not just the quality of the chicken that seems to be causing the demise of Boston Market, it's the fact that you can find rotisserie chicken in almost every grocery store these days. The Popeyes and KFC we visited are only about a third of a mile from each other, so their prices are extremely competitive. We wanted to like Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits just because of its catchy name. Here are some of Popeyes most popular menu items, but if you want to see the whole kit and caboodle, take a look at the full menu of prices. They're called Kentucky Fried Chicken for a reason, but there are some other solid options. KFC takes the Chicken Nuggets round, fair and square. If you can't choose between Popeyes or Kentucky Fried Chicken, here's an idea: Piece together a DIY meal with the best components from each chain. The fact that there was nobody in the drive-through or order line when we got to KFC while everyone was at Popeyes should have been a hint about which fried chicken restaurant had the best food. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the flour to make the roux. 34 reviews of KFC "As far as fast-food chain restaurants go, I think KFC is probably one of the better ones. With over 50 locations in the Sunshine State, and more than a dozen more across New Jersey, New York, and the Carolinas, PDQ is serious about their chicken quality. This Louisiana-style kitchen adds a flare to its chicken and sides that KFC has never quite been able to outdo. Though these combinations are simple, they are anything but basic. At TKK, chicken always tastes fresh, and you can order fried chicken, wings, tenders, or sandwiches. While this could technically end up in a tie, Popeyes edges out KFC for their more interesting gravy. Popeyes was closer to being a butter bomb. Drizzle the bowl with gravy to finish it off, and you're in for a real treat. We tried mashed potatoes from six different fast-food restaurants. We like to make a little indentation in the mashed potatoes with the back of a spoon to give the gravy a place to pool. At KFC, a 3-piece meal with 1 side, 1 biscuit and 1 drink is $8.99, while the same meal at Popeyes is $9.89. But since Boston Market is a little pricier, if you're looking for a more inexpensive treat, you might want to try KFC. The pieces were also much bigger at KFC than at Popeyes. While Popeyes has recently become famous for its chicken sandwich, the most iconic menu items for both restaurants are their bone-in fried chicken, biscuits, and sides. We had far more than we could (or wanted to) eat for $10, and we left feeling dissatisfied with our meal. They said, "KFC chicken tenders are absolutely amazing. If you bow out of the Original Recipe and opt for Extra Crispy instead, it's almost always too crispy. Your best bet is to stick with their two-piece, three-piece, or five-piece meals with chicken and your choice of two sides.