We decided on spicy chicken since it's a Popeyes specialty and mashed potatoes with Cajun gravy so we could compare it to KFC's mashed potatoes. The chicken is meaty, never stringy or dry, and the crispy Cajun coating is what you'd expect to find in a Southern food joint. 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. OK, now that we understand the ingredients involved, it's time to get cooking. Drain the potatoes and garlic. It just doesn't work. 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. Even if you don't agree with the political and religious leanings of the founders, you can't disagree that Chick-fil-A offers some of the best fast food available. Each has fried chicken pieces, tenders, sandwiches, sides of mac & cheese, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and french fries. The sheer variety of tenders, as well as how delicious they are, put KFC in the top spot for the tenders category. KFC, on the other hand, has the fried chicken, Beyond chicken, tenders (regular and spicy), pot pie, and the Famous Bowl. Equally important, the brioche bun held up. Top the potatoes with the hot gravy and serve immediately. If the potatoes are too thick for your liking, whisk in additional milk or water until they reach the perfect consistency. A "regular" size of mashed potatoes and gravy was $1.99. which one?!? Spicy Chicken Sandwich The perfectly spicy chicken patty sells like crazy and pairs well with an iced-cold lemonade. The home of the best Cajun flavor youll find north of the Mississippi Popeyes takes the cake for its spicy rendition of fried chicken. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Combo (Sandwich, Waffle Fries, and Drink): Chicken Biscuit A recent addition to the menu, Chick-Fil-As breakfast Chicken Biscuit brings out the restaurants southern roots and tastes pretty darn good, too. Popeyes and Chick-fil-A are basically tied, as both restaurants have mastered the art of the chicken. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir frequently until the mixture is the desired consistency, about 5 minutes. Both mac and cheeses are good in a fast food, kinda bland, sorta tasty kind of way. 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. The Sierra Mist wasn't very fizzy, and it was also sweeter than the Sprite from Popeyes. Of course, many surmise that Lee's Famous Recipe is the famous recipe the 11 herbs and spices one. It also has a tasty brioche bun, pickles and spicy sauce or mayo. 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. They may have used the drippings in the past, but that process involved the addition of extra shortening, which cost too much money for the side dish. To make it even more decadent, the bowl is drizzled with KFC's homestyle gravy. Good fried chicken should be a beautiful interplay of salty and crunchy. Bojangles offers a variety of other things on their menu, including sandwiches, bowls, salads, and their iconic biscuits. At TKK, chicken always tastes fresh, and you can order fried chicken, wings, tenders, or sandwiches. It was crispy and delectably juicy. It has also been shown to disrupt the endocrine system of animals, resulting in developmental effects and changes in thyroid activity. It wasn't as fizzy as we would have liked it, but it was also not immensely sweet. But I had a KFC biscuit recently and it was way better than I remembered. You could add extra salt if you wanted yours to have a little more flavor. Only the true connoisseurs can distinguish KFCs homestyle recipe from Popeyes. While both places offer mashed potatoes, the consistency of KFC's version is bland. Fill a large pot 1/2 to 3/4 full of water. Whereas the Popeyes biscuit is. Popeyes, on the other hand, has no vegetarian options on the menu, at least not at their United States locations. Simply because there are not enough of these restaurants in America. There were two formidable competitors in the race to see which chain was the overall better option KFC or Popeyes. The gravy recipe does contain both pork and chicken, meaning it is not a vegetarian option. Their "regular" size was $2.19 and pretty large, but the potatoes were thick and gluey. Mango Habanero is another spicy flavor that Wingstop has perfected. This joint should be a hard pass. I have only had the mashed potatoes at Popeyes a couple times. Your best bet is to stick with their two-piece, three-piece, or five-piece meals with chicken and your choice of two sides. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir frequently until the mixture is the desired consistency, about 5 minutes. So, eating the whole 3-piece meal in one sitting will max out your fat and sodium for the day and then some. KFC also has a quick pick up option or a delivery option on their website, so you can swing by on your way after work and grab some grub for your family. If you were using real potatoes, this process would be long and time-consuming. It's a great bite and it really helps the meal to flow and get your palate ready for that next bite of chicken. And if the cooks get happy with the salt shaker (like it appeared they did the day we visited), you may be getting even more sodium than listed in the nutritional stats. Instead, go for their Kickin' Chicken on Texas Toast. Today choose joy and go get some.". If it has, don't worry; upon stirring, it will incorporate into the rest of the gravy without any problems. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be. If your KFC and Popeyes are located close to each other, chances are that you'll see very similar price points since they're in such close competition. Things took a deadly turn when a man was stabbed to death after allegedly cutting in line at a Maryland Popeyes. Let's dive into the KFC side dishes and other options they have available. Their perfectly seasoned chicken is deep fried twice to deliver crunchy, juicy wings that are some of the best you'll ever have. We're not talking about fresh potatoes out of the ground. By clicking Sign Up, you also agree to marketing emails from both Insider and Morning Brew; and you accept Insiders. It contains breaded and fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and sweet corn. KFC's mac and cheese is thinner and more saucy, like the childhood stovetop favorite, while Popeyes was clearly going for a more solid, baked style of mac and cheese. We weren't even finished paying yet before it was waiting for us. If you bow out of the Original Recipe and opt for Extra Crispy instead, it's almost always too crispy. Now that the roux is finished, it's time to add the liquid. And though Popeyes has always been known for their bone-in fried chicken, in 2019 they turned the chicken world on its head with the release of the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich. No two french fries from these fast-food chains are the same. Copyright 2023 Fast Food Menu Prices. 12 Pieces of Extra Crispy Tenders with 2 Large Mashed Potatoes, Large Gravy, Large Coleslaw & 4 Biscuits. In the end, you want to get the most food for your money, but you also want to get food that tastes good. KFC answered that call by releasing their Beyond Fried Chicken, made with Beyond Meat. If we're being honest, both KFC and Popeyes make great potatoes. Sandwich Only: $3.29. We tried Popeyes, El Pollo Loco, Culvers, Church's Chicken, KFC, and Boston Market. Each restaurant we tried was ranked in Restaurant Business's top-100 chain restaurants of 2017. The Lee in Lee's Famous is one Lee Cummings. I've been somewhat of a mild fan of KFC since I was a child. The KFC Famous Bowl in a snack size has 270 calories, 13g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 820 mg sodium, 27g carbohydrate, 1g sugar, and 11g protein. The recipe has changed several times over the years, so we tried out a few copycat recipes before settling on a final version. If you don't have bouillon cubes on hand, you can use something like Better Than Bouillon roasted beef or chicken base. You can choose from their original sauce (which is a buffalo sauce that isn't overwhelming), something more mild (their Wimpy sauce), or one of their extremely hot yet flavorful sauces with appropriate names like Insane or Nuclear. Anyone saying popeyes tastes better than kfc does not have taste buds whatsoever. But Popeyes took more overall categories, coming out on top in the chicken, sandwich, other mains, biscuits, fries, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese categories. If you're ever in doubt, go to the busier restaurant when they're practically next door to each other. 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. What KFC still does right is their mashed potatoes and gravy, and their buttery, flaky biscuits. The gravy was tasty and contained meat, green peppers, and pepper, but the potatoes themselves were the fakest of fake. However, Popeyes was the clear winner when it came to food quality. If you're traveling internationally, KFC is in more than 145 countries, with varying menus. If you like your potatoes on the creamy side, you can whisk in extra water or milk at the end. You're welcome". After all, the magical combo of carbs plus carbs is hard to beat. These biscuits seem to divide crowds. And there was one category in which the two restaurants tied price. Boston Market has been known for their homestyle meals and amazing rotisserie chicken for decades. You can be assured that your shoes will never stick to the floor in this restaurant's bathroom. These biscuits are buttery and flaky, and glazed in sticky honey butter heaven. It costs $8.59 and includes three pieces of dark meat chicken (two legs and a thigh), one side order, a biscuit, and a small soft drink. Popeye's Breasts have 1330 mg of sodium per 440 calories, and KFC Extra crispy breast have 1140 mg of sodium per 490 calories. Unfortunately, this time around, the gravy tasted oddly bitter. Either way, the sodium is clearly the biggest red . We considered using real potatoes to make our KFC mashed potato copycat recipe. Since Popeyes offers Coke products, we got a Sprite. One excellentKFC copycat recipe hails Idahoan brand mashed potatoes as a close approximation of the dried potato flakes KFC uses in their kitchen. Season the mashed potatoes with black pepper. But, KFC uses them to make their mashed potatoes, and they taste pretty good. Short for "butylated hydroxytoluene," BHT is on the Environmental Working Group's "dirty dozen" list of food additives to be aware of, despite their approval by the FDA. Instantly, this sandwich became a viral sensation and it sold out all over the country. While some of these other restaurants' potatoes tasted fake or instant, Boston Market's tasted like they used real potatoes. Calling KFC's mashed potatoes with gravy a meal would be pretty accurate, considering an individual side portion packs in an alarming 530 milligrams of sodium. You'll want to whisk the entire time to prevent any dry clumps from forming, and to keep the flour from accidentally burning to the bottom of the pan. KFC has their traditional tenders, which, according to one Twitter user, are a must try. It's amazing that they can cook it so quickly, yet so perfectly. Continue whisking and adding the broth until the entire container is empty. That's it! KFC tries to pass its seasoned potato wedges off as french fries, but we don't think that counts. The mashed potato tiebreaker comes down to the gravy. But you pretty much just got one scoop of potatoes for that, and the least amount of gravy from all the places we visited. The buttermilk biscuits were the star. However, if you're a bit of a coward when it comes to spicy foods, don't worry, you have plenty of delicious choices at Wingstop, too. It was a close race, with Popeyes narrowly taking the lead by one. 8 Pieces Extr Crispy Chicken with 2 Large Mashed Potatoes, Large Gravy, Large Coleslaw & 4 Biscuits. They offer nine tantalizing sauces for their juicy chicken, but their Buffalo Bleu and Sweet Sriracha deliver big, bold flavor that shouldn't be missed. The recipe we use here is by far our favorite. But when it comes to the chicken, there's no comparison. Combo (Sandwich, Waffle Fries, and Drink): $6.19. And when perfectly cooked fried chicken is accompanied by memorable sides, it makes for an even more spectacular meal. It's basically a starch bomb that absorbs water, expanding the liquid to create a flavorful gravy that's thick enough to coat just about anything. We spent a total of $9.78, which was a mere $0.10 less than what we spent at Popeyes. Despite the pieces of chicken being smaller at Popeyes and containing two legs and a thigh (instead of two thighs and a leg), Popeyes' meal is higher in calories and fat. An Eater review describes them as having a rubbery texture. Original or extra crispy? When it comes to the breading on fried chicken, Church's Chickendelivers some of the best. KFC's Secret Recipe fries have a nice spice blend on them, but the fries need some salt, desperately. Plus, they couldn't be easier to make; just heat up some water or milk, stir in the flakes, and top it off with butter. Show up to a party with a bucket of KFCs homestyle white meat chicken, and youll make friends immediately (its a scientific fact if you want to try it out). By opting for the snack size bowl (rather than the regular), you save 470 calories and 21g of fat. The chicken quality just isn't there. But it was quite salty, so if that's not your thing, be warned. Place in a pot, add 1 tbsp salt and water so it's 5cm / 2" above potatoes. The chicken is fried perfection, the bun is buttery good, and the pickle is the ideal complement to the simplicity of it all. Even though the late Anthony Bourdain was a Popeyes Mac and Cheese fan, neither will blow you away, but also neither will make you turn your head away in disgust. You might expect most of that sodium to come from the gravy but it's actually the potatoes that are the culprit. This sandwich wasn't at all overhyped. When you can get a perfectly cooked bird at Costco for $4.99, why would you venture to Boston Market for a more expensive and less appetizing meal? KFC's famous mashed potatoes and gravy was the obvious choice for the side. Man, oh man, these things are kind of magical! You are here: The flavor of the chicken might be good, but you'll be so distracted by the amount of grease that you would never know it. The best recommendation is to drive-thru your nearest Church's Chicken and just order the biscuits and maybe some corn on the cob. This Louisiana-style kitchen adds a flare to its chicken and sides that KFC has never quite been able to outdo. In the end, you want to get the Read more on mashed.com Comfort Food Potatoes Food & Dining Vegetables Biscuits More stories from Comfort Food And when they're juicy and tender, they make an even better snack. At KFC, a 12-piece tenders meal, with 3 large sides, 6 sauces and 6 biscuits is $34.99, while the equivalent at Popeyes 12 tenders with 2 large sides and 6 biscuits will cost you $32.99. But if you want a little more spice in your life, why not opt for KFC's Nashville Hot Tenders instead? It might seem like cheating to make such a flavorful side dish with a handful of ingredients that come out of pouches or bags. KFC used to be the go-to chicken place for just about everybody in the county. Their success comes from these hot commodities, and if youre wanting to see other menu items, check out a full list of Chick-Fil-A prices. you've probably tried that famous recipe well, kinda. So, whats their secret sauce? What makes Champs Chicken bad is the fact that they have terrible chicken. When visiting, your best bet is to keep things simple and load up on the chicken and biscuits, as none of the sides are a true standout. Add a little bit of your own seasoning if you want to make it a little less bland. That said, you'll want to have a pitcher of beer (or water) next to you when devouring a platter of these wings, although somehow the heat doesn't overpower the flavor. And we're surprised because, at one time, most people would easily have said that KFC had the best-tasting chicken. The story goes that Cummings had access to that Sanders family spice mix, as he was the one who helped Sanders sell his chicken in the early days not long before developing his own "famous recipe." Does the bliss of these biscuits make up for their iffy chicken? Stay up to date with what you want to know. The pieces were also much bigger at KFC than at Popeyes. The only other item we could purchase with our remaining funds was another biscuit for $1.29. Both Popeyes and KFC have left diners with less than stellar options, but at least KFC has something on offer. If you're looking for a homemade-potatoes feel, it doesn't get better than this restaurant chain. The tenders have been so popular, that even McDonald's is getting in on the spicy chicken craze, according to The Street. While the oil still had that specific Popeyes oil flavor, it seemed far fresher than usual. If you can get past the texture, though, the flavor isn't all that bad. People can't get enough of their chicken, and everything else on their menu. In total, we spent $9.88. Add the bouillon-infused water to the pan, whisking constantly to prevent any clumps from forming. That's a lot for something you're likely gobbling up in between bites of KFC's MSG-laden fried chicken. Fried chicken is complicated. Check out the prices of these top sellers, or mosey on over to the full menu of prices. Add the beef and chicken bouillons to the hot water, stirring until the mixture is well combined. The potatoes were super buttery and had a nice, light and fluffy texture. When it comes to washing it down, skip the sodas and order one of their available teas or even buy a beer at TKK. Their 100 percent natural chicken is hormone-free, steroid-free, and never frozen and all of that makes a huge difference in the taste.
Can Hitting A Possum Damage Your Car, Articles K