Popeyes Chicken fast food restaurants are popping up in the UK, and having heard about these in the past from friends in the US I was keen to check one out.
Being a chicken focussed fast food joint the comparisons to Kentucky Fried Chicken were inevitable. Whilst Nando’s is another chicken place it’s more of a sit-down place. So, with a selection of burgers, tenders and pieces of chicken advertised as Louisiana chicken to combat the fried chicken from Kentucky, which is better? Popeyes or KFC? Let’s dive into a bucket or two to find out!
Popeyes Deluxe Chicken Sandwich Vs KFC Fillet Tower Burger
Starting things off let’s compare the Deluxe Chicken Sandwich of Popeyes against the Tower Burger of KFC. I liked that the Popeyes burger had a brioche bun and had a good quality slice of cheese in there, and not sure that I’ve ever had a chicken burger with pickles in. That worked better than I expected it to.
But these points aside I enjoyed the chicken but didn’t find it as nice as the chicken in the KFC Tower Burger. The Popeyes burger had a lot of mayo, and overall, it reminded me of a McDonalds McChicken Sandwich. It was definitely nicer than a McChicken Sandwich, but for me was nowhere near the KFC burger.
A Tower burger has always been a great choice for me and like that it’s got ketchup, and American cheese which melts better than the cheese found in Popeyes. But most of all, A KFC Tower Burger has its secret weapon of the hash brown which for me works so well. Add this to that I preferred the chicken and this one is hands down a win for KFC.
Winner: KFC Fillet Tower Burger
Popeyes Signature Chicken Classic Vs KFC Original Recipe Chicken
This is going to be much the same as the previous round, because I just feel that the Chicken at Popeyes was nice, but nothing special. Having a good selection of different cuts of chicken was good to try, and some of the pieces seemed huge, but the coating just didn’t win me over. Couldn’t really describe it too much as it just seemed pleasant if a bit bland.
The KFC chicken coating is what that restaurant is all about with it’s famed secret herbs and spices and it is what is the main appeal of their food. Richer in flavour and instantly comforting there’s a reason they say its finger licking good.
Winner: KFC Original Recipe Chicken
Popeye Fries Vs KFC Fries
This one is an easy win for Popeyes. Now, having had a quick look at the menu online I’m confused if I had Popeye’s regular fries or the Cajun seasoned fries. I don’t remember ordering the Cajun ones, but whatever they were they were definitely seasoned. Either way, the Popeye fries had a nice crispiness to them and the seasoning which had flecks of red and black to them was really tasty.
If these were regular fries and look forward to seeing what extra punch the Cajun ones would add. Either way they were a lot better than the KFC offering.
KFC fries have always been a bit soggier and they’re decidedly plain. It’s probably a good thing that they’re not covered in salt as you find in McDonalds or other places as you can add salt to your own level of saltiness. That they seem to leave the skin on does give them a unique texture as well, but for me KFC fries are designed to be had with their gravy to make them worth it.
Winner: Popeyes
Milkshake
I had a hand spun Lotus Biscoff milkshake from Popeyes and it was a large thick shake with a drizzle of sauce inside the cup with cream on the top and biscuit crumble as well.
Krushems are the go-to milkshake option at KFC and aren’t as thick in my experience. The sauce and biscuit crushed in is nice, but the KFC milkshakes have always slightly underwhelmed me. For me I think I preferred Popeyes on this front.
Winner: Popeyes
Overall
So, there’s still things on the menu I’ve not tried to be able to compare. In a future visit at Popeyes I’ll have to try their spicy chicken burger, the tenders and their offering of gravy. Maybe these will be areas that Popeyes excels at.
As it is, I liked the chicken at KFC more and the fries and milkshake more at Popeyes. This may make it seem a tie, but as it’s a comparison of chicken restaurants I’ll say the chicken is the most important part of the meal and in that sense KFC wins.
Winner: Kentucky Fried Chicken
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