When it comes to fried-chicken-oriented fast-food joints, you'll find similar items across every menu.
The chicken tenders, the nuggets, the chicken sandwich — these are staples at any go-to chicken spot.
But what helps brands distinguish themselves from each other is offering a unique and distinct take on these items.
So we set out to see for ourselves how some of the best fried-chicken fast-food joints set themselves apart from each other.
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... and in the opposite corner is the Kentucky-based KFC, and the cult-favorite Chick-fil-A, which hails from Atlanta.
We sampled the most popular or best-selling menu items from each, referencing rankings posted by the companies and other publications and public forums.
For Chick-fil-A, that was the chain's chicken nuggets, which was the second-most ordered main dish on the chain's menu in 2018.
Source: Business Insider
But that's just the chicken on its own — how does each chain measure up when it comes to its take on the chicken sandwich?
Let's preface this by saying that, hands down, Chick-fil-A's sandwich reigns supreme — the restaurant has mastered the art of the chicken sandwich.
KFC's Smoky Mountain BBQ-flavored Crispy Colonel Sandwich, with its BBQ sauce-soaked fried chicken nestled alongside pickles between two buns, packs a mean punch.
The mini sandwiches, dressed with pickles, are one of KFC's specialty items. The look of them was more reminiscent of hot dogs than anything else.
And last, but certainly not least, Popeyes' Chicken Po' Boy is the chain's take on a chicken sandwich.
It comes dressed in lettuce, pickles, and mayo with two chicken tenders tucked in a French baguette.
For the sides, we went with french fries at Chick-fil-A and Popeyes, since both menu items have been ranked as some of the best that the chains have to offer.
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KFC tries to pass its seasoned potato wedges off as french fries, but we don't think that counts. So we opted for KFC's creamy, gravy-topped mashed potatoes, which were pretty tasty.
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Chick-fil-A's waffle fries took the No. 1 spot as the chain's most-ordered menu item in 2018.
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And for good reason — the fries' unique shape, perfectly salty taste, and texture alone would warrant a trip to Chick-fil-A.
And while they, too, claim victory in the battle of the side orders, Popeyes' french fries are delectable in their own way.
It's easy to say with certainty that in our taste test, KFC came in dead last when compared to its two competitors.
One of the more minor, yet still equally annoying, grievances against KFC is its poorly designed take-out boxes that are awkwardly narrow for reaching in to.
The situation is actually similar with Chick-fil-A's packaging — we had to fight over each other to grab the chicken nuggets from their small box.
Popeyes, on the other hand, delivered all of its food in a wide box, allowing for all of our hands to pull from its contents at once.
But what Chick-fil-A does to single itself out is take each of its menu items and make it entirely its own.
From its chicken sandwich to its chicken nuggets and chicken strips, Chick-fil-A isn't the only fast-food restaurant with these items on the menu, but it crafts them in such a way that its competitors don't stand a chance.
We got one of each available sauce for this taste test: the original Chick-fil-A, the Polynesian, the Honey Mustard, the Garden Herb Ranch, the Zesty Buffalo, the Barbecue, and the Sriracha.
The sauces were so much fun to mix and match with our food that we abandoned our goal of only dipping Chick-fil-A's nuggets into them and started using them with KFC's and Popeyes' dishes.
Part of the fun of going to Chick-fil-A is experimenting with all of its different sauces, and even double, triple, or quadruple dipping to see what flavors can arise out of the various combinations.
So it's easy to see why the chain has gone from a regional favorite to a nationally ranked chain with a cult following in recent years.
Source: Business Insider