Popeyes and KFC are two of the biggest names in the fried chicken fast-food scene.
And you'll find similar items on the menu at both restaurants.
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 classic items.
So we set out to see for ourselves how the two chains set themselves a part from the crowd.
We sampled the most popular or best-selling menu items from each chain, referencing rankings posted by the companies and other publications and public forums.
That meant different dishes for each chain.
We picked up original fried chicken tenders from KFC and Popeye's spicy chicken tenders, a crowd favorite.
The KFC chicken pieces were large in size, but the breading on it was more uneven than on the Popeyes pieces.
The KFC chicken was also less crispy and lacked the flavor that was packed in the Popeyes tenders.
Each one of Popeye's fried chicken pieces were warm, juicy, and perfectly tender, with an even layer of breading all around.
But that's just the chicken by itself — how does it perform when constructed into a sandwich?
We went with KFC's Smoky Mountain BBQ-flavored Crispy Colonel Sandwich, with its BBQ-sauce-soaked fried chicken nestled alongside pickles between two buns.
It certainly packs a mean punch.
Each bite delivered a powerful, all-enveloping kick.
There wasn't much of a crisp to the chicken, though, which was disappointing.
But at least the sandwich was a good size.
The chain's Chicken Littles were more on the smaller side, as the name suggests.
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.
As small as they were, they were still tasty, with their breaded and mayo-dressed tenderness.
But any sandwich variation KFC offered paled in comparison to Popeyes' Chicken Po' Boy.
The sandwich comes dressed in lettuce, pickles, and mayo with two chicken tenders tucked in a French baguette.
The sandwich is full-sized and delicious.
Each bite was bursting with flavor thanks to the flawlessly crispy chicken.
It was more than memorable.
We gobbled up every bite.
For the side orders, we went with french fries at Popeyes.
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 classic creamy gravy-topped mashed potatoes, which were pretty tasty.
But Popeye's french fries was a much more delectable side order.
The restaurant, which originated in New Orleans, knows how to season food.
Each fry comes dressed in an even layer of Cajun spice. They're difficult to ignore.
The same could be said about the flaky, buttery triumph that is the Popeyes biscuit.
KFC's was nothing noteworthy — it lacked any fluff or taste.
Popeyes' buttermilk biscuit easily knocked KFC's biscuits out of the park.
It's easy to say with certainty that in our taste test, KFC was completely overshadowed by Popeyes.
One of the more minor, but equally annoying, grievances against KFC is its poorly designed take-out boxes that are awkwardly narrow for reaching into.
We didn't have that problem with Popeyes — the restaurant delivered all of its food in a wide box, allowing for all of our hands to pull from it at once.
There's a lot to be said about a sharing-friendly take-out container.
But even if its packaging design wasn't on-point, Popeyes wins this taste test without question.
The sheer quality of its fried chicken can't be matched.
The crisp, the breading, the texture, and the taste — Popeyes nails it every time.
Popeyes may have been bred as a regional chain from the South, but it's garnered national attention for a reason.
