Question of the Day: Popeye's or Kentucky Fried?
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12 Comments:
It depends on the item. Popeye's has good red beans and rice, and horrible mashed potatoes and gravy. KFC has decent tasting mashed potatoes, nice gravy and corn, but their mac and cheese sucks. The choices in chicken at Popeye's are spicy and mild, and both are good. KFC has either original which is sometimes soggy, or extra crispy which is very consistant. Both restaurants have good biscuits, even if they are very different. KFC goes for the tall, tan and fluffy style, while Popeye's are thinner, sort of buttery and nicely salty. At KFC the predominant flavor is their spice blend and at Popeye's the overall flavor is bacon-y, and we all know bacon is always good.
For me it's all about which sides I'm in the mood for.
Calichef at 8:32AM on 01/04/07
Popeye's, no question. The chicken is consistently spicy with just the right amount of moisture and crunch (and they will give you pepper sauce packets if you want more heat). Plus its flaky, buttery, salty biscuits with a slight hint of sweetness are downright addictive. I'm not big on sides (I'd rather fill up on more chicken and biscuits), but its dirty rice and red beans and rice trump anyone's instant mashed potatoes.
homesicktexan at 8:43AM on 01/04/07
I like Popeye's but have been dismayed at the recent closings of some of the locations I tended to visit most -- one in Midtown just off Sixth Avenue on 45th or 46th Street and the one on Flatbush Avenue near the Fulton Mall.
I have to admit, however, that I've been simultaneously attracted and repulsed by the KFC Famous Bowls that the chain has been advertising heavily as of late. I've been known to mix all sorts of crap into my mashers if given free rein, so they sort of appeal to me on that level, but I don't know if I want to allow my inner glutton to try these things. And what's with the name of this item? Seems like they introduced these things from the get-go as "famous" thereby skipping the plain 'ol "Bowls" stage. I think the product needs a track record before it can become "famous."
Adam Kuban at 9:14AM on 01/04/07
Love the Red Beans & Rice. Sometimes just get a large w/ biscuit. Gotta ask for a bunch of hot sauce packets. Think they cook all or most of it up in a building on Airline Highway in New Orleans. Spicy chicken sandwich is also good, though not every branch offers it.
nf at 11:06AM on 01/04/07
Not even close. Popeye's is crisper, juicier, better flavored, less institutional and probably as good as chain chicken (or most volume-produced chicken, for that matter) gets. You have to go to a real specialty restaurant (like Stroud's in Kansas City or Gus's outside Memphis) to do much better. KFC is okay, but no better, and the traditional recipe is pretty greasy. The pieces are also smaller.
gustoct at 3:36PM on 01/04/07
What about Church's? Are those still around? My grandmother used to make homemade fried chicken that was to die for (lit'rally--no wonder my Dad has heart disease)... but if she was going to eat store-bought fried chicken, Church's was the ONLY place she'd take us.
Adrienne at 3:36PM on 01/04/07
Church's is/was right behind Popeye's -- first rate, but didn't offer the spicy option. I believe that at one point Popeye's bought them. I don't know who owns them now.
gustoct at 3:40PM on 01/04/07
From Wikipedia:
Church's became the second-largest chicken restaurant chain in 1989, when it merged with Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits. The company continued to operate both restaurants as separate chains. Church's was owned by AFC Enterprises, along with Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits and Cinnabon through the end of 2004, when it was sold to Arcapita (formerly Crescent Capital Investments). Because Arcapita is an Islamic venture capital firm, bacon was removed from the menu after the sale (pork not being halal). Hala Moddelmog was appointed as president of Church's Chicken in 1996, making her the first female president of a fast-food restaurant. Church's Chicken began its corporate partnership with the Children's Miracle Network in the summer of 2004.
gustoct at 3:46PM on 01/04/07
I haven't eaten at a Church's in a long time and I note that they now even have a spicy option. I hate to be obsessive about this (but I do love fried chicken!), but I have discovered that there is one Church's in Manhattan at 8th and 36th. Since there are several Popeye's in Manhattan, the nearest to Church's being on 34th near 8th, this looks like an assignment for Ed. Tell us, oh great one!
gustoct at 4:00PM on 01/04/07
Gustoct: Isn't that Church's at 36th and Eighth one of those White Castle–Church's? There's one of those in downtown Brooklyn, too. My love of White Castle, however, has kept me from ever ordering from the Church's side of the counter.
Adam Kuban at 5:53PM on 01/04/07
technically popeye's serves a better chicken, but i always lean towards the coronel--he's a charmer. i suppose i'm more of an army girl than navy. i've had plenty of divine moments with kfc popcorn chicken, and more than once i've gotten into lengthy conversations with friends regarding our secret love of the biscuit.
AlexRaine at 1:05PM on 01/05/07
Popeye's because it is spicy and extra crispy. Bring on the spice.
Oh, yeah...we used to have Church's in Atlanta...How about Mrs. Winner's for another blast from the past? I never liked the chicken from there.
Myszka at 1:48PM on 01/05/07