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I compared the same meal from Chick-fil-A and KFC to see which fast food chain came out on top.
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I thought KFC’s offerings had more flavor and Chick-fil-A’s sides were well seasoned.
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But when it came down to it, I preferred the juicy, flavorful chicken items from KFC.
I compared similar meals from Chick-fil-A and KFC to see which one tastes the best.
Although I’ve ordered meals from Chick-fil-A and KFC in the past, I’ve always wondered which chain has the better meal.
Both chains are known for their chicken, although KFC is more common than Chick-fil-A. KFC has over 3,800 locations compared to Chick-fil-A’s over 2,800 restaurants.
So I decided to compare the same dish from both chains to see which is the tastiest.
In the past, I’ve usually ordered Chick-fil-A’s original chicken sandwich and KFC’s two-piece combo with mashed potatoes. For this comparison, I tried more chicken sandwiches and sides to see which I preferred.
To start my taste test, I settled on KFC.
The interior of KFC featured many images of the restaurant’s founder, Colonel Sanders. I ordered my food at the to-go counter.
I went to Chick-fil-A to get my food.
Chick-fil-A is usually my go-to for quality fast food chicken, and I’d say this chain is better known than KFC where I live in Texas.
In contrast to KFC’s red and white theme, Chick-fil-A’s interior featured a few gray accents.
I also ordered my food at the counter at this location and took my food home.
My KFC meal looked promising.
After I got home, I sorted out all the food I bought.
I got four-piece KFC deals with Mac and Cheese and Sweet Tea, a Classic Chicken Sandwich, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie. My KFC order came out to $16.10 which I thought was about right for the amount of food.
I thought my food from Chick-fil-A was a bit pricey.
I ordered a medium Chick-fil-A meal of four Chick-n-Strips, which included mac and cheese and sweetened iced tea. I also ordered the original chicken sandwich and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert.
The order came out to $19.06 which I personally thought was a bit expensive for what I got.
First I tried the chicken tenders from KFC and Chick-fil-A.
I ordered combo meals that came with a side and a drink at both restaurants. I ordered the mac and cheese and sweet tea specials.
KFC’s four-piece chicken meal came in at $9.50. The four-count Chick-n-Strips meal from Chick-fil-A was slightly more expensive at $11.60.
KFC’s chicken offerings had a lot of flavor.
KFC’s offerings looked like they would be super crispy and cooked just right and even came with a biscuit which I thought was a nice addition.
The chicken tenders were just what I wanted, moist and seasoned with salt and pepper. I was worried about the dryness because I find that’s usually a problem with ready-to-serve fast food, but these held their juiciness.
I ate them on their own to test their flavor, but I’m sure the cookies would have tasted great with chipotle or ranch dressing.
The Chick-n-Strips didn’t seem tampered with either.
The Chick-fil-A strips were also pretty good, though they were a bit bland than the KFC bites.
However, I found Chick-fil-A’s chicken juicier. Also, I thought Chick-n-Strips had less seasoning than KFC’s chicken, which made the version a little less exciting to eat for me.
However, I didn’t feel like the strips needed the sauce since the Chick-fil-A tenders don’t have a hard fried breading and it was easier to taste and enjoy the meat.
I then prepared to try the chain’s sandwiches.
KFC’s classic chicken sandwich costs $4.50, and Chick-fil-A’s version was slightly more expensive at $4.60.
The KFC chicken sandwich was tasty and flavorful.
The KFC sandwich featured a double-breaded extra-crispy chicken breast, butter bun, pickles and the restaurant’s mayo. It reminded me of a Popeyes chicken sandwich and I thought it was just as good.
My sandwich tasted fresh and had layers of flavor. I’m not even a fan of pickles, but I liked them in the sandwich. I thought the mayo really made all the difference and balanced out the potential dryness.
I also noticed that it was much larger than the Chick-fil-A sandwich.
This time, the Chick-fil-A sandwich let me down.
I usually like the Chick-fil-A sandwich, but I didn’t find it as tasty as the KFC version. I thought the chicken was overdone and dry.
However, I think Chick-fil-A may have just had an off day because I usually love this sandwich and it’s usually not dry. I won’t hold it against the chain as I probably just got a not so good batch.
Next I tried the mac and cheese which came as a side to the chicken tenders.
KFC’s mac and cheese comes with the chicken tender combo, but at Chick-fil-A, adding a side costs an extra $1.60.
I immediately noticed that Chick-fil-A’s version had crispy melted cheese on top.
KFC’s mac and cheese was creamy.
KFC’s mac and cheese, made with elbow macaroni and creamy cheddar, looked rich. I thought the noodles were drowned in cheese, which I would normally like, but the overall dish was a bit one-note.
I just tried elbow macaroni and melted cheddar instead of any spices or other flavorings. Even adding some kind of crust or other cheese would elevate it.
The Chick-fil-A mac and cheese looked delicious.
Chick-fil-A mac and cheese featured parmesan, cheddar and romano.
It was baked so there was a light, delicious layer of crispy cheese on top, which I think was the best part. The flavor was great and added another texture to the whole dish.
I tried the sweet tea drinks that came with the chicken dishes.
I ordered medium sweet tea drinks. If I had ordered the drinks alone, they would have cost $2.20 at KFC and $2.35 at Chick-fil-A.
KFC sweet tea had bitterness.
The KFC drink seems heavy on both the tea (the drink is dark brown in color) and the sweetness.
It was a little too much tea for me as I got a strong, earthy bitter taste despite the sugar.
Chick-fil-A sweet tea wasn’t very sweet.
I thought Chick-fil-A’s drink tasted better.
The drink contains cane sugar, but it wasn’t too sweet. The light brown drink was made from a blend of tea leaves and felt light and refreshing.
Finally, it was time to try the chocolate chip cookies.
A chocolate chip cookie from KFC costs about $1.30. Chick-fil-A’s Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie was $1.55.
The KFC chocolate chip cookie was super simple.
The KFC treat was a plain light brown cookie with baked chocolate chips. It was much smaller than Chick-fil-A’s, but it tasted great.
I like my chocolate chip cookies simple and soft and this was it. I could tell it wasn’t homemade, but it had that classic chocolate chip cookie flavor.
The Chick-fil-A cookie was not my favorite.
Chick-fil-A’s chocolate chip cookie was made with semi-sweet dark and milk chocolate with oatmeal baked inside.
I actually prefer a more plain cookie. I wasn’t a huge fan of oatmeal and the semi-sweet bites took away a bit of the sweetness I crave. This cookie wasn’t that soft either. Sometimes less is more.
Overall, KFC was my winner.
All in all, I’d have to say it was pretty much a tie. Both chains had some great options and a few foods that weren’t my absolute favorite.
I much preferred the mac and cheese and sweet tea from Chick-fil-A. But when it comes to the tenders, sandwiches and cookies, KFC wins this race. The chicken tenders had great crunch and flavor, the sandwich was filling, and the cookie was simple and just delicious.
If I had gotten a better chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A, as I’m used to, the chain might have won this taste test. Still, neither restaurant is a bad option, so the next time I’m craving chicken, I won’t consider either place.
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