A serving of KFC mashed potatoes and gravy contains 130 calories, 4.5 grams of fat (1 gram of which is saturated), and 520 milligrams of sodium. Not counting the salt and pepper, that means you can make this dish with fewer than six ingredients, and you likely have most of them on hand at any given time. I think Checkers' potatoes had the best flavor, texture, and shelf life. The chicken is fried perfection, the bun is buttery good, and the pickle is the ideal complement to the simplicity of it all. The Idahoan brand we picked up uses 100 percent Idaho potatoes, and they really do taste just like mashed potatoes made from scratch. Copyright 2023 Fast Food Menu Prices. If we're being honest, both KFC and Popeyes make great potatoes. The pieces were also much bigger at KFC than at Popeyes. So, depending on your health-related dietary requirements, KFC's nutritional content may be the worse dietary choice of the two. However, Chick-Fil-A fans (AKA everyone who isnt a vegetarian) are passionateabout their nuggets and waffle fries. KFC's famous mashed potatoes and gravy was the obvious choice for the side. If you do happen to stop by one of Bojangles' 740-plus locations, just grab a cup of Sweet Tea or Patio Red Cherry and get out as quickly as possible before you end up with a pile of grease-soaked napkins and an overall feeling of regret. If you haven't had Church's biscuits, you have been deprived. It doesn't hurt that when you eat in-store they give you real bowls and silverware. Well, the credit there goes to a long list of food additives and preservatives. It just doesn't work. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir frequently until the mixture is the desired consistency, about 5 minutes. A side of mac and cheese at KFC is $1.99, while at Popeyes, it's significantly more, at $3.19. If there were 11 herbs and spices mixed in with the salt, we couldn't detect them. In fact, it might be blasphemous to say, but it may actually be better. KFC Vs. Popeyes: How Far Will $10 Go? According to Vice, part of the Popeyes magic lies in its seasonings, as well as their deep fryers. Now that KFC has reported they're serving sides by the scoop instead of by the container, you can really hack the menu to make some creative dishes. Melt some unsalted butter into the liquid before adding the flakes, and stir until they're well combined. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Is there such a thing as bad fried chicken? Man, oh man, these things are kind of magical! While some of these other restaurants' potatoes tasted fake or instant, Boston Market's tasted like they used real potatoes. All Rights Reserved. To really enjoy these chicken fingers, you have to load them up with sauce, and not just their Cane's sauce either. Both mac and cheeses are good in a fast food, kinda bland, sorta tasty kind of way. Started in the Philippines, this chicken restaurant came stateside in 1998 and now has over 1,300 worldwide locations but only 37 in the U.S. Jollibee offers a wide variety of dishes on their menu, from their Jolly Spaghetti in its sweet sauce made from banana ketchup (yes, that's a thing) to their Halo-Halo dessert, which is surprisingly good even though its made with beans. TKK offers three fried chicken flavors: Original, Crispy Mild, and Crispy Spicy. These biscuits are buttery and flaky, and glazed in sticky honey butter heaven. You could probably even eat the potatoes without gravy they held their own. When asked for the best way to reheat a KFC biscuit, one Redditor replied, "Throw away the KFC biscuit, drive to Popeyes and order biscuits. The skin is never rubbery or burnt. Simmer the mixture until the butter is melted. Another Redditor claims the gravy is just a packet of seasonings and powder, mixed into water no fryer drippings required. With only a $0.10 difference in price between the two, you want to eat where the food tastes better. we'd have come out pleased. Popeyes also marinates their chicken tenders, which imparts even more spice into the chicken. You'll notice the liquid starts to bubble up and expand almost immediately as it hits the roux; that's the scientific process of those starches absorbing the water. KFC has restaurants around the world and has been in the chicken business for over seven decades, making it a clear option. As a bonus, instant potato flakes have a long expiration date, and you can feel pretty secure about keeping a box on-hand for last-minute or emergency situations. But these days, chicken is far and away the most consumed meat in the United States. The 3-Piece Chicken Combo was the KFC menu item most similar in price and content to the 3-piece combo from Popeyes. According to KFC's ingredients list, their mashed potatoes contain an array of additives such as maltodextrine, mono- and diglycerides, sodium bisulphite, and BHT. It comes in spicy or regular. There are no meat products in the potatoes alone. So why use beef bouillon, too? There's just no getting around it. They have crunch and even some juiciness, but as far as flavor goes, they fall completely flat. Likewise, the biscuits weren't good. KFC barely has any seasoning compared to Popeye's, and it still tastes better. Then, we learned from Popsugar that KFC mashed potatoes and gravy is made from powder packets, and we felt a little better. It was crispy and delectably juicy. In the end, you want to get the Read more on mashed.com Comfort Food Potatoes Food & Dining Vegetables Biscuits More stories from Comfort Food Their Honey Butter Chicken Sandwich is absolutely delicious. I've been somewhat of a mild fan of KFC since I was a child. These booming franchises have competed against each other for years, fighting tooth and nail to remain the provider of the worlds favorite fast food chicken. But if you want a little more spice in your life, why not opt for KFC's Nashville Hot Tenders instead? If you end up having to spend valuable time and extra money on gas to get a good deal, it's no longer a good deal. So if you consider that for an extra $2, you can get an additional side, the tender meal at KFC and Popeyes is around the same price. Either way, the sodium is clearly the biggest red . Chicken nuggets are the perfect sharing food. Though you want to feel the crunch, chicken shouldn't be difficult to bite into. The result is mealy and fatty skin wrapped around tasteless slivers of meat. The flavor of the chicken might be good, but you'll be so distracted by the amount of grease that you would never know it. Popeyes however, is alienating a large section of the population. The freshness doesn't end with their chicken. The WVSR suggests they jazz up the appearance a bit more to make the bowl more appealing to the public, which wouldn't be a bad idea. If you aren't out West, you might not be familiar with El Pollo Loco. Their mac and cheese is not flavorful and often a little runny, while their mashed potatoes and gravy don't mesh well with the citrus flavor of their chicken. Calling KFC's mashed potatoes with gravy a meal would be pretty accurate, considering an individual side portion packs in an alarming 530 milligrams of sodium. The use of ranch dressing and their Tongue Torch sauce truly delivers a memorable flavor combination. Instead, dig in to this finger-licking good ranking of the most popular fast food chicken chains, ordered from the worst to the best. If you're cozying up to a bucket of KFC chicken, there's a good chance you have a side of mashed potatoes at the ready, too. If you bow out of the Original Recipe and opt for Extra Crispy instead, it's almost always too crispy. We're not talking about fresh potatoes out of the ground. I compared and ranked fries from Five Guys, Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Shake Shack, Popeyes, KFC, and Checkers. Check out the prices of these top sellers, or mosey on over to the full menu of prices. KFC takes this one but not by much. They lacked the lumpiness of real, homemade potatoes, but they'll hit your nostalgia spot straight-on. In total, we spent $9.88. Start by making the gravy. A fried chicken dinner is a hard hitter when it comes to calories, fat, cholesterol, carbs, and sodium. The sandwich was nearly impossible to get, selling out everywhere. They may have used the drippings in the past, but that process involved the addition of extra shortening, which cost too much money for the side dish. KFC, on the other hand, has the fried chicken, Beyond chicken, tenders (regular and spicy), pot pie, and the Famous Bowl. I want some fuckin FRIED CHICKEN. By clicking Sign Up, you also agree to marketing emails from both Insider and Morning Brew; and you accept Insiders. But, KFC uses them to make their mashed potatoes, and they taste pretty good. Some copycat KFC mashed potatoes and gravy recipes use chicken or beef bouillon cubes, but we wanted to use both. It made the most sense for us to order similar items from both Popeyes and KFC to see how far our $10 would go in each restaurant. However, the wait for the food was a minute and 12 seconds. This sandwich wasn't at all overhyped. It contains ingredients like black pepper, chicken extract, salt, flour, etc.". As a carrier of Pepsi products, the closest choice to the Sprite we ordered at Popeyes was Sierra Mist. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. The Sprite also has more sugar in it than the Sierra Mist we got at KFC. According to FastFood Geek, "The bun was large and pillowy, yet sturdy enough to handle the large breast of chicken and super schmear of mayo without any noticeable sog.". Oh, and we found a chicken feather sticking up from the chicken skin, which wasn't terribly appetizing. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and water to a boil. The instant flakes are easy to incorporate into our hot liquid, so they turn out perfect every time. Speaking from a fried chicken connoisseur point of view, neither KFC nor Popeyes were pinnacles of fried chicken wonder. And if the cooks get happy with the salt shaker (like it appeared they did the day we visited), you may be getting even more sodium than listed in the nutritional stats. Just one: chicken fingers. Popeyes' nuggets, on the other hand, are a little disappointing. And we're surprised because, at one time, most people would easily have said that KFC had the best-tasting chicken. It was more food than we could eat for $10, and we left pretty happy. Despite the pieces of chicken being smaller at Popeyes and containing two legs and a thigh (instead of two thighs and a leg), Popeyes' meal is higher in calories and fat. You'd have to peel the potatoes, boil them until they're tender, and mash them with milk and cream until they become the perfect consistency. In 2019, the chain closed 45 more locations in the U.S., including the last two that were remaining in Boston. If you're looking for a homemade-potatoes feel, it doesn't get better than this restaurant chain. KFC may remind you more of the mashed potatoes you make for yourself at home. You can find Champs Chicken in gas stations and convenience stores in more than 1,500 locations spread across more than 40 states. Not if you're relying on Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Popeyes, which were respectively America's second and third favorite fried chicken fast food restaurants in 2019, according to QSR. We ordered the spicy chicken since Popeyes is known for its spicy Cajun food, having originated in Louisiana. Anyone saying popeyes tastes better than kfc does not have taste buds whatsoever. You'll want to add the liquid slowly in the beginning, constantly whisking to incorporate the two products. So, we visited the restaurants on different days during the noon lunch rush hour and made similar orders to get a fair idea of how they compared to each other. Simmer the mixture until it's nice and thick, about five minutes. Copycat KFC Mashed Potatoes And Gravy Recipe. With a crunchy outside and juicy inside, you can sit down to a bucket of Chickenjoy and not stop until you're ready to explode. It's either Soy Garlic, Spicy, or Half N' Half. As The Takeoutputs it, KFC coleslaw is simple and to the point, which makes it even more delicious. The chicken chain sold its "small" side of potatoes and gravy for $2.99. The fact that there was nobody in the drive-through or order line when we got to KFC while everyone was at Popeyes should have been a hint about which fried chicken restaurant had the best food. They said, "KFC chicken tenders are absolutely amazing. At this point, you may be wondering how KFC achieves such potatoey mashed potatoes without the use of real, fresh potatoes. We're not talking about fresh potatoes out of the ground. KFC does sides right. It's cooked fresh, never frozen, and holds a more succulent flavor than KFC. However, our order was ready 24 seconds from the moment the cashier told us our total, which was pretty impressive. But then when you take a giant bite, your mouth quickly fills with disappointment. There's also a pretty straightforward pot pie, with chicken, peas, carrots, potatoes swimming in sauce and topped with a crust. And without further ado, we present to you the latest on fast food chicken prices, because thats what we do around here. It should be obvious who the winner is More posts you may like You won't be disappointed. With over 50 locations in the Sunshine State, and more than a dozen more across New Jersey, New York, and the Carolinas, PDQ is serious about their chicken quality. The potatoes themselves tasted pretty plain, but the spice from the gravy did amp that up. What the heck is all of that? When you're ready to serve, simply scoop out the potatoes and top them with the rich gravy. However, if you're a bit of a coward when it comes to spicy foods, don't worry, you have plenty of delicious choices at Wingstop, too. They look a little bit like dandruff when they come out of the box, and the idea that they can become as creamy and fluffy as real potatoes seemed ridiculous. KFC's mac and cheese is thinner and more saucy, like the childhood stovetop favorite, while Popeyes was clearly going for a more solid, baked style of mac and cheese. Popeyes edges KFC out this time, but you can't go wrong with either option. The potatoes were super buttery and had a nice, light and fluffy texture. You use your hands, you expect to get a little messy, but when it's good fried chicken, nothing else matters. AMWFemme 4 yr. ago Australian who had travelled extensively in the US - the only acceptable answer is Popeyes. However, nothing is good enough to make up for their subpar chicken. Fill a large pot 1/2 to 3/4 full of water. The chicken itself is generally juicy enough, but they forgot the seasoning. Place the remaining tablespoon of butter on top of the potatoes and let it melt. Yes, and we actually thought it was better than the original (more like the KFC of our childhood). Popeyes and Chick-fil-A are basically tied, as both restaurants have mastered the art of the chicken. From there, you simply continue cooking the mixture for a few minutes to remove the raw flour taste. It's well-seasoned and never dry. What makes El Pollo Loco chicken special is it is extremely tender and juicy, but never too soft or slimy. It's not that the flavor was bad; it was just unexpected. When visiting, your best bet is to keep things simple and load up on the chicken and biscuits, as none of the sides are a true standout. KFC's Secret Recipe fries have a nice spice blend on them, but the fries need some salt, desperately. There's nothing like fried chicken with a biscuit on the side. Even the Sprite was good. Unless your love of chicken is all about chicken fingers and you enjoy a bland diet, you should head somewhere else. But how much are we talking for this highly-touted chicken? Season the gravy with black pepper and keep it warm over low heat while you make the mashed potatoes. You could use water alone, but we found a small addition of milk went a long way to making the mashed potatoes taste better. Combo (Sandwich, Waffle Fries, and Drink): Chicken Biscuit A recent addition to the menu, Chick-Fil-As breakfast Chicken Biscuit brings out the restaurants southern roots and tastes pretty darn good, too. KFC Triple Down - What Is It and How Do You Order One? Not even close. If you like spicy, flavorful chicken, you'll love Krispy Krunchy Chicken (KKC). This Louisiana-style kitchen adds a flare to its chicken and sides that KFC has never quite been able to outdo. There comes a time during every fried chicken meal when your palate calls out for something tangy, sweet and cold to help break up the grease and weight of fried chicken and biscuits. KFC used to be the go-to chicken place for just about everybody in the county. Technically, all you have to do is melt it so it combines with the flour. Bring water to a boil, then boil for 15 minutes until potatoes are very soft and starting to fall apart. The ingredients list is actually pretty simple when you get down to it. But you pretty much just got one scoop of potatoes for that, and the least amount of gravy from all the places we visited. There are a lot of theories that KFC uses the drippings at the bottom of the pressure fryer to add flavor to their gravy. Take KFC's popcorn nuggets, for instance. Today choose joy and go get some.". Bonchon is very different, but very good. They at least have a starting point that they may be able to tweak over time. So, if you want to grab your sides at KFC and get your chicken elsewhere, that's perfectly acceptable. After all, instant potato flakes are an odd ingredient to keep stocked up in the pantry. According to a KFC manager on this Reddit Ask Me Anything thread, KFC's mashed potatoes come from powdered potatoes, a.k.a instant mashed potatoes. There is only one kind of tender at Popeyes. What makes Champs Chicken bad is the fact that they have terrible chicken. A few Redditors from Canada confirmed this theory: A KFC Winnepeg employee explained that, when they filter out the oil, they collect "all the bits of deep fried chicken and skin and batter." For more great stories, head to INSIDER's homepage. While both places offer mashed potatoes, the consistency of KFC's version is bland. And when they're juicy and tender, they make an even better snack. But when it comes to the chicken, there's no comparison. Simply because there are not enough of these restaurants in America. Chick-Fil-A Nutrition (Updated: May 2023), Fast Food Chicken Prices from KFC, Popeyes, and Chick-fil-A, Popeyes Announces New Chocolate Beignets and Raspberry. Combo (Sandwich, Hash Browns, and Drink): $4.49. KFC also has a quick pick up option or a delivery option on their website, so you can swing by on your way after work and grab some grub for your family. KFC answered that call by releasing their Beyond Fried Chicken, made with Beyond Meat. Each restaurant we tried was ranked in Restaurant Business's top-100 chain restaurants of 2017. They're called Kentucky Fried Chicken for a reason, but there are some other solid options. Most people cannot tell the difference. When you have a craving for fried chicken but only want to spend $10, it can be a challenge to decide where to go. (Yes, Popeyes makes the best fried chicken sandwich, but that's . Short for "butylated hydroxytoluene," BHT is on the Environmental Working Group's "dirty dozen" list of food additives to be aware of, despite their approval by the FDA. Add prepared potatoes, garlic and salt. If you're not into spiced food (not exactly spicy, but just loaded with various spices), then maybe Popeyes won't get your vote. Will you want to smother everything in our copycat signature gravy? Hopefully this restaurant will be expanding and spreading their chicken goodness across America to bless the rest of the county with their yummy offerings. In other words, they're a one-trick pony with a trick that isn't even that impressive. Thrillist reports that the fries were about as thick as a pinky, which is pretty thick for French fry. The crispness, the seasoning everything is just perfect. Popeyes calls their biscuits "hearty and flaky", while KFC describes their biscuits as "warm, flaky, southern-style." But, let's talk about the star of the show at Jollibee: the chicken. The smooth, thin potatoes and gravy tasted almost like what your grandma would serve at Thanksgiving. Company trademarks are the property of the respective company and their presence does not necessarily mean that FastFoodMenuPrices.com has an affiliation with the company. Order a drumstick and you'll feel like you're gnawing on a sandy shoe. Popeye's is fully dependent on their sauces, and Chick-fil-A isn't even fried chicken. Then they manage to simultaneously undercook the skin while overcooking the meat. There are approximately 3,984 KFC restaurants in the United States, according to Leads Deposit, while there are only 2,755 Popeyes restaurants in the United States (via Scrape Hero). The buttermilk biscuits were the star. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high and cook it until it starts to bubble and turn a light tan color. But if we're going off of texture and consistency, Popeyes takes this. In fact, PDQ stands for People Dedicated to Quality, though their service is also Pretty Darn Quick. We tried mashed potatoes from six different fast-food restaurants. We thought the gravy was tasty enough to stand on its own, too; it would be great served over pot roast or as the sauce for Swedish meatballs. In this case, the better combo is available at Popeyes. KFC mashed potatoes and gravy is so comforting, people add mashed potatoes to their chicken sandwiches and drizzle potato wedges with gravy to create poutine. Popeyes stands out here, though, because they have somehow perfected the art of mass-produced fried chicken. They are made with a mixture of potatoes, milk, butter, cream of celery soup, and spices. Top the potatoes with the hot gravy and serve immediately. If you can't choose between Popeyes or Kentucky Fried Chicken, here's an idea: Piece together a DIY meal with the best components from each chain. All prices provided on this website are averaged and should only be used as estimates. Also, the skin of the chicken is perfectly cooked always crunchy, never rubbery. Overall, we were impressed with the quality and flavor of what we ate at Popeye's. Popeyes tenders are moist and flavorful, leveraging that custom blend of Cajun spices. We were able to make this dish with a stick of butter, flour, milk, salt, pepper, beef and chicken bouillon cubes, and a packet of instant mashed potato flakes. Calling KFC's mashed potatoes with gravy a meal would be pretty accurate, considering an individual side portion packs in an alarming 530 milligrams of sodium. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Overall, two restaurants are similarly priced and you can expect the same value from both, so we're calling this one a tie. 34 reviews of KFC "As far as fast-food chain restaurants go, I think KFC is probably one of the better ones. We made gravy with chicken bouillon only the first time around, but it wasn't dark enough to match up with the real deal. And although it's not a category, with its corn and vegetarian options, KFC also takes the cake for having the slightest healthy edge over Popeyes. Overall, we weren't impressed with the quality or flavor of the meal at KFC. The home of the best Cajun flavor youll find north of the Mississippi Popeyes takes the cake for its spicy rendition of fried chicken. Then, reduce the heat to low to keep the gravy warm as we make our mashed potatoes. If you want to bring on the heat, their Atomic wings deliver. While the oil still had that specific Popeyes oil flavor, it seemed far fresher than usual. Where Church's redeems themselves is with their biscuits. Like Champs, KKC is often found in convenience stores and gas stations. Then, reduce the heat and add the flour little by little. While they didn't have spicy chicken available, they did have extra crispy chicken. Popeyes wins. Good fried chicken should be a beautiful interplay of salty and crunchy. Chick-fil-A's nuggets are also a tasty fast food delicacy, especially when dipped into their magically sweet Polynesian sauce. The gravy tasted tangy and almost sweet like with Popeyes' Cajun gravy, if you're not expecting a different flavor profile, it takes you by surprise. Skip the gravy and the plain mashed potatoes contain 110 calories, 3.5 grams of fat (0.5 grams of which is saturated), and 330 milligrams of sodium. From the Mild flavor (a toned-down version of their Original Hot), to their amazingly buttery Garlic Parmesan, to their sweet yet tangy Hawaiian, there's something for everyone at Wingstop. The gravy, which was much thicker than the other restaurants', added extra richness to the potatoes. Unfortunately, this time around, the gravy tasted oddly bitter. And while 50 cents may not seem like a big deal, Sharon Epperson from CNBC explains why it is. Something has happened to KFC in the last few years, and it's not a good change. The chicken portion was massive, there was just the right amount of spicy mayonnaise, and the taste was a Cajun lover's dream come true. Both KFC and Popeyes have very good coleslaw offerings. you've probably tried that famous recipe well, kinda. We had far more than we could (or wanted to) eat for $10, and we left feeling dissatisfied with our meal. If you like your potatoes on the creamy side, you can whisk in extra water or milk at the end. Of course, many surmise that Lee's Famous Recipe is the famous recipe the 11 herbs and spices one. But we had high hopes for the macaroni and cheese offerings at KFC and Popeyes, and both leave the consumer longing for a lot more. Bite after bite, location after location, the excellence is consistent. If you don't have bouillon cubes on hand, you can use something like Better Than Bouillon roasted beef or chicken base. KFC takes the Chicken Nuggets round, fair and square. You'll never feel like you're getting short-changed when it comes to the meat. Pasta has the same carb content as a serving of cheese, but it is nearly as fat as cheese. Things took a deadly turn when a man was stabbed to death after allegedly cutting in line at a Maryland Popeyes. mashed.com - Amy Bell 1h When you have a craving for fried chicken but only want to spend $10, it can be a challenge to decide where to go. Those bits are then mixed in with gravy powder and water and strained out after they infuse the sauce with their flavor. The potatoes were seasoned liberally with pepper, but the gravy was a little milder perhaps to keep from overwhelming your palate.