Popeyes beat KFC in a weighed 8-piece taste test — by 121 grams of chicken
Fried chicken loyalists have argued KFC versus Popeyes for decades, so Delish contributor Steven Morea settled it with a scale and a fork. He ordered an eight-piece meal from each chain, weighed every component, and found Popeyes handed over 121 more grams of chicken — for just 60 cents more.
The orders were nearly identical in price. KFC's meal cost $32.39 and came with eight pieces of chicken, two large sides, and four biscuits. Popeyes charged $32.99 for eight pieces, one large side, and four biscuits. "A 60-cent difference doesn't do much to sway me, so this test really came down to the food," Morea wrote.
The chicken decided it
On the scale, KFC's chicken weighed 994 grams — five pieces of white meat and three dark. The seasoning came through immediately with a familiar peppery flavor, but the white meat was noticeably dry and the skin and coating tended to slide right off. "In some pieces, I took one bite and pulled half the breading off with it," he said. Popeyes' box weighed 1,115 grams, split evenly between white and dark meat, and every piece was juicier. Its breading was deeply crisp and stayed attached as he ate.
The gap widened with the fries. KFC's portion weighed 223 grams and had a kettle-fried potato flavor, but it was greasy enough that Morea lost interest after a few bites. Popeyes served 320 grams — 97 more — and the Cajun seasoning made the difference: salty, savory, and slightly spiced, with him still reaching back into the box after all that chicken.
KFC did take one category: the biscuits. Both were dry, but KFC's had more richness and savoriness, while Popeyes' biscuit was dry without enough flavor to overcome it. Morea wouldn't order either meal specifically for the biscuits.
The verdict went to Popeyes. Morea's one caveat: KFC includes two large sides to Popeyes' one, so it technically stretches further across a crowd. "But I'm not picking an eight-piece fried chicken meal because I want an extra tub of mashed potatoes," he wrote. "I'm picking it for the chicken."