The Most Affordable Fast Food Fried Chicken Chain Is Known For Its New Orleans Style

Remember when fast food was actually cheap? It seems being able to get a filling meal at a fast food restaurant for under 5 bucks has gone the way of Blockbuster Video. Trying to feed an entire family on fast food without needing to check your bank account balance first? Good luck. And most fast food value menus are a thing of the past. It used to be that fast food fried chicken chains were among the best places to get a lot of food for your money, but customers increasingly complain about how expensive KFC has gotten, especially for family-sized meals. Fortunately, Popeyes has managed to keep prices on the lower end without sacrificing quality, taking the top spot in our affordability ranking of fast food chicken chains.

What started as a single chicken restaurant in a New Orleans suburb in 1972 quickly grew into a major competitor to KFC, with Popeyes standing out for its unique blend of Cajun seasonings and spices. In just a few short years, there were 24 Popeyes locations across Louisiana, and the chain only grew from there. In fact, 2023 saw Popeyes actually overtook KFC as the number 2 chicken chain in the U.S. behind Chick-Fil-A. And some of that surely has to do with KFC becoming too expensive for what it offers, while Popeyes has managed to maintain the balance customers are looking for: affordable prices and a high-quality product made with 100% chicken.

The only fair way to compare the value of Popeyes to its rivals is to look at the costs of similar meals. Starting with a standard chicken sandwich, KFC and Bojangles both charge $5.49, while Chick-Fil-A's will set you back $7.00. Popeyes has them all beat, with its basic chicken sandwich only costing $4.99. As for feeding the whole crew, Chick-Fil-A doesn't do buckets of chicken, making it a little trickier to order for a hungry crowd. Bojangles offers an 8-piece family chicken meal for $27.99, while KFC's 8-piece family meal is $29.99. Popeyes wins again, with its 8-piece family meal coming in at only $26.99.

Of course, all the chains have various specials and deals that can help you get a little more cluck for your buck. Still, it's hard finding much at any other chicken chain for just a couple bucks. An apple juice box is all we found at Chick-Fil-A for less than $2, and an individual chicken wing from KFC clocks in at $2.79. Raising Cane's, meanwhile, offers a $2 chicken finger. But Popeyes offers an ongoing Tuesday dealwhere you can get two full-sized pieces of fried chicken for just $1.99 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Outside of other chicken chains, good luck finding a fast-food deal that can compete with that.