7 Ways KFC Outshines Popeyes And Church's Texas Chicken

When you're craving some fried chicken but can't be bothered to make it from scratch, there are more than a few chicken-focused fast food restaurants to choose from. Three of the biggest players, though, are KFC, Popeyes, and Church's Texas Chicken. We're not saying that any one of these restaurants is definitely better than the others in every way — after all, which one you like best really comes down to personal taste and fried chicken crispiness preferences. But no true fast food fried chicken fan can deny that there are some areas in which KFC undoubtedly outshines these other two options. We're taking a closer look at those areas, celebrating what KFC does especially well compared to its competitors.

Sometimes, these successes come in the form of singular menu items that are so good, they make KFC stand out from the crowd. Others are more general, focused on what KFC offers that the other chains don't. And if you're a fan of KFC yourself, maybe you can think of even more ways in which it outshines the other two chains. Regardless, there's a good chance you'll crave a good old-fashioned Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket after reading this. You've been warned. When you do go, just remember to follow some ordering tips to get the best fried chicken.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

This may be controversial, but I truly believe that KFC's Famous Bowl is one of the best fast food menu items of all time. You get that pillowy base of mashed potatoes, followed by a generous amount of corn, chicken nuggets, and cheese. The best part of the whole dish, though, is the gravy — the more of it, the better. There's a variety of textures and flavors, all pulled together by a lip-smacking saltiness that makes the dish irresistible. This menu item was introduced all the way back in 2006, when it was arguably ahead of its time. After all, restaurants weren't leaning as heavily into bowl-style meals like they are now. And although I feel like the quality of the Famous Bowl has declined since its heyday, I still have to credit KFC for coming up with such a delicious fast food number.

Of course, Popeyes and Church's Texas Chicken have their own dishes and novel offerings on their menus too. Some of them may be absolutely worth trying. But neither of these restaurants has affected fast food history in such a deep and lasting way as KFC has with its Famous Bowl.

After you've finished your chicken and your favorite KFC side dishes, you may start to crave something sweeter. Just like basically every fast food restaurant out there, all three of these chains offer dessert options on their menus. But KFC's dessert game might just be stronger than the other two ... at least if you love chocolate just as much as we do.

Church's is arguably the most disappointing chain when it comes to desserts, since it only serves an apple pie. Sure, it's nice that the chain has something sweet on its menu, but you're out of luck if you don't like apple pie or are looking for something more decadent. Popeyes, on the other hand, has a bit more to choose from. This chicken joint boasts a similarly styled apple pie along with a strawberry cream cheese pie as well as a blueberry lemon cheesecake cup. While these sound plenty delicious, we can't help but wonder: Where's the chocolate?

Luckily, KFC delivers with its chocolatey desserts. It only has two on the menu — a chocolate chip cake and a chocolate chunk cookie — but they provide the level of indulgence we expect from a fast food chain dessert.

Of course, when you go to a fast food chicken spot, you're expecting the meat itself to be the star of the show. But truthfully, the side dishes can be the ones to really make or break your meal, and on that front, KFC is the frontrunner. For example, you don't get many side dish options at Church's. There are just six of them, and although we love the fact that it has fried okra, customers may want more options to choose from. Popeyes offers even more options, with a total of eight side dishes, including the jalapeño pepper.

If you want to choose from the widest side dish selection, though, you have to go to KFC. At the time of writing, there were 11 sides from which to select. Sure, most of them are pretty basic, but that's not a bad thing when it comes to side dishes for a fried chicken chain. I think the mashed potatoes and gravy are the best side dish on the entire menu, but don't be afraid to branch out and try different choices — like coleslaw for a fresh, crunchy bite or mac and cheese.

It's true that these chains are primarily known for fried chicken, but that doesn't mean you necessarily want fried tenders or whole bone-in pieces of chicken every time you're looking for a convenient chicken-based meal. If you're looking for something a little bit different and unexpected, you may find yourself disappointed at what Church's Texas Chicken and Popeyes have to offer. At KFC, though, you can snag yourself a chicken pot pie for a novel fast food find that offers all the cozy, comforting energy you could want.

It may seem like a pretty basic take on a chicken pot pie, with a filling of fried chicken, peas, potatoes, and carrots, all in that white sauce that's typical for this dish. It's all housed inside a flaky crust for that perfect crisp. This isn't something that you'll find at most fast food restaurants, which is just another way in which KFC separates itself from its competition. Maybe someday Popeyes and Church's will start to venture into more unique menu items like this one, but until then, you'll just have to go to KFC when you're craving less-traditional fast food (or you'll have to learn how to make a chicken pot pie at home).

These days, when fast food restaurant prices are higher than ever, you want to make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck when you go out to eat. And when it comes to three restaurants that have such similar offerings, the price is even more important. It's a selling point that KFC is generally the cheapest chain out of the three, according to Food Republic.

We compared two-piece chicken combos at all three restaurants, and we found that KFC did, in fact, offer the best deal. For $8.99, you can snag yourself a two-piece combo with a drink, a side, and a biscuit. The closest you'll get to that price is at Church's, which offers a two-piece combo that can be priced as low as $8.49. The only catch? If you take advantage of this pricing, you can only get a leg and a thigh. If you want a breast and a wing, you'll have to pay $9.99, whereas the same restrictions don't exist at KFC. And at Popeyes, a similar combo comes out to $9.09. Those price differences may not seem drastic, but they can make a big impact on your wallet.

And if you're really on a budget when you visit KFC, you can always take advantage of the chain's Taste of KFC meal, which gets you basically the same as the two-piece chicken combo, just minus the drink. This comes out to $6.39, making it a deal that's hard for the other fried chicken joints to compete with.

Dirty soda has been a trend for a while now, and it's nice to see that fast food restaurants are trying to get in on the action. KFC now features dirty sodas on its menu, which come in a few different flavors. Dr Pepper and Pepsi are two classic options, while at the time of this writing, KFC also featured a dirty soda version of its sour cherry lemonade. There's also a plain lemonade dirty soda and Starry and Mountain Dew versions of the drink. Not only are you getting the sweet, refreshing quality you already love from these drinks, but they're also spiked with a creamy vanilla topping that makes them feel more decadent, almost like desserts. It's a fun way to switch up your normal fast food routine, and it involves innovation in an area where you don't usually see it at fast food restaurants: at the soda fountain.

But if you want dirty soda, you can't stake your hopes on Popeyes or Church's ... at least for now. While you can get a standard soda at these spots, of course, you won't find a creamy version of these classic drinks. But who knows? Maybe the others will catch on someday.

A lot of times, if you choose to go out to eat at a fast food restaurant, you have to buy separate meals for everyone in your family. But if you're looking for a more efficient fast food option, choosing a family bundle place might be the way to go. That way, your family members can pick and choose what they like, and you can likely even save a few dollars to boot. KFC is definitely the best place to go if you're looking for more options for family meal bundles. There are a whopping 10 different bundles you can choose from, many of which are quite distinct from one another, offering differing spreads of dishes.

On the other hand, Church's Texas Chicken only offers six different varieties, and they're basically all the same thing: Just different counts of bone-in chicken or chicken tenders. Popeyes offers six options that are mostly just the same thing in different sizes. This probably isn't a factor if you usually just buy fast food fried chicken for yourself, but for those looking for a meal for the whole family, this can make KFC a much more attractive option.