Fried chicken is the ultimate American experience, whether it’s Southern-fried drumsticks or Korean wings. But which fried chicken restaurants are Americans’ favorites?
Driving the news: A recent report analyzed the seven largest fried chicken restaurants in the United States, and it looks as though the fast-food industry has transformed Americans’ preferences.
Details: According to Top Data’s Fried Chicken Index, the ultimate fried chicken chains are:
- Chick-Fil-A, which was a favorite in 22 states.
- KFC, which was the popular option in 12 states.
- Raising Cane’s, which was favored in 9 states.
- Church’s Chicken, which was a preference for those in New York and two other states.
- Popeyes, which was only a favorite in Washington.
Worth noting: Out of all these chain restaurants, Raising Cane’s saw the greatest growth with a 4.7% increase in visits since 2021, even though it didn’t emerge as the favorite for most states. Chick-Fil-A saw a 2.5% increase in visits and Church’s Chicken had a 3% increase.
Meanwhile, Popeyes and KFC didn’t have the same luck, with a 5.4% and 6.8% decrease, respectively.
Here at home: The top fried chicken restaurants in Utah are:
- Chick-fil-A.
- KFC.
- Zaxby’s.
- Popeyes.
Zaxby’s was an outlier, topping the list in only Oklahoma. Surprisingly, KFC wasn’t the favorite in Utah, even though the chain’s first franchised Kentucky Friend Chicken was opened at Harman Cafe in Salt Lake City.