Best Fast Food Chicken
 

We lost a lot of restaurants in the vicinity of the plant following the hurricane. What we're left with include a few chicken fast chains. I just got back from Zaxby's and it's hit or miss. The special last month was a sandwich or salad that came with an egg roll and featured an Asian slaw. I liked that a lot but this month's special is a sandwich with bbq sauce and cheese. So I got the tenders. I like their seasoned fries and the tenders were huge and filling. I don't need the Texas toast but I think their cole slaw is a cut above.

We also have nearby:

KFC - bleh, mostly because they never appear clean.
Churches - yech. Because they're absolutely filthy.
Crispy Crunchy - chicken from a gas station? I don't think so.
Guthries - opening soon.
Chik Fil-A - I like the nuggets and waffle fries. The sandwiches are bland. I don't care about their politics.
Popeyes - I wasn't impressed. And it's the furthest.

Is there something better out there?

Don't knock gas station chicken. Those which have Crispy Crunchy where I've lived is not bad. And in the mid-Atlantic, Royal Farms is darn good.

Personally, if a Popeye's or Bojangles nearly, I hit them up. The Asian chains moving into the US are great too. South Korea's Bonchon is delicious. Filipino Jollibee has a more diverse menu with yard bird within it. Think of it as more Roy Rogers.

If you are still Panama City, as your location lists, try Golden Chick. their breading is lighter than Popeye's/KFC Extra Crispy and more like Church's, but when I lived in TX, I found it like Zaxby's and Raising Cain's... very underseasoned. But their sweet tea is one of the best out there.

If all else fails, go to Publix.

I had Publix chicken fingers today. My favorite.

I also have a weakness for Publix fried chicken. Better than KFC or Bojangles.

I happen to be in Panama City Beach right now and can confirm that the Publix here does them as well as the Publix by my house in Nashville.

Golden Chick or Chicken Express for fast food chicken in Texas. Babe's for dine in.

Still in PC for another week and a half. Then I switch to MCO.

I’ll try Publix, although it’s only convenient on the way home. I’ve been curious about Golden Chick. The problem again is location. It is surrounded by no-tell motels and gentlemen’s clubs. Not a bad neighborhood until after dark though. I pass it on the way home and will stop in and pick something up for dinner.

The simple and most basic fact about my experiences with your 1, 2 and 6 options are that when you get a properly and freshly cooked batch that hasn't been sitting around (and good luck ever timing this), the chicken is pretty good. That said, I've only had really good Churches a couple of times (out of maybe 10 lifetime visits), and slightly better percentage results for the others.

The closest Churches is now an empty building on a lot, up for proposed destruction and sale. This is clearly my fault, as I spent at least $20, but likely less than $30, in all the years it was available for my fried chicken (dis)pleasure. The closest Popeye's seems to be a busy place, and that block hasn't had a shooting or stabbing in at least a year that I know of.

The formerly closest KFC closed (and 2 within several miles have closed). One used to be very close to my old office. Again, my fault.

People seem to be liking the Crispy Crunchy, and I see it available from someplace in the area on Uber Eats. I should try it. Again, I expect that if it comes from a fresh batch, it will be pretty good. If it is heat lamp jerky, not so much.

Thank you, G!
Chicken Express was the chain I was primarily thinking of because of their sweet tea.

I just remember the Church's off 880 about 3 miles south of the Coliseum, around Fruitdale and the water tower.

I know of a Crispy Crunchy in Pittsburg, near the BART station, but north of it and Hwy 4. I think it was in a Chevron

If you want crispy fried chicken, I can't think of any other way to enjoy it except minutes out of the fryer. If it sits out too long, it becomes "jerky"; if it goes into a container, it becomes soggy.

When I'm traveling and am limited to "exit ramp fast food" my choice is the Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Get's the job done.

Everyone is mentioning Fried Chicken. My 3 Favorites are actually Grilled/Roasted Chicken:

1. Pollo Tropical - Cuban style Grilled Chicken started in Miami and has grown throughout the State of Florida
2. Boston Market - The Chicken must be coming out of the Rotisserie, or it gets too dry
3.La Granja - Another Chicken Place with Latin Style Rotisserie, Also has other Latin Style food like Pork Steak and Grilled Fish.

BTW, I am a White Meat eater, so the later the chicken is served after cooking, the drier the meat is, so fresh is the best for me.

I'll vouch for Golden Chick. When I traveled to rural TX, I wound up eating there once a trip because there weren't tremendous other options. I always had a good experience. They've also got fried catfish on the menu and the portion of fried okra you can get is huge.

I went to the one near the Pullman at MIA a few years ago. I thought the food was good, but the restaurant itself was filthy. You didn't want to touch anything. I don't know if it was just that location but I wasn't in a hurry to go back.

Zankou Chicken, a small Los Angeles area chain - actually, two of them due to a family feud - best known for its rotisserie chicken.

Speaking of this, I finally got around to going to Popeye's today for lunch to try their new chicken sandwich. Despite the location I went to being extremely busy (~10min wait just to order inside), the first one or two bites of the sandwich were still pretty dry. I thought they would have had enough turnover but I guess not.

(BTW, the sandwich is apparently popular enough that they had signs stating that it was only sold between 11am and 7pm. Personally, I'm not sure it would have been worth much more than 10mins or so of waiting I went through.)

I had my first Popeye’s spicy chicken sandwich today, and thought it was quite good. A bit cheaper than the CFA version. The spicyness was very good, and I’d probably rate it slightly better the CFA version. They wouldn’t add cheese to the sandwich, so I put a slice of pepperjack on once I got it home.