9 Chain Restaurants That Serve The Lowest-Quality Chicken

When was the last time you ate chicken? Chances are, it was pretty recently. Chicken is far and away the most popular meat in the United States. Demand for it has seen an almost unimaginable rise both locally and worldwide since the 1960s, jumping from 6.58 billion chickens slaughtered in 1961 to over 75 billion in 2022, according to Our World in Data. So it's little surprise that virtually every chain restaurant in America offers chicken on its menu to meet the insatiable appetite for the meat. With such a boom in popularity, however, comes way more scope for things to go wrong — and it's fair to say that some chain restaurants care less about the quality of their meat than others.

The low quality of chain restaurants' chicken can reveal itself in several different ways. At its worst, bad chain restaurant chicken can be dry, tough, and flavorless, with gray, limp meat that's clearly been overly processed. Chain restaurants also have an unfortunate habit of disguising the low quality of their chicken with an overabundance of fat, seasonings, breadings, or sauces, taking away from the taste of the meat itself and leaving you gagging for water. In this article, we went directly to those people whose opinions matter most: The customers. We based our selections on customer surveys that named the worst chain restaurants for chicken, and listened to their comments on the quality of the meat in these establishments from reviews and social media.

What happened to KFC? It's a question a lot of people are asking themselves. Once the go-to destination for fried chicken across the country, one thing you should know about KFC is that it's no longer in top position with the public. In a poll conducted by Mashed which asked 552 people to name the restaurant with the worst fried chicken, over 23% of them dubbed KFC the bottom of the pack, making it the most unpopular out of any restaurant named. We're not sure the Colonel would be pleased with that.

It appears that many customers feel that KFC has rested on its laurels for too long, and in doing so has allowed the quality of its chicken to drop. One former customer stated on Reddit that they "haven't eaten it in about 10 years because of how much it has changed," saying that the chicken now lacks flavor, is overly greasy, and is way too expensive. Others have pointed out that the meat's texture is way worse than it used to be, and is now stringy and tough. A particularly damning review stated that while they used to eat KFC, they now wouldn't even resort to it if there were no other fried chicken options available — they'd just choose another type of food entirely.

Applebee's prides itself on the welcoming environment and affordability of its restaurants, as well as its ability to offer a tasty meal. If they want to stay proud, though, we'd implore the chain to take a look at its chicken. Over 21% of people asked in a survey by Mashed to name the chain restaurant with the worst chicken picked Applebee's. Considering that the poll included the opinions of almost 600 people, we'd say that's a ranking you can trust.

It appears that Applebee's (which used to have a totally different name) just doesn't seem to care that much about its chicken, at least in some of its restaurants. One customer's experience of ordering chicken in a Kentucky-based outlet, which they recounted over on Reddit, saw their meat arriving to the table still raw and bloody on the inside. Others Redditors have talked about how cheap and poor-quality the restaurant's food is, comparing it to the standard of the frozen food you'd find in the grocery store. Although Applebee's is hardly fine dining, and you shouldn't expect the world from a chain restaurant that's designed to be reasonably-priced, you're far better off getting your chicken elsewhere.

We expected better from Wingstop. After all, chicken is the primary reason that this chain restaurant exists, with its boneless and classic wings being churned out by the thousands every day to a largely Gen Z customer base. Quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality, however — and it appears that its flagship product, its chicken wings, have trouble standing up to competitors. A side-by-side comparison of Wingstop and Popeyes chicken wings conducted by Business Insider found that Wingstop's wings are way smaller, and have less meat. This is despite the Wingstop version being more expensive than the Popeyes one, meaning you're paying more for a less substantial product. Additionally, another Business Insider comparison observed that the meat in its chicken tenders were lacking in flavor when compared to the same order from Chick-fil-A — which is also noticeably cheaper. 

The smaller amount of meat on each wing has been noticed by customers, too. One diner stated on Reddit that, "Their rubs and sauces are good but the wings themself are dry and don't have much meat on them in my experience." Another Redditor agreed that their wings just aren't up to scratch, pointing out how tough the meat is, and that they can be pretty greasy. Looks like Wingstop might need to get a handle on its main product, y'all.

Popeyes built its name on its fried chicken and a few choice secret menu items, and for some folks it's the go-to destination to satisfy their crispy cravings. Over time, though, the quality of its meat has gone downhill, leaving people pretty disappointed — and looking elsewhere. A study held by the American Customer Satisfaction Index asked 16,250 people their opinions on fast food restaurants based on recent experiences at various joints. Of the fast food chains specializing in chicken, Popeyes ranked as one of the lowest in both 2022 and 2023, way lower than competitors like Chick-fil-A and KFC.

It's pretty easy to see why people are falling out of love with it. Numerous folks over on Reddit have identified the chain's drop in quality in recent years, with its chicken often arriving at the table overly greasy, slimy, and tasteless. Others have noted that the chicken frequently has an inconsistent texture, with bits of gristle threaded through the meat. As well as this, many people have pointed out the sheer lack of taste in the restaurant's chicken, with its signature spice replaced by a sheer blandness. This isn't helped by the overwhelming amount of breading on each piece of chicken, leaving you with barely any meat to get your teeth into.

For a chain restaurant that specializes in serving chicken, Church's Texas Chicken doesn't seem to care that much about its flagship meat hitting the mark. Church's was second only to KFC in a survey held by Mashed that asked customers which restaurant has the worst fried chicken, with 16.3% of respondents naming the Southern chain as having the poorest product. It appears that Church's Texas Chicken suffers from that cardinal sin when it comes to meat: dryness. Its chicken is frequently described as being lacking in moisture, to the point where one customer, who reviewed their experience at an Albuquerque-based store via Tripadvisor, couldn't even eat their food and had to re-order from a different restaurant.

Folks have also pointed out that Church's has a grease problem. Way too many of its chicken pieces appear to be covered in fat, leaving your mouth coated in greasy residue. We wouldn't mind a little bit too much grease if it meant that the chicken was chock-full of flavor — but Church's Texas Chicken doesn't even have that going for it, and appears to be that unpleasant combo of overly fatty and underwhelming in its taste. Having said this, Church's does win a few points for its biscuits, which are a fan favorite. When the chicken doesn't hit the spot, though, are the biscuits really worth the trip? ‌

Bojangles is a chain with a loyal fanbase, and you'll hear people all across the Southeastern states singing its praises. We're willing to bet that you won't feel the same when you hear how inconsistent — and dangerous — the quality of its chicken can be. Undercooked chicken appears to be a serious problem for the Charlotte-based chain, with multiple folks reporting that their orders have arrived completely raw. One customer over on Reddit posted a picture of a chicken sandwich they ordered from Bojangles, which shows a thin strip of cooked chicken around a totally pink interior. A commenter further down on the thread pointed out that they had a similar experience with their chicken tender order. 

Other reviews of people's experiences of Bojangles on different sites, like Tripadvisor and the appropriately-named IWasPoisoned.com, have flagged that they received bloody or raw chicken. Not only would this completely ruin someone's meal, but it could also ruin their health, due to raw chicken's ability to cause unpleasant food poisoning. When you pair that with other people's observations that Bojangles' chicken's quality has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, as a commenter pointed out on Reddit, we recommend heading elsewhere.

Let's be real: You don't go to Chili's expecting a fine dining experience. The chain restaurant, which opened its original restaurant in 1975, is unashamedly focused on offering affordable, accessible meals to the masses, with its menu of classic food items designed to please as many folks as possible. So it's pretty surprising that it messes up so badly on its chicken. In a survey by Mashed, almost 20% of people rated Chili's as having the worst quality chicken out of any chain restaurant. Only Applebee's was more unpopular for chicken, and by a small margin.

It seems like Chili's just doesn't care about its chicken enough, and instead relies on everything else around the meat to make it tasty. This is perhaps most noticeable in its chicken sandwiches, with a review of a sandwich on The Takeout pointing out that it was slathered in sauce in a bid to make it tasty. Unfortunately, this didn't distract from the dryness of the meat itself, and while some of this is down to the restaurant's use of white meat, it still doesn't make for a pleasant eating experience. When you couple that with recent price increases at the restaurant, which haven't been accompanied by better-quality food or bigger portions, it's easy to see why you might want to look elsewhere.

Chicken is a core offering on the Jack in the Box menu, and so you'd be forgiven for thinking that the restaurant had figured out how to keep it tasty. Alas! It hasn't — at least when it comes to its chicken sandwiches. Multiple people have noticed that Jack in the Box's sandwiches have dipped in quality, with changes to its recipe resulting in a worse-tasting meal. "I have had it maybe three or four times now since they changed it, and it tasted like I am eating leather. It has a bad taste, and is extremely tough and dry," says one formerly-happy customer via Reddit, who goes on to say that they've tried it at several different locations but hasn't seen any improvement. Another commenter concurs with this judgement, simply stating, "It's not what it once was."

Others have also found the chicken sandwich to be lacking, with one person specifically flagging its declining quality over on Reddit, calling it "a shell of its former self," and another pointing out that its burgers have gotten worse as well. Unfortunately, this all seems to be linked to a wider lack of enthusiasm about Jack in the Box (which once had a completely unexpected name) and its food. The chain has suffered in recent years from lower-than-expected profits, with some folks feeling bleak about its future. Maybe it should start by addressing its chicken sandwiches.

O'Charley's hasn't had the best luck recently. The chain restaurant has been rocked hard by inflation and changing footfall around its locations, leading to a number of closures of its outlets across 2023. Regrettably, its luck won't be helped much by customer opinions on its food, and notably its chicken. In a survey from Mashed, 15.68% of people named O'Charley's as the place to avoid if you want chicken, worse than TGI Fridays, Cracker Barrel, and The Cheesecake Factory.

Sadly, the declining quality of the food at O'Charley's has been noticed by several customers, who have cited the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath as a potential reason. O'Charley's has also appeared to pass the cost of inflation down to its diners. One customer on Reddit pointed out the meager size of their meal for the price they paid, with $13.99 getting them a small piece of chicken, a few pieces of broccoli, and a tiny cup of sweet potatoes. Although moves like this are likely a result of the chain's trading difficulties, it's unlikely to win them any new fans.

When choosing chain restaurants that we deemed as having the lowest-quality chicken, we wanted to make sure we weren't just relying on isolated opinions. For this reason, surveys and polls were a key focus. These surveys and polls asked hundreds, sometimes thousands of people their opinions on regular and fried chicken in restaurants, giving us the confidence that these eateries were dropping the ball in multiple locations across the United States, pointing to larger issues in supply, training, or cooking practices than one-off incidents of poorly-made food.

We also zeroed in on specific experiences to establish exactly where places that serve chicken were going wrong, and looked for an agreement amongst customers about poor or declining quality. For this, we used a collection of reviews and social media posts, with Reddit being a key source. We looked specifically at the quality of the meat at these restaurants, and highlighted comments or reviews that pointed out dryness or greasiness. We made sure that we were seeking multiple sources that commented on the poor quality of chicken at restaurants, to gain a broader understanding of exactly why its quality was lacking and to avoid investing too much importance in one-off comments on social media.

Static Media owns and operates The Takeout and Mashed.