America's Favorite Fast Food Chicken Sandwich Chain Isn't Popeyes Or KFC, According To Yelp

The fast food restaurants of America have been deep in the throes of a chicken war for more than a half-decade now, but the people over at Yelp may be ready to declare a winner. Long an afterthought in a burger-loving nation, fast food chicken — and especially fast food chicken sandwiches – have suddenly become the stars of menus everywhere. Kicking off in the wake of the Popeyes chicken sandwich craze of 2019, over the last five years, almost every major chain in America has tried to catch its own bit of lightning in a bottle by launching a new chicken sandwich. Some have been successful, many have not, but now in the year 2025, Yelp has decided to help bring some clarity to the battle with an actual scorecard. 

Analyzing reviews specifically focused on a brand's bread and chicken offerings, the restaurant review site has rounded up the most beloved chicken sandwich chains in the country, and topping that list is Chick-fil-A. Yelp compiled its list of the top 20 favorite fast food chicken sandwich chains by evaluating brands with over 100 locations that operate in multiple states, and based on the quality of reviews, Chick-fil-A beat out bigger brands like KFC and Popeyes. At this point, Chick-fil-A's popularity shouldn't be surprising, as, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (via USA Today), it has topped the list of fast food chains in customer satisfaction for 11 straight years. The chain has also rapidly expanded during that time, with sales growth at Chick-fil-A hitting double digits from 2013 to 2023.

What's maybe more surprising, perhaps with a lesson for other chains, is that Chick-fil-A hasn't changed its menu too much during this time. While there has been some innovation, such as introducing a spicy grilled chicken sandwich, the Southern fried chicken chain has won people's hearts by sticking to its core menu items and simply trusting in the quality of its food and service. And while Chick-fil-A remains slightly smaller than Popeyes and KFC by locations, it has blown them, and other fast food chains, out of the water in per-store sales. 

At the end of 2024, Chick-fil-A had 3,109 U.S. locations compared to 3,148 for Popeyes and 3,669 for KFC, but in sales, it was the third largest fast food chain of any kind in the entire country, hitting $22.7 billion. By comparison, Popeyes was at only $5.7 billion and KFC only $4.9 billion, despite having more stores. Even if you aren't sure about Yelp's rating, it's hard to deny those numbers. The other chains atop Yelp's ratings also show an enthusiasm for newer brands. 

Number two is Dave's Hot Chicken, which has seen huge growth in the past few years, and number three is chicken finger chain Raising Cane's. With Yelp saying that online searches for chicken sandwiches have increased 125% since 2019, the chicken wars show no signs of slowing down. And in true Yelp fashion, you'll probably have to try all these new options yourself to make up your mind. You can start by comparing Popeyes' and Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwiches.