In roughly a mile radius of the school, there are around six different fast food restaurants that sell an American classic: fried chicken. 

With a car that would soon reek of said fried chicken, I (along with three companions) embarked on a fowl expedition to figure out which claims the chicken crown.

All the chicken on this list was tasted plain. While it may seem sacrilegious to avoid the ranch or honey mustard, trying each selection without sauce ensured that I would not be swayed by any tasty condiments that could take away from the essence of each chicken morsel. 

Braums

I don’t think of Braums other than a place to go get ice cream; however, many students at Edmond North enjoy their food as well. For $4.29 you can get a four-piece that may or may not include an extra fifth. Each tender is a good size and all are seasoned well with noticeable hints of pepper. Unfortunately, the tenders weren’t the warmest and tasted a bit stale.

For me, the chicken at Braum’s is a middle-of-the-road pick. While not the most cost-efficient on the list, Braums is a solid B-tier establishment when it comes to their chicken. 

Burger King 

If you end up at Burger King, stick to burgers. While I was able to acquire a crown, it wasn’t enough to make up for the weird texture of their $3.19 chicken nuggets. The aforementioned texture was like biting into a wet bag of potting soil, but it did taste like chicken, so I will give them that. 

If you are curious about the spicy variety of chicken nuggets at Burger King, you may be underwhelmed because it is not much different from the regular version. If the spicy component sinking to the bottom of the nugget bag and making an oily mess is something you enjoy, then you should most definitely check this out.

All-in-all, Burger King was the worst in the entire lineup, and there were crumbs left, leaving Burger King to stew at the bottom of the list at D-tier.  

Chick-fil-A

As expected, Chick-fil-A had some great chicken at $4.80. The chicken is crispy and has a great balance of sweet and salty. Most likely, you know what Chick-fil-A chicken tastes like and there isn’t much convincing I need to do. 

In addition to the great taste, the app is also easy to use and offers a lot of rewards. Along with this, eating nuggets in the car is a lot easier with the size and shape of the container they come in. It is one of the best on this entire list. 

At the top of the list in the S-tier, Chick-fil-A earns its well-deserved spot. 

McDonald’s

E.Coli outbreak aside, McDonald’s has some decent chicken nuggets for $2.99.

The outside is crunchy and it’s good for chicken nuggets; however, it’s better than somewhere like Chick-fil-A. Parts of the nuggets always taste a little undercooked and there is also the occasional piece that feels like you are biting into rubber. It’s good if you are hungry and in a rush.

It goes in the same tier as Chicken Express, but, seeing as it is better, it goes above Burger King in the C-tier. 

Raising Cane’s

Now here is some real chicken. Cane’s chicken doesn’t taste like it was blended up into a slurry and pressed into shapes (unlike McDonald’s). However, it can be a bit more on the pricy side, starting with prices at $5.99. It’s real chicken that is both crunchy and tender, making for a satisfying seasoned taste that can be enjoyed even without sauce. Out of everything on this list, this is the chicken I get the most often and is one of the most popular picks among the student body. 

For their chicken, Raising Cane’s gets placed in the S-tier, tied with Chick-fil-A. 

Sonic

Sonic is one of my top picks, and with the plethora of deals they have on their app, if you do go to Sonic I recommend ordering through the app.

The chicken products are some of the best food-related items on their menu with the popcorn chicken totaling $5.49 ($1.99 with an in-app deal). The breading is well seasoned, making it tasty without sauce. Sonic is also good at getting your food to you hot; however, my one gripe is the crust-to-chicken ratio. The amount of chicken outweighs the amount of crust, making the chicken less crispy.

Sonic gets a solid spot in the A-tier. This is a good meal for a good price when you use the app. 

Chicken Express

Until now, I had no clue that Chicken Express even had an indoor seating area; I thought it was entirely a kitchen with just a drive-thru. However, this couldn’t save their chicken.

The $6.79 chicken tasted a bit artificial: salty and plasticy. It had a good crunch but not much flavor. The overall look of the chicken could have been more appealing too, as the chicken crust was sorrowfully pale. 

While in no way is it as bad as Burger King, it is still not something I would pay a top price for which lands it in the C-Tier. 

I hope I didn’t offend any die-hard chicken lovers and, if you have your own tier lists and opinions, please let us know in the comments!