Pinoy pride (chicken)! Jollibee dubbed ‘best fried chicken chain’ in the US

MANILA, Philippines — Vox Media’s food website Eater rounded up 16 fried chicken chains in the US according to the categories Bones (classic fried chicken), No Bones (nuggets, tenders, etc.), Sandwiched (fried chicken sandwiches), and Sauced (fried chicken dishes paired with sauces). 

After gradually eliminating each chain from the face-off brackets, Eater declared a winner from the Bones category — Jollibee! 

The home of the famous Chickenjoy was dubbed the best fried chicken in America, beating out South Korea’s Bonchon in the final round. 

“The subtly seasoned skin is as tectonically crunchy as advertised, if loosely attached in such a way as to be able to slide off an entire hunk with one bite,” the website’s Deputy Editor Lesley Suter said. 

Suter also praised Jollibee’s iconic gravy for its ability to complement the crispy fried chicken, stating that it is “more than just an optional dunk.” 

“It completes the dish, gelatinous in a way I can only describe as naughty, while proudly showing its Filipino colors with a hefty dose of sugar,” Suter added.

While she did mention that the gravy almost tastes strange when consumed on its own, its sweetness reveals the Chickenjoy’s various flavor notes packed in one dish. Truly the perfect pair! 

Other than Bonchon, Jollibee competed with Popeyes, KFC, Church’s, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, White Castle, Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack, Fuku, Bojangles, Wingstop, Panda Express, and Del Taco. 

Jollibee currently has 64 branches in the US and 1,500 locations worldwide.  On August 18, Jollibee’s Times Square location in New York City will finally open its doors to the public. – with reports from Juno Reyes/Rappler.com 

Juno Reyes is a Rappler intern.

Order Jollibee Chickenjoy using this foodpanda voucher.