Welcome to my guide to chicken! I'm not much of a burger person, but I happen to work in a neighborhood where burger joints are the main lunch option. I've thus become an armchair expert of quality fast food chicken.

Before we go any further I would like to point out that the opinions expressed here are those of a single individual. This individual has also been known to put peanut butter on a tortilla, so, take what he says with a grain of salt! Let's not get all upset and try to sue anybody if the opinions expressed here hurt someone's feelings, generate an unpleasant dining experience, or cause someone to utter the wrong combo number in the drive-thru! This page is for entertainment purposes only. Please: no wagering!

Nugget? Finger? Fillet? It's all parts to me!

Part Nomenclature: Fingers
Combo Order Number: 6 (4 fingers, small fries, small fountain drink (upsize the sides for small fee))
Side: Fries (I suggest the seasoned curly fires)
Number of Parts Served: 4 (2 available in Chicken Snack Pack)
Serving Size: 6.77oz Sauces: 'Arby-Q', Honey Mustard

Ingredients: Chicken tenders, water, salt, sodium phosphate. Batter and breading ingredients: water, wheat flour, modified food starch, corn flour, salt, spices, leavening (sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium bicarbonate), soybean oil, garlic powder, vegetable oil. They are famous for their somewhat scary roast beef sandwiches, but they offer up a fine chicken part. These large pieces are all breast meat, cut lengthwise, and breaded generously with a seasoned coating. This chicken is unusually juicy and full flavored for a fast food quick snack. I find myself craving these if I have not had 'em in a week.

Part Nomenclature: Breast Strips (Formerly the 'Pressed Chicken Star')
Combo Order Number: 9,10 (3 strips (5 strips in Combo 10), small fries, small fountain drink, upsize the sides for small fee)
Side: Fries
Number of Parts Served: 3,5
Sauces: Bar-B-Q,, Honey Mustard

Carl's used to serve these sad little star shapes of pressed chicken meat. Last year they switched to giant fillets of all-breast meat cut lengthwise for maximum taste. They even had an add campaign where they point out that no-one knows where the 'nuggets' are on a chicken. Not that 'strips' are more easily found, but I see their point. The good news is that the new chicken parts are leaps and bounds beyond the 'big 3' chicken parts. Steer clear of the large drink though, that sucker is 48 oz.! It makes you feel like you're at the movie theatre Ð I mean: who needs 1.5 lbs. of soda for lunch?

Part Nomenclature: Colonels Crispy Strips¨
Combo Order Number: 4 (3 fingers, a biscuit, potato wedges, small fountain drink (upsize the sides for small fee)
Side: potato wedges, mashed potatoes, coleslaw
Number of Parts Served: 3
Serving Size: 151g Sauces: Bar-B-Q,, Honey Mustard, Honey

KFC knows chicken, and their fingers are no exception. The liberal breading is bland, but the chicken has good flavor. Sometimes they also have popcorn chicken, which a friend of mine thinks is made from all the bits leftover from a year of cutting chicken fingers. Either way you get a smaller portion of KFC's tasty chicken at a good price.

Part Nomenclature: Breast Pieces
Combo Order Number: 8 (5 fingers, small fries, small fountain drink (upsize the sides for small fee))
Side: Fries (I suggest the seasoned curly fires)
Number of Parts Served: 4
Serving Size: 150g Sauces: Bar-B-Q, Honey Mustard, Frank's Red Hot

Leave it to Jack to realize they have a problem, and fix it! Last year I gave Jack poor marks for his tiny, inedible chicken bitlets, (everyone else had switched to giant, generous cuts of real chicken breast). Jack must have heard me complaining, because they now serve giant planks of good quality chicken. The breading in thin, but well seasoned. The chicken is reasonably tasty.

Part Nomenclature: Fingers
Combo Order Number: 9 (8 fingers, small fries, small fountain drink (medium and large also available as combos))
Side: Fries, onion rings
Number of Parts Served: 8
Sauces: Bar-B-Q,, Honey Mustard

These are very tiny chicken parts. They are made from ground breast meat, so don't expect a great experience. They have a good breading, and a distinctively peppery flavor. I happen think BK's fries are much better than average. Your mileage may vary.

Part Nomenclature: McNuggets
Combo Order Number: 10
Side: Fries
Number of Parts Served: 5, 10
Sauces: Bar-B-Q,, Honey Mustard

These tasteless, irregular shapes of foodstuff hardly seem to be made of chicken at all. McDonald's fries may have more meat in them! Recently the Mc switched to using actual white meat in the McNugget, but they still seem pretty artificial. In their favor, however, are the inclusion of the famous Mickey-D's fries. They're also cheaper on Tuesdays.