Best new chicken restaurant

Which is your favorite?

  • PDQ

    Votes: 4 4.3%
  • Raisin' Cane's

    Votes: 72 77.4%
  • Slim Chickens

    Votes: 17 18.3%

  • Total voters
    93

Rural

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2010
39,274
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I probably haven't had Zaxby's in about 5 years but it seemed pretty good though the menu wasn't exactly chicken strips through the drive-through window.

Maybe it's changed.
 

cyclonespiker33

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
Jan 19, 2011
14,808
8,041
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If you are looking for a Korean Fried Chicken fix, go to Harbinger on Ingersoll on Sundays. You can get a good-sized meal for 2 for $25 and the chicken is delicious.
 

cyIclSoneU

Well-Known Member
Apr 7, 2016
3,255
4,481
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Personally I can't take seriously anyone who thinks Cane's is the best. The chicken is so underseasoned. All of the flavor is meant to come from the sauce. It's just chicken, bread crumbs, and salt, fried. Where are the spices???
 

cyIclSoneU

Well-Known Member
Apr 7, 2016
3,255
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Canes would easily win, but would it kill them to season their chicken? It's so bland. Brine it or soak it in seasoned buttermilk or add seasoning to the dredge, or something, because even though it's cooked very well, the meat is just bland.

Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible. But it's just so easily remedied that I have to imagine that the owners of the company are doing it on purpose. Maybe they all injured their tongues in a nasty, cheese grating accident some time back, and now they require their food to be super bland.

It's so close to being fantastic.

I didn't see this before I posted but I could not agree more with it.
 

BWRhasnoAC

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SuperFanatic T2
Apr 10, 2013
25,384
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Dez Moy Nez
Personally I can't take seriously anyone who thinks Cane's is the best. The chicken is so underseasoned. All of the flavor is meant to come from the sauce. It's just chicken, bread crumbs, and salt, fried. Where are the spices???
Simple and fresh. I agree if you don't like Cane's sauce then you would probably love PDQ. Pieces of rosemary and thyme visible in the breading. Different sauces all home made.
 

Drew0311

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2019
6,916
10,651
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50
Norwalk, Iowa
Personally I can't take seriously anyone who thinks Cane's is the best. The chicken is so underseasoned. All of the flavor is meant to come from the sauce. It's just chicken, bread crumbs, and salt, fried. Where are the spices???


Agree. I am so confused by everyone loving Canes. It just seemed like average chicken strips. The sauce is good. However, I would go to a lot of other places before going to Canes. I actually think Hardees has better chicken strips than Canes.
 

mramseyISU

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2006
6,442
6,451
113
Waterloo, IA
Not a restaurant and not a chain, but the best fried chicken I know of is available at the deli of J's a small-town grocery store in Memphis, Missouri.
It's not there anymore but J&J 25 miles east of there in Kahoka had the best fried chicken and potato wedges known to mankind. I'll fight anybody who says otherwise.
 

NickTheGreat

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SuperFanatic T2
Jan 17, 2012
10,485
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Central Iowa
We love Cane's in our house. But we love the sauce.

Charlotte's is probably better, though I never get sandwiches at Cane's. Their Buffalo or the Nashville hot is amazing.

Chik-Fil-A is good, but down a notch from the others for me.
 
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2speedy1

Well-Known Member
Jan 4, 2014
5,238
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Love me some Cane's, hard to beat. They made some smart business plans. Super simple menu, do it good, do it fast.

But hear me out. If you are ever in north central Iowa, in the town of Lake Mills. Stop in Don's Motor Mart, and grab yourself some Charlie Biggs chicken. They make chicken by the piece and chicken tenders. Both good but the tenders are amazing. Charlie Biggs is a franchise, so I know you can get it other places, I have never seen it anywhere else though, and I don't know if anywhere makes it as good as Don's. For a gas station that place has some seriously good chicken. Haven't been there for a few years though.
 
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1100011CS

Well-Known Member
Oct 5, 2007
15,829
5,539
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Marshalltown
Of the places on this list I've only been to Slim Chickens a couple of times because it's close to where I live. The lines for that place are still ridiculously long. I've only eaten from their when I was able to get an online order. It's ok for fast food chicken, but not worth waiting more than 5 minutes for. Wouldn't be near my top 10 places to eat, even if you limit that list to fast food.

My favorite fast food chicken is still Long John Silvers chicken planks. Of course that's nothing to do with the chicken and everything to do with the batter and dipping it in malt vinegar.
this
 
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