A new YouGov poll found Georgia’s Chick-fil-A ranked as America’s favorite fast-food chain for fried chicken, earning 25.3% of respondents. The survey also placed KFC, Popeye’s and Raising Cane’s behind it, and revealed category leaders across burgers, pizza,
A lot of fast-food chains sell fried chicken. What’s harder is finding the one most Americans name first.
In a YouGov poll released this month, Chick-fil-A—Georgia’s homegrown brand known for its Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich and “hospitable employees”—was ranked as America’s favorite fast-food chain for fried chicken.
The gap was wide enough to show up in the numbers. Chick-fil-A received 25.3% of respondents who said it was their favorite place to get fried chicken. KFC came in second with 17.9%. Popeye’s followed in third at 16.2%, and Raising Cane’s placed fourth with 6.8%.
The YouGov survey drew more than 44,000 responses between March 2025 and February 2026.
While Chick-fil-A stood out as the top choice for fried chicken, the poll also looked across other fast-food cravings—burgers, pizza, and tacos.
Five Guys led the burger category with 15.5% of the vote, with Burger King close behind at 15%. In-N-Out, a California staple, landed third with 12.1%, followed by Wendy’s in fourth at 10.2%. McDonald’s received 8.7%.
Pizza Hut took the top spot in its category with 19.1%. Domino’s came in next with 17.1%, Papa John’s was at 11.4%, Little Caesars finished with 5.3%, and Marco’s Pizza scored 4.7%.
For tacos and burritos, Taco Bell led the category with 30.3% of the vote. Chipotle followed at 20.6%.
The survey results sketch a clear picture: even among chains built around a single signature item—fried chicken for Chick-fil-A, burgers for Five Guys, pizza for Pizza Hut, and tacos for Taco Bell—Americans are making distinct choices by category rather than clustering around one winner everywhere.
Chick-fil-A YouGov poll fried chicken KFC Popeyes Raising Cane's fast food rankings Five Guys Burger King In-N-Out Taco Bell Chipotle Pizza Hut Domino's Papa John's