In a quest to find the nation's best fast food chicken tender, a popular YouTuber has delivered a scathing verdict on one of the high street's biggest names. Content creator Ciaran Carlin embarked on an epic taste test, sampling strips from multiple major chains to determine a definitive champion.
The Taste Test Contenders
Ciaran Carlin, who refers to the items as 'goujons', put a range of popular offerings to the test. He sampled crunchy chicken tenders from McDonald's, KFC, Popeyes, Butchies, Taco Bell, Wingstop, Honest Burgers, Greggs, Jollibee, and Slim Chickens. For consistency, he ruled out using any sauces, though spicy variants were permitted.
From 'Cardboard' to Culinary King
The experiment began poorly for one global giant. After biting into McDonald's Chicken Selects, Carlin did not hold back. "Honestly, these are like two, they absolutely suck, it's like eating cardboard," he stated. He later criticised the brand further, saying, "They're meant to be the pinnacle of fast food but they f***d it with that number, that is embarrassing." He ultimately gave them a dismal 1.5 out of five.
In stark contrast, KFC's offering made an immediate impression with its size and flavour. Carlin was effusive in his praise, declaring, "This is absolutely unbeatable, I'm going to have to give it a 4.9. It's so f*****g good on its own."
He had high hopes for Popeyes, the American chain which launched its first UK store in 2021 and has since expanded to over 100 branches in England, plus locations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. While he found its spicy strip tasty, he noted it was "quite oily" and predicted regret after eating.
The Final Rankings and Verdict
Other notable entries included London-based Butchies, which was rated "good", and Wingstop, whose "sad" looking fingers won him over on taste. Gregg's goujons were deemed "decent", while Taco Bell and Jollibee both scored well.
A strong contender emerged from Slim Chickens, a brand that first opened in the UK in 2020. Carlin praised them for being "soft in the right places, tender in the right places, and have that little crunch in the right places," placing them easily in his top two.
However, when the final scores were tallied, KFC narrowly secured the top spot. Slim Chickens took a commendable second place, with Jollibee rounding out the podium in third. The taste test proved that in the competitive world of fast food chicken tenders, it pays to have the right crunch.
