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I tried fried chicken from 3 different grocery stores, and there's only one I'll buy from now on

From left to right, labeled Lucky's, Safeway, and Walmart fried chicken
I reviewed fried chicken from Lucky Supermarket, Safeway, and Walmart Supercenter.Chelsea Davis
  • I tried fried chicken from grocery stores Lucky Supermarket, Safeway, and Walmart Supercenter.

  • Lucky's option looked and tasted great, and I wasn't a fan of Walmart's breading.

  • Safeway's chicken didn't look great, but I'd happily buy it again because the meat was so tasty.

I bought a fried breast and thigh from each grocery store.

Trays of fried chicken at Lucky's supermarket in silver trays
I tried fried-chicken thighs and breasts from grocery-store delis.Chelsea Davis

Fried chicken is a versatile, crowd-pleasing lunch or dinner that's much easier to buy than make from scratch. So I decided to compare fried chicken from three grocery-store delis.

Where I live in San Francisco, California, neither my local Costco nor Whole Foods had any fried chicken when I checked. Eventually, I scored options from Lucky Supermarket, Safeway, and Walmart Supercenter.

I tried fried thighs and breasts from each chain to see how both types of meat tasted.

 

I first tried the fried chicken from Lucky Supermarket.

Fried chicken breast and thigh in front of brown Lucky's supermarket bags
Lucky's fried chicken was a nice golden-brown color.Chelsea Davis

Lucky Supermarket is a California-based grocery chain that's very similar to the popular store Albertsons.

 

Lucky's chicken was pretty good.

Hand holding piece of Lucky's fried chicken in front of white and blue plate
The Lucky Supermarket batter stuck to the fried chicken well.Chelsea Davis

The fried chicken had a crunchy coating with a nice bite, but the meat was still moist and moderately flavorful.

It wasn't overly oily or salty, and the batter stuck to the chicken instead of flaking off.

I didn't notice any obvious seasonings other than salt.

 

I tasted Safeway's fried chicken next.

Fried chicken in front of brown safeway bag on wood block
I didn't think Safeway's fried chicken looked great.Chelsea Davis

I got four pieces  — a leg, thigh, wing, and breast — from Safeway.

At first glance, I didn't think the chicken looked very appetizing. Instead of having a consistent, crunchy coating, it was patchy.

The crust looked like it was flaking off, and on some parts of the chicken, there was just a thin layer of batter that didn't have any texture.

 

 

I was really impressed by this option.

Hand holding piece of Safeway's chicken in front of white and blue plate
Safeway's chicken meat was very flavorful.Chelsea Davis

This chicken was dangerously tasty.

Even though the batter was on the thin side and the thigh seemed a bit overcooked, the meat was still so moist.

I didn't think it was as nicely fried as Lucky's and the coasting wasn't the crispiest, but it still made a major impression for the incredible flavor of the meat alone.

 

I finished my taste test with Walmart's fried chicken.

pieces of fried chicken in front of brown walmart bags
The fried chicken I bought from Walmart seemed fresh.Chelsea Davis

After waiting for 20 minutes for a fresh batch to be brought out, I had high hopes for Walmart's fried chicken.

Overall, I thought Walmart's chicken was somewhat bland.

Hand holding piece of Walmart's fried chicken in front of white plate
I wasn't a fan of Walmart's breading.Chelsea Davis

The coating was super crunchy, but not quite crispy.

Even though the texture was still good, I missed having a crispy, oily crust. This chicken tasted like it was fried in bread crumbs instead of batter.

I also thought the coating lacked flavor since it wasn't particularly salty. Additionally, I didn't love the meat, as it tasted similarly bland to me.

I'd gladly buy Safeway's fried chicken again.

Two white and blue plates of fried chicken on wooden cutting board
Although I thought Safeway's chicken (left) was less appealing than Lucky's (right), it tasted better.Chelsea Davis

Even though Safeway's option wasn't the prettiest, I kept wanting to eat more. Somehow, it reminded me of the deliciousness of a rotisserie chicken.

The meat was moist and perfectly salty. And although the fried coating wasn't very crispy and didn't entirely cover the chicken, the flavor was great.

If I was craving fried chicken, I would either go to Safeway or a tried-and-true fast-food joint.

Read the original article on Insider