Jollibee Chickenjoy dubbed ‘best fried chicken in America’ – Eater
Jollibee's Chickenjoy has been hailed as the "best fried chain in America" according to a global food website
Eater, a US-based food website by the Vox Media company, held a bracket formula competition among their staff members to determine the best chicken offering in the country. They have done the same in the past with the best bowl food offerings in America, dubbing it 2020's "Bowl Bowl."
To proclaim the winner, the website chose 16 restaurants and chicken chains and subdivided them into four categories: Bones, No Bones, Sandwiched, and Squared.
In the Bones category, Jollibee had been up against Popeyes, KFC, and Church's chicken in Texas.
"The Filipino fried chicken chain made its U.S. debut in 1998 and has since developed a cult following for its Chickenjoy, what the chain calls its bone-in fried chicken," Eater described the Filipino-originated dish.
From there, they described each chicken dish and its many details, from skin, meat, texture, to overall taste. It goes without saying that they took the competition very seriously.
After a grueling competition between Eater's writers and editors, the final decision was made by their award-winning deputy editor, Lesley Suter, as it ultimately came to the final round between Jollibee and South Korean chicken chain, Bonchon.
Per Suter, Jollibee's chicken was "subtly seasoned skin is as tectonically crunchy as advertised." She found the chicken meat itself a surprise, calling it "satisfyingly light, flavorful in a 'tastes like chicken' sort of way, and supremely moist.
She also praised the chain's gravy sauce: "I can only describe as naughty, while proudly showing its Filipino colors with a hefty dose of sugar."
Suter then proclaimed Jollibee as the grand winner, besting the 16 other entries in four different categories. As of writing, the fast food chain now has 84 branches in North America and over 1,500 restaurants worldwide. They are planning to open their latest location in Times Square, New York.