1. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is home to America’s best fast food fried chicken. Popeyes has mastered the traditional T.L.C. method of hand-battered, deep-fried chicken at scale, without sacrificing quality. Their Bonafide Chicken and boneless tenders alike are consistently the crunchiest and most flavorful in the fast food circuit. Peeling off the skin and eating it on its own is otherworldly. The dark meat is as juicy as any other homemade, hand-breaded drumstick you'll find. We could go on about their chicken as a class of its own, but it doesn’t stop there. Popeyes serves the classic Southern sides, like red beans and rice, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and (best of all) biscuits at the same high caliber. Thank goodness for meat and sides that compliment each other rather than compete.

Food aside, Popeyes maintains the cultural magic that makes fried chicken so great — eating at a Popeyes is like eating at a mom-and-pop joint. For striking that rare and finicky balance between authenticity and the masses, Popeyes is most deserving of this top spot. It’s exactly where you should celebrate National Fried Chicken Day!