Popeyes may have started in Louisiana, but it's now a household name across the U.S., with devoted fans loving everything from it's bone-in fried chicken to the popular sandwich that gives Chick-fil-A a run for its money.
In New Orleans, the love for Popeyes runs deep, with the signature orange buildings always full of people getting their boxes with mashed potatoes, red beans and rice and biscuits.
However, Florida natives will swear allegiance to the deli and hot food bar at Publix, the supermarket chain that has mostly stayed a phenomenon there and in and nearby states like Alabama.
Publix's fried chicken in particular is loved as a quick and delicious meal that can feed plenty.
When putting the pieces of chicken against each other, one Southern Living food editor gave the edge to Publix.
"[Popeyes] is like good, old-fashioned fried chicken and this is like the standard that you could probably get in a lot of places," Ivy Odom Aponte said. "The Publix fried chicken, though, has like a signature taste. You know you're eating Publix fried chicken when you're eating that."
Aponte staged the fried chicken-off in an a video for the magazine's Instagram account. Southern Living is based in Birmingham.
Both Popeyes and Publix's fried chicken came highly recommended by southern chefs, who said they were the two best fast food or pickup fried chicken, Aponte said.
After she gave viewers a chance to appreciate how both pieces of chicken looked, Aponte dug in.
Aponte tried Publix first, and was clearly a fan.
"It's hard to beat Publix fried chicken, we all know it," Aponte said.
Next came Popeyes, which also received high marks from Aponte and chicken fans were better off picking either than making a mess frying chicken at home, she said.
Both pieces of fried chicken were crunchy with juicy and flavorful meat, she said.
View this post on Instagram
Aponte has a large following and is a respected food influencer, and we respect her opinion.
However, we wonder if the taste test would have gone differently if someone from the New Orleans metro was doing the taste test.
So we want to hear from you: Do you think Popeyes has better fried chicken than Publix? Take our poll below and let us know how you feel.
