Bojangles’ vs. Chick-fil-A: The Ultimate Chicken Biscuit Showdown

The Southern-fried debate of the century, settled once and for all.

Justin Roberson

All photos and text by Justin Roberson (@BauceSauce)

As a Southerner, I am no stranger to fried food—chicken, potatoes, macaroni, etc. I’ve eaten it all. In fact, there was a nine-year stretch from seventh grade to junior year of college where I did not consume a single baked/broiled/steamed vegetable. If an item wasn’t nestled inside a flaky womb of perfectly seasoned flour, then it didn’t occupy real estate on my plate. While assisting my grandmother in the kitchen when I was eight years old, I remember her telling me, “Whatever the recipe calls for add in another stick of butter.” Another. Stick. I sweat grits, and pregnant Southern women lactate buttermilk.

I say all this to say my arteries never stood a chance, but also as a means to explain that although I may not be an expert on the diverse and ever-shifting landscape of international cuisine, I am intimately familiar with Southern Homestyle Cooking. If eating an actual ton of it every fiscal quarter doesn’t attest to that fact, know that I was actually engaged to a chicken-fried chicken breast for 6 months, but she called it off after I lost my job and couldn’t afford the sawmill gravy she was so accustomed to being smothered with.

Southerners agree on most things, from gerrymandering to gun rights. However, a rift courses deep through the southeastern United States that is older and more violent than the Hatfield–McCoy feud. This rift pits brother versus brother, father against son, mother against great-uncle, and daughter against cousin.

Who has the best fast food Southern Style Chicken Biscuit: Bojangles’ or Chick-Fil-A?

I have seen lives ruined because of this debate.

Both restaurants have served Southerners for over 30 years—their dishes are staples of our diets, their signs indigenous to our town landscapes. Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits, affectionately known as Bojangles’, opened in 1977 in Charlotte, NC. The first Chick-fil-A opened in 1967 in Atlanta, GA. With such a long heritage, it’s easy to understand why each side has its own gaggle of die-hard fans.

Bojangles’ Cajun Filet Biscuit is inherently spicy. So, to combat any palette preferences, we chose Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Chicken Biscuit for the showdown. Since the heat from the CFA biscuit comes from the spice in the batter, and not sauce or marinade, they were closer equals. Let’s get this poultry in motion.

All photos and text by Justin Roberson (@BauceSauce) As a Southerner, I am no stranger to fried food—chicken, potatoes, macaroni, etc. I've eaten it all. In fact, there was a nine-year stretch from seventh grade to junior year of college where I did not consume a single baked/broiled/steamed vegetable. If an item wasn't nestled inside a flaky womb of perfectly seasoned flour, then it didn't occupy real estate on my plate. While assisting my grandmother in the kitchen when I was eight years old, I remember her telling me, "Whatever the recipe calls for add in another stick of butter." Another. Stick. I sweat grits, and pregnant Southern women lactate buttermilk. I say all this to say my arteries never stood a chance, but also as a means to explain that although I may not be an expert on the diverse and ever-shifting landscape of international cuisine, I am intimately familiar with Southern Homestyle Cooking. If eating an actual ton of it every fiscal quarter doesn't attest to that fact, know that I was actually engaged to a chicken-fried chicken breast for 6 months, but she called it off after I lost my job and couldn't afford the sawmill gravy she was so accustomed to being smothered with. Southerners agree on most things, from gerrymandering to gun rights. However, a rift courses deep through the southeastern United States that is older and more violent than the Hatfield–McCoy feud. This rift pits brother versus brother, father against son, mother against great-uncle, and daughter against cousin. Who has the best fast food Southern Style Chicken Biscuit: Bojangles' or Chick-Fil-A? I have seen lives ruined because of this debate. Both restaurants have served Southerners for over 30 years—their dishes are staples of our diets, their signs indigenous to our town landscapes. Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits, affectionately known as Bojangles', opened in 1977 in Charlotte, NC. The first Chick-fil-A opened in 1967 in Atlanta, GA. With such a long heritage, it's easy to understand why each side has its own gaggle of die-hard fans. Bojangles' Cajun Filet Biscuit is inherently spicy. So, to combat any palette preferences, we chose Chick-fil-A's Spicy Chicken Biscuit for the showdown. Since the heat from the CFA biscuit comes from the spice in the batter, and not sauce or marinade, they were closer equals. Let's get this poultry in motion.
Criteria
For this battle, we'll be judging these two restaurants and their biscuits in five categories:
How effortless is it to procure a biscuit? One main consideration for this category is that breakfast biscuits are usually purchased on one's way to work in the morning.
After all, these are fast-food chains. We expect to get a good amount of food for our money in America, especially at a fast-food restaurant.
How appetizing does the biscuit look? Is it anywhere close in appearance to what the company advertises?
Obviously, taste is the most important category. We can overlook flaws elsewhere if it tastes good. We'll examine both the biscuit as a whole as well as its individual pieces.
Random considerations that, though perhaps minor, do affect the overall experience of eating one of these biscuits.
Ease of Acquisition

Chick-Fil-A boasts 1,600 locations, and has expanded outside of the Southeast within the past few years. Bojangles' has around 550. In any given Southern city, the ratio of CFAs to Bojangles' will be approximately 1.5:1. Finding one of these restaurants won't be difficult. They'll usually be in the same area as each other, near a CVS or Walgreens. If you are looking to go inside to sit down and have an easy breakfast while you read the paper, both chains offer the ability to do just that. It should be noted that Bojangles' will typically have a flock of quiet senior citizens, where as CFA will have more teens and families. But, hey, we aren't too concerned with the décor and feng shui. What about the drive-thru experience? When I made my drive-thru trips, it took Bojangles an average of one minute and 17 seconds to serve each car. Chick-Fil-A's average time was just under one minute. If you are running late and the drive-thru is packed, that one to three minute window of time could mean the difference between getting to work on time and being late for the fifth time that week. Bojangles' is relatively quick, but I've occasionally run into extended waits when some degenerate wants fries instead of Bo-Rounds at 7:30am. Chick-Fil-A is a well-oiled machine. Efficiency is key, and getting you out of the line as quickly possible is the only mission. If anything, the chain makes sure to over-staff during the breakfast shift. Advantage: Chik-fil-A
Appearance

Both fried chicken patties come nestled in a buttermilk biscuit. Unlike a Baconator, both biscuits reflect their advertised image almost perfectly. The CFA biscuit sports a mahogany hue, and flakes of pepper and other spices are preserved in the batter. It certainly looks appetizing, inviting. The fluffiness of the biscuit complements the girth of the chicken patty. All elements are working together to create a solidly built entrée. I say, I say, Foghorn Leghorn might consider cannibalism if he stared at this biscuit for too long. The Cajun Filet is a little more subtle; it is flatter and more uniform in color. The biscuit, darker than the CFA's, verifies it has been slathered with a generous application of butter and baked to golden-brown perfection. Though it appears meeker in comparison, the Cajun Filet's features highlight the patty—a buttery, butterflied slice of chicken breast. The patty actually looks like it came from an real chicken breast. If you knew nothing of chicken and nothing of biscuits and nothing of anything and someone plopped these two items in front of you, you would be hard-pressed not to choose the Chick-Fil-A biscuit. It looks rich, regal, filling, and tasty as all hell. Advantage: Chick-Fil-A
Taste

Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Biscuit: With the first bite, you taste the salty butter of the biscuit... and there is a lot of it... and the slight kick of the batter. That first bite is the best part. After that, each bite tastes bland. No distinction can really be made between the biscuit and chicken. It becomes almost like mush with a hint of cayenne pepper. The biscuit is crumbly, bordering on still doughy. You'll get a hint of heat as an aftertaste, but only after your salivary glands work overtime to force all that bread into something you can swallow. Since the batter contains all of the spice, heat concentrates around the edges where there is no chicken but rather errant batter bits that found their way onto the poultry during frying. The Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Biscuit is a heavy breakfast item. It sits in your stomach like a rock. Eating this biscuit without some type of beverage to moisten your gullet is not recommended. At that point, chewing and swallowing become a tiring chore. When paired with a large Coca-Cola with light ice, the experience becomes pleasant. The Chick-fil-A biscuit will keep you full until lunch, but you'll feel sluggish. Bojangles' Cajun Filet Biscuit: The Cajun Filet is its own unique beast. The biscuit is smaller, and not as crumbly. The filet is the star. When you first bite into a Cajun Filet Biscuit, a pattern emerges: You can differentiate between the biscuit and the chicken, thanks to a crunchy batter, which will stay crunchy even after sitting out for an hour or two. You won't require a beverage to help you get this down. The spice is spread throughout the filet, and you taste it in every bite—not just on the edges. Unfortunately, actually getting the spice proves inconsistent. Of the five biscuits I ate over the course of the week, three of them were spicy. The other two were bland. A good Cajun Filet can be identified by the slight reddish hue between the batter and breast. Although eating the biscuit proves easy and enjoyable, it doesn't necessarily fill you up for the long haul to noon. You'll need to add on some Bo-Rounds or a country ham biscuit to keep your stomach from rumbling in your 10am class/client meeting. Advantage: Bojangles'
X-Factors
Before we crown a supreme ruler, I think it's important to note a few factors that are small but definitely deserving of attention.
- You can purchase a Cajun Filet biscuit at all times throughout the day.
- Bojangles' still uses plastic sporks.
- Bojangles' has either Patio Red Cherry or Cheerwine in their fountain drinks.
- Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays.
- CFA's Double Drive-Thru locations make snagging breakfast as painless and quick as possible.
- CFA owner opposes same-sex marriage, donates millions of dollars to political organizations that oppose LGBT rights.
- Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays.
The two most glaring negatives are that you can't get Chick-fil-A on a Sunday (great for employees, but not so much for the consumer) and that by eating there you are indirectly helping to suppress the LGBT community's civil rights. The morality of frequenting the establishment is ultimately up to you. It might matter a lot. It might not matter at all. Bigotry isn't everyone's favorite ingredient.
Conclusion

Winner: Bojangles' Cajun Filet Biscuit After all factors are weighed, the Cajun Filet Biscuit edges out the Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken biscuit as the Ultimate Southern Fried Chicken Biscuit in the fast-food kingdom. As similar as they seem, they are different in some important ways. The deciding factor was how I felt after eating each biscuit. You expect to feel a little sluggish after ingesting bread and fried food, but I just felt like a slug for a majority of the day after eating the Chick-fil-A biscuit. I felt full longer, but I couldn't drink enough water or soda to rid that "ball of bread caught in my throat" feeling. It's certainly a perk to not feel hungry sooner, but ultimately the experience of eating the Cajun Filet was more enjoyable, and offered a superior contrast in texture with the crunchy batter and flaky biscuit. That settles it, folks. We can end the bloodshed happening in the name of chicken biscuits! We can all go home. The question of the millennium has been solved! In all honesty, each of these items will appeal to a different type of consumer. Some people grew up with their grandmother making monster buttermilk biscuits, and the CFA biscuit might appeal more to them. Some people want more spice, and the Cajun Filet will appeal to them. Some people don't really care and just need a biscuit in their belly before dealing with classmates and co-workers trying to talk to them. What say you? Which Southern Fried Chicken Biscuit is your favorite?
Value

Prices vary by location. But, where I live in South Carolina, a Bojangles' Cajun Filet Biscuit costs $2.99, and a Chick-Fil-A Spicy Chicken Biscuit costs $2.25. Not too much of a price difference, but they aren't necessarily the same size. The Cajun Filet Biscuits I received averaged a 4.25" diameter and a 1.25" height, with a fair amount of overhang out of the biscuit. The CFA Spicy Biscuits I received averaged a 3.5" diameter and came in slightly taller at 1.5". If we perform some very crude mathematics, the Cajun Filet costs $0.56 per biscuit inch while the CFA biscuit costs $0.42 per biscuit inch. However, the CFA version has significantly more biscuit than Bojangles'. Nutritional info shows 50g of carbohydrates and 16g of protein (3.125:1) versus 45g of carbohydrates and 21g of protein (2.14:1). So, even though the CFA biscuit costs less per unit, you ultimately aren't getting as much chicken for that price. Advantage: Draw

Bojangles’ vs. Chick-fil-A: The Ultimate Chicken Biscuit Showdown

Criteria

Ease of Acquisition

Appearance

Taste

X-Factors

Conclusion

Value

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