July 6 is National Fried Chicken Day, the perfect time to take a look at Americans' chicken preferences and how they have transformed the fast food industry in 2023.

According to Scholaroo's Fried Chicken Index — a study that analyzed aggregated visit data from 12 million Americans to fried chicken chains in 2023 — there has been a noticeable shift in fried chicken consumption in 2023. 

Most popular fried chicken chains in America ranked in order of popularity in 2023:

  1. Chick-Fil-A — With a national increase in visits of 2.5%, this chain was the favorite in 22 states.
  2. KFC — Despite being the favorite in 12 states, this popular chain decreased its visits nationwide by 6.8%.
  3. Raising Cane's — This chain had the largest growth in visits in America with an increase of 4.7% in the country and is the favorite in nine states.
  4. Church's Chicken — Nationally, this chain had a 3% growth in visits and was the top favorite in New York and two other states. 
  5. Popeyes — This chain had a 5.4% decrease in visits compared to 2021 figures. Only Washington chose it as its favorite.

Source: Scholaroo