The past month I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee and and Phoenix, Arizona within the span of three weeks, giving me the perfect opportunity to compare my two favorite fried chicken chain, Hattie B’s and Jollibee.
Jollibee is a fast food chain serving Filipino style fried chicken, Palabok, spaghetti, hamburgers, and rice.
Hattie B’s is a much smaller chain in the southern US serving up southern fried chicken, Nashville hot chicken, classic sides, and deserts.
The Fried Chicken
I don’t eat spicy, or should I say very picky in the spicy food that I eat. So I typically don’t order spicy fried chicken. I know that could be a bit of controversy among fried chicken enthusiast, as probably most would say spicy is the way to go to enjoy fried chicken. However, I think having it mild or not spicy is the best way to really taste the flavor of the chicken, style of brine/seasoning, and savor the crunchy breading mixed with the natural juices of the chicken.
Jollibee offers only dark meat for their fried chicken with separated drum and thigh. The Jollibee chicken is relatively small compared to Hattie B’s, but is consistent with the size of other American fried chicken chain such as KFC, Popeyes, and Bojangles. The chicken is evenly breaded and serve with the signature gravy. The breading is extremely buttery and the chicken is juicy. Each bite of the chicken comes with a burst of juice that you can really taste the brine used to season the chicken. I would say the chicken is slightly salty but yet satisfyingly delicious. Even after waited an hour after purchase, the breading and skin of the chicken is still extremely crispy. The gravy that comes with the chicken is extremely flavorful, however I don’t think the it adds much to the chicken, but make it even more salty, which I think takes away from the chicken’s natural flavor. The overall flavor and texture of the Jollibee chicken is definitely better than KFC, Popeyes, and Bojangles. It’s more flavorful but yet less salty than KFC, juicer than Popeyes, and much better size than Bojangles.
Hattie B’s has both dark and white meat on their menu. Obviously I got the dark meat, dark meat is just the more superior cut of chicken 🙂
Hattie B’s have serves the dark meat in full leg quarter with the thigh and drum still connected. I think this maintains maximum juiciness of the chicken and requires better cooking technique to ensure even cooking, so props to Hattie B’s. The breading is clearly different from Jollibee, it evenly coates the chicken, creating an even thickness of crispy skin all around the chicken with each bite. The chicken meat is savory with bursts of flavor without tasting too salty or briny. I feel that I am actually tasting the chicken juice rather than chicken brine. Instead of gravy, the chicken comes with a slice of pickle and white bread. I know that’s a southern style, but I don’t think it adds anything to the chicken. I also ordered a side of mild hot sauce the side to dip the chicken. The hot sauce is closer to hot oil than sauce, you can clearly see the separation of oil and spices after it’s been sitting for a while. The mild hot sauce is SPICY! For someone who doesn’t eat a lot of spicy food, the spicy definitely hit me out of nowhere. It is not spicy on the tongue but goes straight for the throat. I had a couple bite and didn’t enjoy it anymore. I am probably the worst person to rate hot sauce.
Overall, I would say Hattie B’s has the better fried chicken over Jollibee, which is not surprising considering that Hattie B’s is really a small chain restaurant and Jollibee is a global chain fast food restaurant.
The sides
Jollibee serves up the classic fast food sides like mashed potatoes and fries, but also white rice and adobo rice. The adobo rice is unique to Jollibee and it is absolutely delicious.
Hattie B’s has more options for sides including homemade black eyed peas salad, grits, and classic coleslaw. The sides have a more homemade taste to it with more sophistication compared to Jollibee’s chain manufactured taste.
Other dishes
Besides fried chicken, Jollibee also has hamburgers, spaghetti with banana ketchup & hotdogs, and Palabok. The Palabok is a must get item, glass noodles with minced meat and garlic sauce, it is an absolute delight. Hattie B’s doesn’t have anything else besides chicken.
The desserts
Oh this has to be the best part to end the meal from both restaurants. The fried mango peach pie from Jollibee has to be one of the best dessert on the planet. It looks like a classic McD apple pie that is fried and filled with chunks of mango and peach for the most perfect sweet, tart, and crunchy dessert. Oh and the pineapple quencher, it’s probably just the perfect blend of pineapple juice and water, the perfect pairing for the savory fried chicken.
Hattie B’s homemade banana pudding and peach cobbler is to die for. The banana pudding is served cold with pieces of vanilla wafer on top and in between layers. The pudding is silky smooth, full of banana flavor with chunks of banana, and not too sweet. The peach cobbler on the other hand is served hot with pieces of perfectly baked batter providing the perfect dual of texture with every bite. The cobbler is definitely sweeter than the banana pudding, but the tartness pairs quite well with the heavier fried chicken for a perfect finish to the meal.
Overall, I like Hattie B’s more. If you read my review of the Chase Sapphire Lounge, you already know that I prefer southern fried chicken better. Jollibee is a very close second. Or perhaps I shouldn’t compare them as they could be seen as two different category, fast food vs standard restaurant.
Question for you, what’s your opinion on hot vs mild fried chicken? which do you prefer?
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