I tried fried chicken from 3 different grocery stores, and there's only one I'll buy from now on

From left to right, labeled Lucky's, Safeway, and Walmart fried chicken — I reviewed fried chicken from Lucky Supermarket, Safeway, and Walmart Supercenter.Chelsea Davis

I tried fried chicken from grocery stores Lucky Supermarket, Safeway, and Walmart Supercenter.
Lucky’s option looked and tasted great, and I wasn’t a fan of Walmart’s breading.
Safeway’s chicken didn’t look great, but I’d happily buy it again because the meat was so tasty.

I bought a fried breast and thigh from each grocery store.

Trays of fried chicken at Lucky's supermarket in silver trays — I tried fried-chicken thighs and breasts from grocery-store delis.Chelsea Davis

Fried chicken is a versatile, crowd-pleasing lunch or dinner that’s much easier to buy than make from scratch. So I decided to compare fried chicken from three grocery-store delis.

Where I live in San Francisco, California, neither my local Costco nor Whole Foods had any fried chicken when I checked. Eventually, I scored options from Lucky Supermarket, Safeway, and Walmart Supercenter.

I tried fried thighs and breasts from each chain to see how both types of meat tasted.

I first tried the fried chicken from Lucky Supermarket.

Fried chicken breast and thigh in front of brown Lucky's supermarket bags — Lucky’s fried chicken was a nice golden-brown color.Chelsea Davis

Lucky Supermarket is a California-based grocery chain that’s very similar to the popular store Albertsons.

Lucky’s chicken was pretty good.

Hand holding piece of Lucky's fried chicken in front of white and blue plate — The Lucky Supermarket batter stuck to the fried chicken well.Chelsea Davis

The fried chicken had a crunchy coating with a nice bite, but the meat was still moist and moderately flavorful.

It wasn’t overly oily or salty, and the batter stuck to the chicken instead of flaking off.

I didn’t notice any obvious seasonings other than salt.

I tasted Safeway’s fried chicken next.

Fried chicken in front of brown safeway bag on wood block — I didn’t think Safeway’s fried chicken looked great.Chelsea Davis

I got four pieces — a leg, thigh, wing, and breast — from Safeway.

At first glance, I didn’t think the chicken looked very appetizing. Instead of having a consistent, crunchy coating, it was patchy.

The crust looked like it was flaking off, and on some parts of the chicken, there was just a thin layer of batter that didn’t have any texture.

I was really impressed by this option.

Hand holding piece of Safeway's chicken in front of white and blue plate — Safeway’s chicken meat was very flavorful.Chelsea Davis

This chicken was dangerously tasty.

Even though the batter was on the thin side and the thigh seemed a bit overcooked, the meat was still so moist.

I didn’t think it was as nicely fried as Lucky’s and the coasting wasn’t the crispiest, but it still made a major impression for the incredible flavor of the meat alone.

I finished my taste test with Walmart’s fried chicken.

pieces of fried chicken in front of brown walmart bags — The fried chicken I bought from Walmart seemed fresh.Chelsea Davis

After waiting for 20 minutes for a fresh batch to be brought out, I had high hopes for Walmart’s fried chicken.

Overall, I thought Walmart’s chicken was somewhat bland.

Hand holding piece of Walmart's fried chicken in front of white plate — I wasn’t a fan of Walmart’s breading.Chelsea Davis

The coating was super crunchy, but not quite crispy.

Even though the texture was still good, I missed having a crispy, oily crust. This chicken tasted like it was fried in bread crumbs instead of batter.

I also thought the coating lacked flavor since it wasn’t particularly salty. Additionally, I didn’t love the meat, as it tasted similarly bland to me.

I’d gladly buy Safeway’s fried chicken again.

Two white and blue plates of fried chicken on wooden cutting board — Although I thought Safeway’s chicken (left) was less appealing than Lucky’s (right), it tasted better.Chelsea Davis

Even though Safeway’s option wasn’t the prettiest, I kept wanting to eat more. Somehow, it reminded me of the deliciousness of a rotisserie chicken.

The meat was moist and perfectly salty. And although the fried coating wasn’t very crispy and didn’t entirely cover the chicken, the flavor was great.

If I was craving fried chicken, I would either go to Safeway or a tried-and-true fast-food joint.

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