KFC super-fan who spent 18 years hunting for world’s best fried chicken reveals country that came out on top

On an 18-year quest spanning 24 countries and five continents a fast food lover hunting for the best KFC in the world has decided the finest “finger-lickin’ good” chicken is in Mongolia.

Jacky Tan, a 41-year-old marketing consultant from Singapore, began his adventure to find the world’s best Kentucky Fried Chicken in 2005 after finding the Original Recipe tasted different abroad.

Since then, he has taken every opportunity to try the deep-fried delicacy while traveling for work or with his wife Michelle, a 41-year-old assistant who he often has to persuade to take a reluctant detour from their holiday.

Even on the couple’s honeymoon, Jacky managed to visit a KFC in Barcelona, but Spain had the worst he has tried, closely followed by Hong Kong and Australia.

Jacky makes the same order in every country and has developed a ranking he has dubbed TaF-CA, an acronym for taste, freshness, crispiness and aroma – the four key criteria he uses to evaluate each KFC.

Asked why the quest means so much to him, Jacky said: “I don’t come from a very rich family, so I would have to save up to afford a KFC.
“So for me, it’s really a luxury.

“Now of course, I have my own income. I can’t say exactly how many KFCs I have had, but definitely more than 1,000.”

While there are many strong contenders, Jacky’s research found Mongolia stood out from the rest, where he said he had to queue for an hour but the deep-fried poultry was “unique”.

“I visited the KFC in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 2013 during a business trip with my colleagues,” Jacky said.
“It had just opened and there were loads of people queuing so we had to wait for an hour. But the wait was totally worth it.

“I rank the chicken based on taste, freshness, crispiness and aroma, and the Mongolian fried chicken hit all of these indicators. It’s very unique. I was totally impressed.”

“The KFC in South Africa has a really nice view of Table Mountain, so they have one of the best spots. Their chicken also hit all the right notes but it still wasn’t quite as good as Mongolia,” he said.

Completing Jacky’s top 10 are Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Chile, the Philippines and South Korea.

Trying KFC across the world is not always easy for Jacky and one of the first hurdles is convincing his wife, who does not share the same enthusiasm.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to get my wife’s approval because she says, ‘how come you are doing this, we’re in another country, we should try something different rather than just getting a KFC’,” he said.

To make sure his TaF-CA ranking is valid, Jacky has adopted a consistent approach when ordering KFC.

“So that the ranking is fair, I always order the Original Recipe chicken, two or four pieces if I’m hungry,” he said.

“If the chicken doesn’t make it past my first criteria, taste – because it’s too salty or bland, for example – then I don’t really bother with the rest.”

The UK did not impress Jacky’s experienced palate, ranking 21st, ahead of only Australia, Hong Kong and Spain.

He said: “I visited a KFC near Piccadilly Circus a long time ago and it wasn’t necessarily bad, it just didn’t really make an impression on me.

“I do remember the one in Spain though, because it was too dry and totally bland, like eating rubber. The best thing there was probably the soft drink.”

The US, where KFC is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, also failed to impress Jacky, who places it in 19th behind France and Bolivia.

While he has certainly tried more KFCs than most people, there are still plenty of places to be discovered given the fast-food chain has more than 25,000 outlets in 145 countries.

Sometimes Jacky spots a KFC at the wrong time after having already eaten, but this does not necessarily stop him from giving it a try.

“The one that I ranked the lowest might not be indicative of the KFC standard in the country or that restaurant.

“I also often review my list. That is why Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore rankings are not always consistent

Entire ranking list

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fo...309909.html?amp

Been to 16 of the 22 countries

Stop reading when I saw Malaysia.

But Malaysia it's not chicken, it's burung puyuh

Sohai gpt nothing better things to do

How about Kentucky? Got go there to try?

UK one is salty like shit. Even Malaysia one is better.

It's mentioned in the article. I also bolded it for you still you fail to read

also depends on the branch

some branch are shitty while some actually cares about their product

his list is accurate enough

malaysia no5....-----> jokes heaven...

We are used to it

But ang moh find ours better. Not based on angmoh jilat kaki youtube review.

Based on family/friend everytime visit here sure crave KFC.

Ewww....
Our kfc like shit leh.....

This. So damn true.

Go try the ttdi one or those that you realise the agong always go one haha.

since Texas started kfc gone gg liao

No way US higher then Australia... this fella never try the chips there

US KFC all charp lap already.... you go California, hardly can find/see any KFC, you probably see more Jollibees and Popeyes

vegan

The QC is shit. Eating KFC is like buying lottery ticket.

#KFClifematters

Soviet here....
The chix smaller like bird.....
Oh wai...chix is bird that can't fly....

The taste not like long time ago.....oily.....
Original too salty.....
I can't eat HS cos long time ago eat too much green cili.....