11 Fried Chicken Chains Expanding Their Footprint In 2026

American chains are in the thick of a fierce, fast-food industry fried chicken war. It started five years ago as a humorous, iconic, industry-shifting Twitter showdown between Popeye's and Chick-fil-A, soon roping in Wendy's and fueling a chicken sandwich train that KFC, Taco Bell, and even McDonald's joined with its fried chicken breakfast sandwiches. Today, the competition is still largely about who gets the biggest chunk of a market that craves crispy, juicy, boneless fried chicken. 

Business expansion, or opening new franchises and corporate-owned restaurants, is one of the most concrete methods to capture a loyal customer base. Expanding across the country and abroad is risky, but potentially rewarding. It can lead to wider customer reach and increased revenue, both of which contribute to a brand's growth and long-term stability. Considering the intense competition of the fried chicken industry, expansion could be key for quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains to finally operate on par with the likes of Chick-fil-A and KFC. 

Here's a list of 11 fried chicken chains that are expanding in the U.S. and abroad in 2026. It covers companies and franchises that solely or primarily sell fried chicken, both bone-in and boneless. If some are unfamiliar, then watch out, because you might finally get to try them this year.

2025 was a landmark year for Dave's Hot Chicken. Beginning as a parking lot pop-up, which three friends pooled together $900 to launch, Dave's has since grown into a 300-store fried chicken chain with locations all over the United States and abroad. The group earned $40 that fateful first night in 2017, and on June 2, 2025, Roark Capital bought a majority share in the venture that is now valued at a rumored $1 billion.

Official press releases from the company and its founders didn't specify yet what the investment will be spent on, but it's expected that Roark's backing will continue to fuel the franchise's expansion. CEO Bill Phelps himself stated that Dave's is looking forward to "unlocking growth and value for our franchise partners," as reported by Nation's Restaurant News.

Dave's growth has been remarkably fast, and it's not showing signs of stopping yet. The fried chicken chain has a 10-year goal of opening 4,000 locations worldwide, and Roark's timely investment puts the company on track to achieve it. "Roark has the ability to use their international supply chain to reduce the costs ... for the franchisees," Phelps told CNBC.

In September, Dave's also announced a partnership with the U.K.'s Azzurri Group to open 180 locations in 10 countries, including France, Portugal, and Italy. With financing, franchising support, and expertise covered, Dave's could be well on its way to dominating the chicken sandwich market.

It's risky for a fast food chain to focus on a single product, but Raising Cane's has proven that with quality and consistency, this business strategy can be immensely successful. This chicken tender restaurant was once a mere business idea submitted for college homework (founder Todd Graves got a B- for his Raising Cane's pitch), but it's now a successful QSR chain whose Y.O.Y growth soared 32% in 2024. Its sales reached $5 billion that year alone, and its growth outpaced many famous fried chicken chains, including KFC.

Raising Cane's continued to expand in 2025 with nearly 100 new locations, and it plans to open 100 more in 2026. "The 2026 new year marks another exciting chapter for Raising Cane's as we continue growing and welcoming more Customers into the Raising Cane's family across the country," a representative said in a statement, as reported by QSR Magazine. Some of the upcoming locations include Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and near the SoFi Stadium in L.A.

The chain aims to operate 1,600 locations and become a Top 10 U.S. restaurant brand in the next 10 years. These goals aren't too far off, as Raising Cane's now boasts over 900 locations in 14 states, with 11 more opening in January 2026 alone. An additional 18 locations are also guaranteed to open later this year.

As the name suggests, Layne's is another chicken-finger chain. It's similar to Raising Cane's in that the menu primarily consists of tenders and sides like toast, fries, and sandwiches. Just like its competitor, Layne's Chicken Fingers experienced milestone growth in 2025, and is set to expand and open more locations in 2026.

Layne's has been in business for over 30 years in College Station, Texas, but it was only in 2021 that the chain began franchising. Its legacy as a well-loved local business with incredible potential paved the way for 40 new franchises signed in the first year. By the end of 2025, it made plans to open over 60 new franchise units, in addition to the 14 existing company-owned and operated restaurants.

The fried chicken joint ranked No. 6 in Restaurant Business's Future 50 fastest-growing small chains in the U.S. As of this writing, Layne's has 40 active locations and four more listed as "coming soon" on its website. More locations should begin operating this year, considering the number of franchise deals signed in 2025. One of them, MySanAntonio reports, is a newly constructed location that costs $2 million to build. It is expected that Layne's Chicken Fingers will have more than 80 locations by the end of 2026.

It seems incredible that a fried chicken chain with fewer than 100 locations could stand toe-to-toe with the country's top chicken sellers, but Restaurant Business predicts Houston TX Hot Chicken (HHC) could be a formidable David to industry Goliaths. The chain ranked first place in the magazine's 2025 Future 50 list of fastest-growing small chains in the country. This followed an impressive 106% Y.O.Y. sales increase and business expansion from 29 operating stores to 75 locations towards the end of 2025. Its 2023 partnership with the private equity firm Savory Fund, and the recent appointment of experienced brand-builder Chris Patterson as VP of training, indicate the company's intent to expand. Patterson just concluded a decade-long stint as Slim Chickens' training head for team members and franchisees. His expertise will come in clutch for Houston TX Hot Chicken's impending 2026 expansions.

It's noteworthy that HHC only started in 2021. The founders opened the first location in Las Vegas, offering "all natural, sourced responsibly, free range, and never frozen" chicken tenders with the usual sides of fries and waffles. The food is very much Southern-inspired: The tenders are spiced and breaded, then deep-fried into crispy perfection. Its website issues a bold claim that HHC serves the best Nashville hot chicken sandwiches in the world. If sales and growth projections are any indication, then customers appear to agree.

Big Chicken, the quick-service restaurant venture founded by NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal in 2018, is another chicken chain with expansion plans in 2026. More than 350 new locations were in the works since August of last year, prompting Fadeaway World to call it one of the fastest-growing franchises in the U.S. It currently has over 40 locations, and is forecasted to open 192 more by 2029.

It appears, however, that Big Chicken plans for international expansion in 2026. The fried chicken chain partnered with Craveworthy Brands, a multi-unit operator, and Oak View Group, a Denver-based sports and entertainment company that operates sports venues globally, to help with its international franchising.

The chain has just recently opened its first Canadian restaurant at the TD Coliseum in Ontario. Big Chicken's CEO, Josh Halpern, talked to Retail Insider about the company's overseas expansion plan. "Canada's been on our roadmap for some time," he said. "We have ... already sold a Canadian franchise agreement, and we should have stores opening in the Greater Toronto Area next year."

Big Chicken handles expansion so well because it operates in geographically and demographically diverse markets. Many of its storefronts are in non-traditional venues, such as sports arenas, airports, cruise ships, casinos, and even a U.S. military base. Opening more locations internationally should set the company up for even bigger success going forward.

Wingstop already boasts an impressive physical footprint. It currently has nearly 3,000 locations in the United States and abroad, making it one of the biggest fried chicken chains in terms of operating units. Specifically, the chain has 2,505 locations in the U.S., 94 of which were opened in Q3 of 2025. Internationally, Wingstop opened 20 more franchises in 2025, bringing its total to 427. 

2026 looks to be a year for continued expansion. Wingstop plans to open new stores in Ireland, Italy, and Thailand, as well as enter the Indian market, where there's reportedly potential for 1,000 new locations. The company also predicts mid-teens growth for new units in 2026. This means it expects a 14%-19% increase for new locations in 2026, a number higher than its fiscal guidance of 475-485 new units in 2025. 

Wingstop remains optimistic about its growth despite experiencing sales declines in the second and third quarters of 2025. For one thing, it opened 255 new locations in the first half of 2025 alone, which is already equal to its 2023 expansion. For another, the chain is confident that its investments in touchscreen-focused "Smart Kitchens," a revamped marketing campaign ("Wingstop Is Here"), and improved digital services will boost customer retention and attract newcomers to its fresh locations.

Zaxby's began 2025 with a realistic goal: sign 100 franchise agreements. By the end of the year, the fried chicken chain exceeded its quota with 120 new franchise commitments. That's nearly double the previous year's 70 new locations. Coupled with the chain's average annual revenue (AUV) of $2.7 million in 2024 — which was higher than the industry average at the time — the chain is well-placed to boost sales and unit expansion.

Zaxby's reached its 1,000th location milestone in Q3 of 2025. This growth, however, is on par with the chain's "slow and steady" expansion over its 35-year run. Its 2024 unit growth was at a mere 4%, so there was plenty of room for improvement and accelerated growth — especially given the chain's favorable reputation among customers. CEO Bernard Acoca acknowledged this, telling Nation's Restaurant News that the chain's updated goal for expansion is now 10% per year.

"We won't be satisfied until we are one of those brands people talk about with ... reverential tones," Acoca said, "We think if we get to that 10% pace, it puts us in that rarefied air. That's the roadmap we're trying to build." Scott Temme, the company's Director of Franchise Development, agreed with the sentiment, telling Restaurant Dive that Zaxby's is graduating "from a regional favorite to a national staple."

Bojangles has experienced rapid growth from 2022 to 2024, growing from 773 locations to 825, with bigger plans of expansion in 2026 onwards. In August of 2025, the fried chicken chain famous for its Cajun fried chicken (boned and tenders) and buttermilk biscuits announced it would once again operate in New York. It's been 40 years since the last Bojangles in the Big Apple closed its doors, so this is exciting news for New Yorkers who love the chain's chicken tenders, sandwiches, and boxed meals. 

In fact, Bojangles is set to open 20 new locations in NYC, thanks to a partnership with restaurateur Habib Hashimi and his company, Hashimi Holding Corporation. The announcement came on the heels of a franchising agreement for 35 new locations in New Jersey. It's expected that these multi-unit franchising deals will attract more interested investors as the Southern-style fried chicken tenders chain establishes its presence in the Northeast. These deals were inked in 2025, so the construction and launch of these new franchises could start in 2026. This puts the chain on track to reach its goal of 1,000 locations in the next few years.

The future looks good for Bojangles, as it has carved a niche in the fried chicken market with its commitment to serving quality food. Bojangles' chicken is high-quality and never-frozen, while the biscuits are scratch-made daily. Bojangles has also differentiated its menu by offering all-day breakfast sandwiches, along with recently-launched breakfast bowls. 

Slim Chickens has done well with expansion and revenue generation over the last couple of years. It operated 207 stores across 35 states in 2024, and planned to open nearly 50 new locations and sign 150 franchise agreements in 2025. The fried chicken chain reportedly wants a repeat of 50 new sites in 2026, a vital step towards its short-term goal of 600 new locations by 2029. QSR Magazine reports that the bigger goal, according to CEO Tom Gordon, is opening 1,000 stores domestically and 500 more abroad.

The fried chicken chain already obtained an undisclosed investment from 10 Point Capital, a private equity firm that specializes in multi-unit investments for franchisable brands. More recently, Slim Chickens partnered with TX-SC Ventures LLC, which facilitated the chain's expansion to Texas. Independent franchisees have also added to the chain's unit growth. A San Antonio-based franchisee, for example, opened six locations in the city by December 2025 — and there's more to come.

"We have committed to building 20 restaurants with Slim Chickens across the San Antonio and Austin Markets," franchisee Dan McGrath said to MySanAntonio. "Given the recent success we believe that number will be much higher."

Slim Chickens is also on track to open 50 U.K. locations in 2026. That's on top of the 75 restaurants that the franchisee 2 Sisters Food Group already operates in the country.

Jollibee is a Filipino brand that's preparing to expand its footprint in 2026. The fast food chain is famous for its Chickenjoy, which USA Today ranked No. 1 Best Fast Food Fried Chicken in both 2024 and 2025. This year, more people will get a chance to try the chain's top-selling fried chicken and chicken sandwiches than ever before, as the company finally launched a U.S. franchising program in March of 2025.

The chain has over 1,700 locations worldwide, over a hundred of which are in North America. All of its stores opened before March 2025 have been company-owned and managed. While this corporate oversight has done a great job of growing the business and keeping Jollibee as competitive as the rest of the fried chicken quick-service segment, franchising could help the chain grow further and faster.

"The Northeast, kind of the tri-state New York area, the Southeast, specifically Florida, and then Texas and California are priority markets," Peter Wright, VP for Franchise Development, told QSR Magazine. Indeed, the chain opened its first franchise in Queens, New York, before the end of 2025. More locations are set to open in Staten Island, Sacramento, and Dallas-Fort Worth from this year onwards.

Aside from Jolibee, other Asian brands have gained a foothold in the U.S. fast food industry – specifically in the fried chicken segment. Bonchon, the famous Korean fried chicken chain, already has 147+ locations all over the country, and it's looking to expand into four cities: Kansas City, San Antonio, Chicago, and Omaha.

The expansion will start in San Antonio, Texas. Bonchon is expected to open more than one location in the city. It already has several restaurants operating in Houston, and the company's U.S. headquarters are based in Dallas. Its SA expansion should go smoothly, since the chain is already recognizable in the state. Additionally, the novelty of Korean cuisine fused with Southern-favorite crispy chicken persists today. 

Bonchon is also expanding to Puerto Rico in 2026. A franchise partner is committed to opening six new locations on the island, all offering full-service dining as well as take-out and delivery. 

These fried chicken chains are gearing up for a more exciting and competitive 2026. Some are already challenging Chick-fil-A and Popeye's in the boneless chicken segment (like Raising Cane's), while others have exceeded KFC in terms of growth (like Wingstop). Over eleven months to go, and we shall see which ones will meet — or maybe even exceed — their expansion plans for 2026.