4 Fried Chicken Chains That Also Sell Fish Sandwiches

Looking for a quick and tasty fish sandwich, but there are no quick-service seafood restaurants in sight? You may have luck finding one at a fried chicken chain in your area. While restaurants like Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Bojangles are known for their crispy chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches, these chains also have fried fish sandwiches available — but there's a catch, so to speak. 

Most chicken restaurants only have fish sandwiches available once per year — typically in late winter and early spring, to correspond with the abstaining from red meat that occurs during the Christian season of Lent. So, if you're craving crispy seafood instead of chicken around that time, a handful of fast food franchises might be your go-to for a golden-fried, flaky fish sandwich.

What makes fish sandwiches at fried chicken chains so tasty? Chicken chains that serve the highest quality fish sandwiches have mastered a batter recipe and technique for fried chicken and applied it to fish. This perfected mixture creates an ultra-crispy, satisfyingly crunchy breading for seafood. Top it off with a buttery, soft bun and creamy, tangy tartar sauce, and you have a superb fish sandwich you'll wish you could order year-round. 

There's a reason why Popeyes chicken is so delicious. The popular fast food restaurant is known for its Cajun-style, ultra-crunchy, thickly breaded chicken that's marinated for 12 hours in Louisiana spices and hand-battered to perfection. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen originated in New Orleans in 1972 and has since grown to around 3,000 locations in the U.S. and nearly 2,000 internationally. The successful chicken chain introduced its Flounder Fish Sandwich in 2021. 

The Flounder Fish Sandwich is available for a limited time during early spring and comes in two versions: classic and spicy (depending on the location). Both varieties feature an Alaskan flounder fillet marinated in signature spices and coated in crispy breading. The fillet is topped with barrel-cured pickles and tartar sauce or spicy spread, before being wedged inside a toasted brioche bun. In Spring 2026, Popeyes' head chef, Bobby O'Brien, told Food and Wine, "The highly anticipated annual return of Popeyes' fan-favorite seafood is here, with some new additions. These dry-rub additions deliver the same Popeyes flavor fans love from our wings, and we're excited for Popeyes guests to enjoy this new twist on a brand classic."

Reviews of the sandwich are mixed, with some Redditors claiming the quality is inconsistent. One Redditor stated, "This is my favorite fast food fish sandwich. Super good and not too greasy. It makes Lenten fasts very easy." Another comment read: "Popeyes is one of those places you just have to get lucky with a good location, otherwise it sucks." 

Bojangles is a quick-service chain specializing in Cajun-style, southern fried chicken. The restaurant opened in 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and continues to be a big presence there. The state is home to around 40% of the restaurant's 800-plus locations. Bojangles provides thick, crunchy breading and bold spices in its chicken, which often inspires comparisons to Popeyes. And, like Popeyes, the chain also offers a seasonal fish sandwich – the Bojangler. 

Beginning in mid-to-late February, seafood-seeking customers can order the original Bojangler or the deluxe, which includes lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Both versions feature Panko-breaded Alaskan pollock flavored with Bo's signature seasonings, a slice of American cheese, and Duke's tartar sauce, all on a toasted bun. 

In a February 2026 press release, Marshall Scarborough, Vice President of Menu and Culinary Innovation at Bojangles, declared, "The Bojangler has become a seasonal staple for many of our guests. Bringing it back gives fans a tasty fish sandwich right on time for the Lenten season, a sandwich that delivers the unmistakable flavor of Bojangles."

Since 1952, San Antonio-founded Church's Texas Chicken has been serving Southern-style, hand-battered, and double-breaded fried chicken. As of 2026, there are close to 900 Church's Texas Chicken restaurants across 28 U.S. states, with the majority (over 300) located in Texas. In addition to offering crunchy, golden-brown chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, family meals, and homestyle sides like mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and fried okra, Church's provides a fish sandwich at select locations in February and March. For 2026, it is only available at Caribbean restaurant locations, including the Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, and Jamaica.

Church's keeps its fish sandwich simple. The seasonal menu item consists of a fried and breaded fish fillet, lettuce, and mayo on a fluffy bun. Church's Chicken in St. Lucia takes its Lent-inspired offering a step further. Locations in this region feature a small seaside menu that not only includes the fish sandwich, but also a two-piece fish and chips meal. 

The undisputed global leader in fried chicken is Kentucky Fried Chicken. The chain has over 30,000 locations worldwide, making it one of the most ubiquitous fried chicken establishments in the world. KFC was founded in 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Colonel Harland Sanders, and is famous for its buckets of chicken and tasty Southern-style sides like buttery, flaky biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, and gooey mac and cheese. Its presence in the fast food fish sandwich game has far less visibility.

In 2007, KFC brought its Fish Snacker to the U.S. market. This smaller-sized fish sandwich was a limited menu item sold during spring, but was ultimately discontinued around 2012. The chain's intention to offer the Fish Snacker during the Lent season actually ended up creating a curious connection between the Pope and KFC's discontinued sandwich. KFC's president wrote to the Vatican, requesting that the Pope bless its newly minted seafood snack — His Holiness did not reply. 

The international chicken chain currently makes a full-sized, seasonal fish sandwich called the Colonel's Catch, and it's released each year in time for Lent. As of 2026, KFC Jamaica is the only location that serves the Colonel's Catch, which features a crunchy, fried fish fillet, lettuce, mayo, and tomato on a sesame seed bun. You can also find seasonal seafood at KFC locations in Guam, where a Wasabi Fish Sandwich and a shrimp burger are on the menu during Lent.