This Cajun Chicken Chain Is Kristen Kish's Go-To Spot In The Southeast

If you ask Kristen Kish what fast food spot she adores, her first answer would be Arby's. She's a big proponent of the chain's chicken fingers and curly fries, but that's far from the only quick-service joint she frequents. It turns out the restaurateur and "Top Chef" host also loves Bojangles.

In an interview with Allrecipes, Kish revealed she visits the Cajun haven whenever she's near one. Her go-to menu items include the boneless Chicken Supremes Combo, which comes with a side and a biscuit. Kish typically opts for Bo's Seasoning, too, which gives the chicken a boost of garlicky, paprika-forward flavor. While she's been known to douse chicken fingers in ranch dressing, she's partial to honey mustard and creamy Buffalo sauce at Bojangles. She enjoys the chicken with Bo-Tato Rounds, which are oniony, poppable hash browns.

Chicken Supremes came about in 1989, and they've become one of the most popular Bojangles menu items over the years. It's unknown how long Kish has been ordering them, but her dad used to prepare chicken fingers for dinner when she was young, so she's been a fan of the dish all her life. "It's just chicken fingers all day, every day, no matter what fast food place I go to, I always gravitate towards the fried chicken of some kind," she said in an exclusive Mashed interview.

Kristen Kish loves fried chicken of all sorts, but Bojangles' Supremes are adored by many. "It's small, but it's good," content creator Kenya Floyd said in a review on Facebook before giving the chicken a perfect rating. "A little more seasoning with that, a little more kick," said YouTube creator PapiEats when comparing the Supremes to the chain's tenders. "The seasoning's not as good ... as biting into one of their pieces of fried chicken or their sandwich, but this is pretty good."

On that note, some noticed their nearest location recently replaced Supremes with tenders. The latter are breaded by hand, while the Supremes arrive at Bojangles stores pre-breaded and frozen. Even though the Supremes are less fresh, some still prefer them. Numerous Reddit users say the tenders are fatty, breading-heavy, and inconsistent in texture with a rubbery bite. Even PapiEats said in their review, "Don't bother with the tenders. Get the Supremes."

Although plenty of Bojangles fans, like Kish, prefer Supremes, bone-in chicken is typically juicier than any boneless option, since the bone keeps the interior of the chicken from drying out. First-timers to the chain who enjoy both preparations may feel compelled to order a fried chicken meal or box before trying Kish's recommendation. After all, the fried chicken is meticulously hand-breaded and marinated for a whopping 12 hours, so if anything, it's an upgrade from either chicken finger option.