Biscuit Showdown: Who Has The Best Biscuits?

The debate on which fast food restaurant has the best biscuit is almost as old as the “who has the best fries” debate. So we have decided to end the debate once and for all.

The front runners for the title are Popeyes, KFC, Church’s chicken and Red Lobster. All have been lauded as having the best biscuit at one time or another, but what’s beneath the taste? What can of ramications does have towards your body? And which one is healthier.

On a Yahoo Poll from 2014, nearly 75% of participants preferred Popeye’s biscuits to the others. Yet, in a poll of college students from 18-25, by Nation Poll, 53% preferred Red Lobster to all the others.

So I guess taste really depends on what you like in a biscuit: sweet, salt content, density and fluffyness. So we take a look at the nutritional aspects of each biscuit to see which one is the healthiest. Take a look below:

Popeyes biscuit
Calories 240
Total Fat 14 g 21%
Saturated fat 7 g 35%
Polyunsaturated fat 2.9 g
Monounsaturated fat 3.5 g
Trans fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 1 mg 0%
Sodium 448 mg 18%
Potassium 84 mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 24 g 8%
Dietary fiber 1 g 4%
Sugar 1.7 g
Protein 3.4 g 6%

Here’s how to make them at home:

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Popeyes Buttermilk Biscuits Ingredients:
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1/4 cup Milk
1 Butter, to brush on top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Slice cold butter into cubes and use a pastry knife or potato masher to cut butter into the dry mixture until no large chunks of butter remain.
Add buttermilk and milk and stir with a spoon until dough forms.
Roll out to 1/2-inch thick on a floured surface.
Cut biscuits with a 3-inch biscuit cutter and arrange on a lightly greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until tops begin to turn light brown.
Remove biscuits from the oven and cool for a couple of minutes, then brush each biscuit top with melted butter.;

KFC biscuit
Calories 185
Total Fat 9 g 13%
Saturated fat 2.2 g 11%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.6 g
Monounsaturated fat 6 g
Trans fat 3.2 g
Cholesterol 1 mg 0%
Sodium 548 mg 22%
Potassium 60 mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 22 g 7%
Dietary fiber 0.8 g
Sugar 1.7 g
Protein 3.8 g

Church’s honey butter biscuit
Calories 240
Total Fat 12g 18%

Sat. Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 3g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 540mg 23%
Total Carbs. 28g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 4g
Protein 3g

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Here’s how to make Church’s biscuits at home:

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1⁄2 cup vegetable shortening
2⁄3 cup whole milk
1⁄4 cup butter, melted
1⁄3 cup honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cream of tartar in a medium bowl.
Work the shortening into the flour mixture by crumbling with your hands until the mixture feels like cornmeal.
Pour milk into flour mixture and mix well.
On a slightly floured surface, knead the dough about 12-15 times.
Make dough into balls (about 2 inches) and place on baking sheet.
Brush Dough balls with some of the melted butter.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden.
Meanwhile Bring the remainder of the butter, and all of the honey to a boil in a sauce pan, then set the honey butter aside.
When biscuits are done remove from the oven and immediately brush each biscuit with honey butter.

Red Lobster garlic cheese biscuit
Calories 450
Sodium 1,050 mg
Total Fat 24 g
Potassium 0 mg
Saturated 8 g
Total Carbs 48 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Monounsaturated 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Trans 0 g
Protein 9 g
Cholesterol 0 mg

So if you take a look at each of the biscuits nutritional facts, Red Lobster biscuits have the most calories and the most sodium. And even though KFC has the least amount of calories, they have the second most amount of sodium. So what’s the answer?

Choose what you love, but everything in moderation. Instead of eating biscuits with every meal, try a meal without it. Or, eat your biscuit with vegetables instead of fried chicken and other fried foods. Trust me, your body will thank you.