'#1 Fried Chicken In America' — Why You Can't Skip Smashburger's Sister Chain

If you know Smashburger, but not its sister chain, Jollibee, that's about to change. For the third year in a row, USA Today readers voted Jollibee's Chickenjoy fried chicken the No. 1 Best Fast Food Fried Chicken in America. This is no accident. The company's Filipino-inspired menu has delivered happiness with chicken that tops lists of quality fast food meat since it was founded in 1978.

Jollibee's aptly named Chickenjoy fried chicken has a crispy outside that crunches and flakes with every bite. On YouTube, SJohnsonVoiceOvers calls it "perfectly crispy, tender, juicy fried chicken." The secret seems to be the company's proprietary marinade. In addition, Chickenjoy orders come with a side of Jollibee's signature gravy. Whether you dip your chicken into the gravy, pour the gravy onto the chicken, or dunk adobo rice-stuffed chicken skin into the gravy, it gives the Chickenjoy a whole new depth.

The joy of Jollibee doesn't stop with the chicken, or even its gravy. Because the chain is based in the Philippines (it's also the largest fast food chain there), its side dishes are unique. Jollibee is already famous for its Jolly Spaghetti with ground beef, sliced sausage, and a sweet tomato sauce. You should also try Jollibee's adobo rice with chunks of pork inside (or try making your own adobo rice). Then there's Jollibee's Palabok Fiesta, a bed of noodles covered in a garlicky pork sauce and sliced hard-boiled eggs. 

So, while Smashburger is better known in the United States, Jollibee is not really the "little sister" in this corporate relationship. In fact, it was Jollibee Group that purchased Smashburger in 2018, not the other way around. Just one year after the Smashburger acquisition, it also purchased the classic California chain The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. 

If you haven't heard of Jollibee, it might be because Jollibee's strategy to grow in the United States involves opening locations in areas with an existing Filipino population. This gives each location a group of people it doesn't need to win over. At the start of 2026, there were 107 Jollibee locations in the United States (and over 1,700 worldwide). The company has a goal of 500 locations in the U.S. by 2030. These locations have been enough to push Jollibee's fried chicken to the top of USA Today readers' tastes.