I compared chicken burgers from Mary Brown's, Popeyes and McDonald's — The winner is shocking

The winner: Popeyes

I won't leave you in any suspense and say straight up: Popeyes was an easy winner.

This was my first time visiting a Popeyes (I know, I'm shocked too) and I was really blown away by how good it was. The piece of chicken was huge, but it was perfectly cooked — juicy, tender and flavourful. It was also perfectly deep-fried and crispy all around.

The bun was a soft brioche bun and just perfect. The toppings were only mayo and pickles (a little too much mayo and too few pickles for my preference), so the chicken was the star of the show. Next time, I'd probably go for their spicy or deluxe option for some more toppings to try.

Popeyes has a pretty good menu, with both chicken burger and chicken piece options. You can get either a small or large combo, coming with a choice of one or two sides, respectively. The seven side options had a good variety, so you could go for fries, coleslaw, mashed potatoes or others. I got the Cajun fries as a side, and they were excellent. Very crispy and lots of flavour.

I need to say it again: the chicken was perfect. Even for such a large piece of meat, it was perfectly cooked. It's hard to get something hot, juicy and crispy — so I applaud their skills. I'll be back here for sure.

• Price: $13.29 plus tax for a small combo (fries and fountain drink); the sandwich alone is $10.29
• Rating: 4.5/5. The heavy-handed mayo takes off the half-point; otherwise, it would have been full marks

The loser: McDonald's

I've been a long-time McDonald's fan, so was slightly disappointed their chicken burger came in last. I ordered the McCrispy, assured that the meat was bigger and of better quality than the McChicken (a piece of breast meat vs. a chicken patty). And while it was a full piece of chicken, it was quite small, not crispy at all and not hot enough.

The chicken was tender, and the iceberg lettuce and mayonnaise were a nice combo, but it just didn't have that crunch I'm looking for. It tasted more like baked chicken than fried. It wasn't terrible, but it had no "wow" factor. It was also significantly smaller than the other two options in this taste test, but the price was nearly the same — the value isn't there.

• Price: $8.99 plus tax (burger only); you can make it a combo for $14.49
• Rating: 3/5

Runner up: Mary Brown's

Like Popeyes, this was my first experience at Mary Brown's and I was excited to try it. The classic chicken burger ranked a solid second. Size-wise, it fell between the other two and was similarly "seasoned," with a pretty heavy hand on the mayo.

The chicken was cooked well — tender on the inside and crispy outside, though not quite as crispy as Popeyes. It had a nice pepper taste to the batter, which was good as well. I also really liked the bun with all the sesame seeds on top. I tried the burger as a combo, and the potato wedges were super tasty, but not as hot as I would have liked.

I would say the Mary Brown's menu is quite limited — there were fewer options than at the other two places. But the chicken is good; I think it stands on its own. I'd come back and give it another go.

• Price: $13.49 plus tax for a combo. The Big Mary Sandwich costs $10.99 on its own.
• Rating: 4/5