A food critic from The Sun News conducted a taste test of fried chicken from four grocery stores in the Myrtle Beach area: Publix, Lowes Foods, Food Lion, and Boulineau's. The chicken was judged on crispiness, juiciness, greasiness, and overall taste. Each purchase cost between $5 and $6.
Publix's fried chicken was ranked first due to its exceptional seasoning, juicy meat (both breast and thigh), and minimal grease. The critic noted a distinct flavor, possibly onion powder, that set it apart.
Boulineau's tied with Food Lion in the fried chicken taste test, but its superior deli offerings pushed it to second place. While the chicken had a slightly fishy aftertaste and lacked seasoning, it improved after refrigeration. The deli offers various southern-style food options, making it a good overall choice.
Food Lion's fried chicken had the crispiest breading but was slightly dry and lacked seasoning. Its accessibility due to numerous locations across the Grand Strand makes it a reliable option.
Lowes Foods' fried chicken was ranked last due to excessive greasiness, bland breading, and a dry breast. The critic suggested this may have been due to the chicken sitting for an hour before consumption. However, the deli was praised for its southern sides and salad bar.
Publix was the clear winner, offering delicious and affordable fried chicken. The critic suggested giving Lowes Foods another try and recommended Boulineau's for its deli rather than its fried chicken, while Food Lion remains a convenient option.
While Myrtle Beach has thousands of good restaurant options, going out to eat with a family can become expensive fast.
But grocery store delis offer pre-made food at a fraction of the cost of takeout. Looking specifically at fried chicken, I, The Sun News reporter Emalyn Muzzy, gathered fried chicken from four grocery stores across the Grand Strand for a taste test.
I bought a chicken breast and chicken thigh from Publix, Lowes Foods and Boulineau’s as well as the four-piece buttermilk fried chicken from Food Lion to see which is best. I ranked the chicken based on crispiness, juiciness, greasiness and overall taste. Each purchase cost between $5 and $6 before taxes.
All the stores are comparable in price, with a plate of fried chicken and two sides ranging between $10 and $15. The plates are large and often contain enough food to feed two people.
Here are the rankings.
The fried chicken at Lowes Foods came in last place with no hesitation. My first bite was full of grease and the chicken tasted like it had sat under a heat lamp for too long. While the thigh was very juicy, the breast was the driest of all. The thigh had a large patch void of breading, and overall, Lowes Foods’ breading was the blandest.
In fairness to Lowes Foods, when picking up fried chicken from grocery stores, I bought Lowes Foods first. It had to sit for an hour in the packaging before I could eat it, which may have compromised the flavor. That said, Boulineau’s, which I grabbed second, held up much better than Lowes Foods in terms of flavor.
I have ordered Lowes Foods fried chicken before and enjoyed it, so I may have picked up a bad batch this time around.
One redeeming quality for Lowes Foods is the deli, with Southern sides and a stellar salad bar. However, it was not enough to overshadow the less than exemplary fried chicken.
Food Lion, the most accessible grocery store fried chicken option, was a decent choice. The chicken had the crispiest breading although it was a little dry. It wasn’t seasoned as heavily as my top choice but still had good flavor and had little grease.
Food Lion differs from other options as there isn’t a counter to order from, instead having customers pick the chicken up at a hot box filled with other options like rotisserie chicken and chicken strips.
Given that there are over a dozen Food Lion locations across the Grand Strand, it is the easiest to find and tasted good.
Boulineau’s came in second, and while the fried chicken itself tied with Food Lion, the deli compensated heavily.
The fried chicken had a crispy skin and while the thigh was juicy, the chicken breast was rather dry. The main turn-off was that the chicken had a sort of fishy taste, almost like it had been fried in the same oil. The breading lacked decent seasoning but the chicken was not greasy.
I was not able to eat all of the fried chicken in one sitting so I brought some home and kept it in the fridge. The following morning, Boulineau’s chicken tasted better than the day before. The skin had remained crispy in the packaging and it had a better flavor when not eaten in direct comparison to my number one choice.
In terms of fried chicken, Boulineau’s and Food Lion was a draw, but the deli helped bring the North Myrtle Beach grocery store into second place. The Boulineau’s deli is a must-eat when visiting in North Myrtle Beach.
There are various kinds of fried chicken, chicken pot pie and classic southern sides like collard greens and baked macaroni and cheese — and that’s just the hot food. There are tons of sandwiches, sushi and a large salad bar. Boulineau’s also has a large seating area, so patrons can eat in instead of bringing the food elsewhere.
Publix was easily the first place winner, as it was the best seasoned fried chicken. It was hard to judge the other fried chicken options after eating Publix first because it was so much better.
The breading tasted like it had onion powder or another seasoning that gave it a boost above the other brands. Both the chicken breast and thigh were juicy and had minimal grease as well.
At the grocery store, the fried chicken looked unassuming. It was in a hot box with other fried foods like onion rings and dry-looking french fries as well as mashed potatoes that appeared to have formed a crust. But one bite into the chicken placed it at the top.
Another perk is most Publix stores have a seating area for those who don’t want to take food to-go. Some stores have indoor seating and many have picnic tables outside.
When looking for grocery store fried chicken, Publix will always be my first choice. It was cheap and tasted delicious. I would give Lowes Foods another try to make sure it wasn’t just a bad batch. If I’m in North Myrtle Beach, I would go to Boulineau’s for the deli in general and not for the fried chicken. Food Lion will remain as a reliable option.
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