If you've stuck to your New Year's resolutions by giving veganism a go or putting yourself on a strict diet, the end of January probably signals it's time to finally treat yourself again.
While many of us are likely feeling the benefit of a healthier, meat-free diet, I imagine far fewer have gone the entire month without fantasising about the foods we miss, from juicy burgers to sizzling bacon and crispy fried chicken.
If it's the latter that's got you pining for a treat, you've got plenty of choice - with several different chicken outlets now gracing our high streets and shopping centres.
Read more: I compared Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi crisps and one was better than Walkers
The indisputable king of the fast food chicken game has long been KFC, with the Colonel's mystical blend of 11 herbs and spices as popular as ever after 70 years.
But, there is competition from South Africa. Although it arrived in the UK back in 1992, Nando's has become a chicken-based phenomenon in its own right, with its peri-peri dishes winning a legion of fans within the skinny-jeaned 'cheeky lad' community.
Other franchises, such as Pepe's and Jollibee, have also made efforts to break up this state of poultry bipolarity in the UK, with Slim Chickens, founded in Arkansas in 2003, emerging as a possible contender with its popular tenders, wings and sandwiches.
But with so much on offer, who really rules the roost? I broke my New Year's diet (so you don't have to), and tried meals from KFC, Nando's and Slim Chickens to find out.
KFC
We're starting with the big man himself. In fairness, Colonel Sanders offers up a huge range of items on his menu, including the new Original Recipe vegan burger - you can read what we made of that here.
But I was here for chicken and chicken only, and there was plenty to choose from. In the end, I kept it fairly simple, and opted for a lonely-sounding Mighty Bucket for One meal, with consisted of two pieces of Original Recipe chicken, two chicken breast mini fillets and a pair of spicy hot wings, as well as regular fries and a drink.
In case that wasn't enough, I also ordered a pot of intriguing Sweet Chilli Bites.
The array of chicken before me certainly looked inviting, and I was pleased that it didn't feel or taste too greasy either. The hot wings were crispy and had a good amount of heat, enough to tickle your taste buds, but not enough to blow your mouth off.
The mini fillets were tender and well seasoned, but the Original Recipe chicken was surprisingly dry, and I was glad of the pot of gravy (not pictured) which helped moisten it up.
The big disappointment, however, was the Sweet Chilli Bites, which were lukewarm and quite chewy. The sauce was sweet but needed a lot more kick, although it was useful for dipping the fries in, which were also pretty underwhelming.
I paid £9.18 for my meal, and for the price and convenience I can't have too many complaints - but we were off to a pretty disappointing start.
Rating: 6/10
Slim Chickens
From the old classic to the new kid on the block, I was excited to try Slim Chickens again having only ever had it once before. Again, there was plenty to choose from, with tenders, wings, sandwiches and wraps all on the menu.
To get a bit of everything, I opted for the 3&3 meal (£10.95) - consisting of three tenders, three wings, fries and classic Texas-style toast - as well as a side of mac 'n' cheese (£3.95), which I already had reservations about, and a strawberry milkshake (£2.00).
What is great about Slim Chickens is you get the choice of a huge array of sauces to add to your meal. To coat my wings, I went for the sticky tropical Mango Habanero sauce and then kept it classic with a blue cheese dip.
The portion of chicken and fries was huge, although it was a little fry-heavy. The tenders were moist yet firm and packed a fiery heat that I wasn't expecting, while the sticky glazed wings were the best thing about the meal, with the meat falling off the bone and accompanied beautifully by the tangy warm sauce.
The fries, however, weren't nice enough to justify the amount of them in the basket, while the toast was pretty soggy and frankly unnecessary. The strawberry milkshake was initially delicious but was so sweet that it became a bit of a chore to get down me.
The mac n' cheese is also something that I wouldn't bother getting again. Not only was it a very underwhelming portion, it looked anaemic and tasted like your run-of-the-mill microwave meal, which was disappointing.
It was also the most expensive meal of the three - coming to £16.90 including the mac n cheese - which wasn't entirely justified.
Based purely on the chicken for which it is famed, Slim Chickens scores well - however, it is everything that accompanied it that lets it down in the end.
Rating: 6 /10
Nando's
It's cheeky, it's fiery, it's Nandos. Having not tucked into a plateful of peri-peri since before lockdown, I was excited and my expectations were high.
No messing about, I went for half a chicken with coleslaw and peri-salted chips. I've been known to dally with lemon and herb and even take it up to hot, but I decided to play it safe and keep it medium. For a drink, I got a refillable Sprite Zero.
In a word, it was joyous. The chicken carried the perfect level of heat, just enough to sting the lips, and came off the bone so easily. It was juicy, soft and there wasn't a hint of dryness.
The coleslaw was crunchy yet creamy and provided a perfect cooling antidote to the fiery heat of the chicken, while the peri-salted chips were deliciously seasoned and perfect for dipping in a bit of lemon and herb sauce.
My only criticism would be that there was a lot of bone to deal with - but, at the same time, it would probably be unfair to blame Nandos for the chicken's skeletal makeup.
All in all, this meal was levels above the rest. It was a little pricey, sure - coming to £15.70 without any extra sides - but it hit the spot and delivered great flavours and good value for money.
Rating: 8 /10
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