Famous over-the-counter chicken meals in the Philippines

Chicken meals are already mainstream in the Philippines. In every restaurant that you’ll visit, you will see this meal. This is not pork, not beef, not frog or any other edible species. It’s chicken. There are a lot of chicken raisers in the Philippines. The country has a lot of farmers that raise chicken. Its purposes are for: cock fighting, parasite killing and food supply.

Chicken helps a lot in our daily food routine. They release eggs which we use in our daily meals. Nevertheless, the best help that chickens can offer to humans is their meat. We cook their meat in many ways. We roast it, boil it, bake it, mix it with vegetables, add it in a soup, grill it and deep fry it. Once we do these, we’ll eat it with a lot of fun and satisfy our taste buds. Filipinos have cooking ability that could raise the standards of meal preparing and it can be in an international level.  They are the ones that can cook different dishes using chicken as the main ingredient. These different dishes can be found in different restaurants and stores.

For reference, the value of 1 U.S. dollar is equal to ₱47.21 as of May 6, 2016. You won't need to dig deep into your wallet to buy these popular meals as those displayed here are just between $1.50 to $3.00.

Here are some of the famous chicken meals that can be bought in different restaurants:


1) Jollibee’s Fried Chicken


Jollibee Chickenjoy
“The Best Fried Chicken! Crispylicious, Juicylicious! Jollibee’s perfectly seasoned fried chicken that is crispy on the outside; tender and juicy in the inside”

They call their fried chicken “Chicken Joy”. They believe that there’s joy in every bite that you’ll make and that’s why they call it chicken joy. It looks like a typical fried chicken that you can cook on your own but it is not as easy as you think. Based on my experiences, it has a different taste that can satisfy my taste buds. I used to eat chicken joy since I was a kid. My parents use it as a prize when I get a perfect score or a high grade on my card. Until now, the joy in every bite in a chicken joy is still in my heart. We call ourselves “Laking Jollibee”.

These are the famous meals to order with a fried chicken:

1 piece Chicken Joy with Rice = ₱79.00
2 pieces Chicken Joy with Rice = ₱119.00


2) McDonald’s Fried Chicken and Chicken Fillet

McDonalds chicken
“Joy’s favorite fried chicken.”

This is the rival of Jollibee's "Chickenjoy". They call it “Chicken McDo”. This fried also looks like a typical fried chicken that a normal people can cook. But it is unique by the way it is crispy. I can say that McDonald’s fried chicken is tastier than the chicken joy. But they both have their own strengths. The skin of Chicken Joy is better than the Chicken McDo. But when it comes to the inner taste, the Chicken Mcdo is better.

McDonald’s budget meal that students order a lot is the McDonald’s Chicken Fillet with rice. It has two versions. The normal and the Chicken Fillet Ala King. Chicken Fillet Ala King comes with a sauce with a creamy taste. This meal comes with a drink so it is complete. This is why people that are saving their money order this meal. Their chicken fillet can be in sandwich that you can call Chicken Fillet Sandwich. This is a normal sandwich but the chicken fillet is between the bread. This meal may be cheap but it can satisfy the stomach of a hungry man.

These are the prices:

1 piece Chicken McDo = ₱79.00
2 pieces Chicken McDo = ₱99.00
McDo Chicken Fillet with Rice = ₱55.00
McDo Chicken Fillet Ala King = ₱59.00


3.)    Mang Inasal’s Grilled Chicken

Mang Inasal's "Paa" (legs) grilled chicken meal
Their chicken barbecue became one of the fastest growing meal. It has the taste of a grilled chicken that comes with the salty-sweet taste. It is better with the chicken oil located on your table with the soy sauce and vinegar depending on your interest. It is the best with the unlimited rice that they offer. With the size of their grilled chicken, you can say that your money goes into a bonus. This is a place for really hungry people and for those who can eat a large volume of food and has a large capacity on their stomach.  This can really ruin your diet for you’ll really eat a lot. Be careful on saving your chicken if you still want a lot of rice. Their chicken meal can be classified into two:  PM1, which is the leg and thigh and PM2, breast and wing. You’ll probably choose PM2 if you want to eat a lot but you’ll still be able to eat a lot with the leg and thigh part. Their meal comes with a soup and drink so it’ll be complete and enough to make your angry stomach calm.

These are the prices:

PM1 (Leg and Thigh) = ₱109.00 if with drink, ₱99.00 if without drink
PM2 (Breast and Wing) = ₱109.00 if without drink, ₱119.00 if with drink


4.)    KFC’s Fried Chicken (Kentucky Fried Chicken)

“Finger lickin’ good”

KFC original recipe chicken with rice
Their chicken is famous because of their secret herbs and spices. It really has a unique taste. This is one of my favorite fried chickens. Their fried chicken can be classified into two: Originally Flavored Chicken and the Spicy Chicken. The Originally Flavored Fried Chicken is not the same as the other fried chicken. It is not crispy but it has a great taste. If I am going to rate it, it will be 9/10 for it is unique. The spicy fried chicken comes with the really spicy and crispy taste. You can feel the heat and your sweat dropping from your head. This will make your mind decide to eat more for the confidence on every bite will boost your interest to eat more. So you better save your drink for the spiciness of the food can be too much for you to handle.

These are the prices:

1 piece Chicken with Rice = ₱68.00
2 pieces Chicken with Rice = ₱112.00


5.)    Bonchon’s Korean Style Fried Chicken

Bonchon's "Leg" Fried Chicken meal
This is my favorite fried chicken. Their style of cooking is just too different from the usual. They cook it in the Korean way. It has an addictive taste that no one can handle. It has a salty-sweet taste and it is dipped and fried in a sweet Korean sauce. You have a different choice of flavors: Crunchy Garlic, Honey Citrus, Soy Garlic and Spicy. In any flavor, it is so delicious. This is why it is famous. Your taste buds will miss the satisfying taste of the fried chicken that they are offering to millions of people in the Philippines. This is the menu of their famous “Boxed Meals”.


Chicken available in popular fastfood (and luxury) restaurants in the Philippines are almost always more delicious than those cooked at home, so Filipinos who can afford will opt to eat at those restaurants instead of cooking at home. The competition of these fastfood companies is so huge that they would strive to sell their popular meals at affordable prices.