Singaporean KFC super-fan tries over 1,000 meals in 24 countries to see which is most finger-lickin' good

How much do you love your fried chicken? And how far are you willing to go to find the best one out there?

Well, this Singaporean man's love for American fast-food chain KFC is virtually unmatched.

In fact, 41-year-old Jacky Tan has apparently travelled to 24 countries and five continents over the course of 18 years to find the best-tasting KFC in the world.

His quest began in 2005 when he realised how the Original Recipe chicken tasted different overseas.

Since then, he has kept an eye out for KFC outlets whenever he's travelling abroad either for work or while on holiday with his wife, Michelle.

The best and the worst

In an interview with British online newspaper The Independent, Jacky revealed his ranking after apparently having more than 1,000 KFC meals. And the number one in the world for him was in Mongolia.

The marketing consultant was on a business trip in the capital city Ulaanbaatar in 2013, and a KFC outlet had just opened there.

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Because of that, he had to queue for an hour for his fried chicken. 

This did not bother him one bit though after he took a bite of the Original Recipe chicken. "The wait was totally worth it," he said.

Jacky picked up on all the "unique" flavours of the deep-fried chicken he tried there, which he thoroughly enjoyed and ticked all his boxes.  

His dedication to his cause is unrivalled, even somehow managing to sneak in a KFC visit during his honeymoon in Barcelona, Spain.

Jacky's wife probably needed some convincing to take that particular detour though.

Unfortunately for Jacky, his KFC experience in Spain wasn't great at all.

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In fact, he ranked Spain at rock bottom for its dry and "totally bland" fried chicken, calling it similar to "eating rubber".

As for Singapore, our KFC here came in at a respectable seventh position, according to him. 

When asked why this project means so much to him, Jacky pointed towards his humble beginnings.

"I don't come from a very rich family, so I would have to save up to afford a KFC. So for me, it's really a luxury," he shared.

What makes a good piece of fried chicken?

To keep the rankings fair, he'll only order and rate the Original Recipe chicken.

Each meal is then put through a ranking he calls "TaF-CA", an acronym for taste, freshness, crispiness and aroma.

These are the four criteria he feels are necessary for a good piece of fried chicken.

For Jacky, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Indonesia also deserve shout-outs for their quality KFC meals, while the KFCs in Hong Kong and Australia did little to impress him.

That said, this is an opinions-based game, and he is aware that his rankings "might not be indicative of the KFC standard in the country or that restaurant".

ALSO READ: Chicken little: Woman receives 'tiniest KFC 3-piece meal'

amierul@asiaone.com

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