Chicken Licken vs Pedros Menu Prices Compared
Last verified: 5 September 2026. Chicken Licken prices are checked against our full Chicken Licken price list and Pedros prices against our Pedros price list, both cross-referenced against the official Chicken Licken menu and Pedros menu. Standard in-store prices in rand; branch pricing can vary.
Chicken Licken vs Pedros is about as close as South Africa gets to a national chicken argument, and it is nearly always settled on price. Both chains sell chicken, both were born here, but they are not selling you the same dinner. Chicken Licken fries. Pedros cooks over an open flame. That single difference ends up shaping everything else, including what you order and what you hand over at the till.
Chicken Licken has been going since 1981, and its whole reputation rests on Hotwings and that SoulFire sauce people get weirdly loyal about. Pedros is the newcomer by comparison, started in Durban in 2018, built around peri-peri flame-grilled birds sold by the quarter, half and full. So “which one is cheaper” turns out to be the wrong question. The better question is cheaper for what.
The short version
If you want wings, or a quick R30 snack on a lunch break, Chicken Licken works out better, and wings are the thing it is genuinely famous for. Almost everywhere else on the menu (burgers, a single grilled meal, or feeding two or three people off one order), Pedros gives you more food for your money. Neither is “the cheap one” across the board. They win in different parts of the menu, which is why plenty of people keep both on speed dial.
| Chicken Licken | Pedros | |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking style | Fried | Flame-grilled |
| Known for | Hotwings, SoulFire burgers | Peri-peri whole chicken |
| Signature entry item | 6 Hotwings, R44.00 | ¼ Chicken, R32.99 |
| Solo meal from | From R30.00 (Easy Bucks) | From R44.99 |
| Burgers from | R32.00 | R29.99 |
| Cheapest item on the menu | Cool Cone, R9.00 | Portuguese Roll, R5.99 |
| Biggest sharing order | Family Barrel, 21 pieces, R300.00 | Chicken Platter, R509.99 |
| Founded | 1981 | 2018 |
| Branches | 250+ | 200+ |
| Halaal | All items halaal per official menu | Varies by branch, check locally |
Chicken Licken vs Pedros: who wins each category
If you read only one thing on this page, read this. It settles Chicken Licken vs Pedros category by category, splitting the menu into the nine things South Africans actually order and naming the cheaper chain in each, using the standard national price lists for both brands.
| What you are buying | Cheaper option | The numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Wings | Chicken Licken | 6 Hotwings R44.00 (R7.33 a wing) vs 4 Wings R39.99 (R10.00 a wing) |
| Cheapest hot snack | Line call | Easy Bucks R30.00 vs Sprinkle Chicken Burger R29.99 |
| Burgers | Pedros | From R29.99 vs from R32.00 |
| Chicken only, one person | Pedros | ¼ Chicken R32.99 vs 2 Pieces R40.00 |
| Solo meal with chips | Pedros | ¼ Chicken & Chips R44.99 vs Rock My Soul 3 R60.00 |
| Full solo combo with a drink | Pedros | ¼ Chicken Meal R59.99 vs Hotwings 6 Deluxe R70.00 |
| Dinner for two or three | Pedros | Full Chicken R124.99 vs Family Full House 8 R176.00 |
| Biggest group order | Chicken Licken | Family Barrel 21 R300.00 vs Mega Meal R309.99 |
| Guaranteed halaal | Chicken Licken | All items halaal per official menu vs varies by branch |
Read down that column and the pattern is hard to miss. Pedros takes six of the nine, and it takes them in the middle of the menu where most orders actually land. Chicken Licken holds the two ends instead: the wings it built its name on, and the single biggest sharing order on either menu.
Wings: Chicken Licken’s home turf
Of every Chicken Licken vs Pedros category on this page, this is the least competitive. This one is not close, and it was never going to be. Wings are the reason Chicken Licken exists. You can get six Hotwings for R44.00 on their own, or the 8-piece Hotwings Meal at R90.00, which steps up to R95.00 in the Max version. Pedros does sell wings, and the grilled version is genuinely good, but four of them come in at R39.99 with nothing else on the plate.
| Wings | Chicken Licken | Pedros |
|---|---|---|
| Wings only (small portion) | 6 Hotwings, R44.00 | 4 Wings, R39.99 |
| Wings, fries & drink | Hotwings 6 Deluxe, R70.00 | 4 Wings & Chips, R49.99 |
| Bigger wing meal | Hotwings Meal 8 Max, R95.00 | 4 Flam’n Wings & Chips, R49.99 |
Look at the count, not just the rand. For roughly the same money as four Pedros wings you get six at Chicken Licken, and the fried Hotwing is the item their regulars actually turn up for. If wings are the mission, this is a Chicken Licken order. Pedros wings are better thought of as a side to a grilled meal than the main event.
Cost per wing: the number that settles it
Headline prices hide the wing maths, so here it is divided out. Chicken Licken sells Hotwings in four pack sizes and every one of them beats Pedros on a per-wing basis.
| Wings only | Price | Cost per wing |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Licken 6 Hotwings | R44.00 | R7.33 |
| Chicken Licken 12 Hotwings | R86.00 | R7.17 |
| Chicken Licken 24 Hotwings | R170.00 | R7.08 |
| Chicken Licken 36 Hotwings | R233.00 | R6.47 |
| Pedros 4 Wings | R39.99 | R10.00 |
Pedros charges R10.00 a wing. Chicken Licken starts at R7.33 and falls to R6.47 on the 36-pack, roughly 35 percent less per wing. Pedros wings are larger and flame-grilled rather than fried, so this is not purely a value judgement, but if the brief is wings for the table, it is not a close call.
A full meal for one: Chicken Licken vs Pedros
This is the closest the Chicken Licken vs Pedros comparison gets. Here things get closer, and it comes down to whether you would rather have wings or a piece of grilled chicken. Pedros has the cheaper entry point. Their ¼ Chicken and Chips is R44.99, and the ¼ Chicken, Pap and Chakalaka lands at the same price, which is about as South African as a fast-food plate gets. Add a roll and a drink and the complete ¼ Chicken Meal is R59.99.
| Solo meal | Price |
|---|---|
| Pedros ¼ Chicken & Chips | R44.99 |
| Pedros ¼ Chicken, Pap & Chakalaka | R44.99 |
| Chicken Licken Rock My Soul 3 | R60.00 |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings 6 Deluxe | R70.00 |
| Pedros ¼ Chicken Meal (chicken, chips, roll, drink) | R59.99 |
| Chicken Licken Hotwings Meal 8 Max | R95.00 |
The gap here is real and it favours Pedros. A quarter chicken and chips at R44.99 undercuts Chicken Licken’s Rock My Soul 3 at R60.00 by just over R15, and even the complete Pedros quarter chicken meal with a roll and a drink at R59.99 lands a rand under the Chicken Licken plate without a drink. If you are buying one meal and price is the deciding factor, Pedros wins this category clearly. Chicken Licken earns its premium on flavour and on the wings, not on the solo-meal maths.
Burgers and quick bites: Chicken Licken vs Pedros
Burgers are the category most people assume Chicken Licken owns, and on price it does not. Pedros starts cheaper and stays cheaper the whole way up the range, including on its signature burger.
| Burger, on its own | Chicken Licken | Pedros |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level burger | S’Dumo R32.00 | Sprinkle Chicken Burger R29.99 |
| Standard chicken burger | Love Me Tender R40.00 | Chicken Burger R35.99 |
| Cheese version | Love Me Tender Cheese R42.00 | Cheese Burger R39.99 |
| Signature burger | Big John R47.00 | Don Pedro R35.99 |
| Same burger as a full meal | Big John Top Deluxe R77.00 | Don Pedro, Chips & Buddy R55.99 |
The gap at the top is the one that stings: a Big John turned into a meal with fries and a Coke is R77.00, while the Pedros equivalent with chips and a drink is R55.99, a R21.01 difference on what is nominally the same order. Chicken Licken’s real counter is not its burger range at all, it is the Easy Bucks menu, where every item is a flat R30.00 and several of them include a side. Nothing on the Pedros menu quite matches that combination of hot food, a side and a fixed price, and it is why Chicken Licken still wins the under-R35 lunch run.
Feeding a few people: Chicken Licken vs Pedros family meals
Family orders are where the Chicken Licken vs Pedros gap is widest. This is where Pedros makes its strongest case. A whole flame-grilled chicken is R124.99, and the Full Chicken with 4 Rolls is R139.99, which feeds two or three people comfortably without touching a combo deal. Chicken Licken counters with its buckets and family boxes, where the wings-by-volume maths starts to work in its favour again.
| Sharing / family | Price | Feeds |
|---|---|---|
| Pedros Full Chicken | R124.99 | 2–3 |
| Pedros Full Chicken & 4 Rolls | R139.99 | 2–3 |
| Pedros Viva Meal | R159.99 | 3–4 |
| Chicken Licken Family Full House (8 pieces) | R176.00 | 3–4 |
| Chicken Licken Family Bucket (15 pieces) | R234.00 | 4–5 |
| Chicken Licken Family Barrel (21 pieces) | R300.00 | 5–6 |
| Pedros Mega Meal | R309.99 | 4–5 |
| Pedros Chicken Platter | R509.99 | 4–6 |
For a straightforward “put a chicken on the table” dinner, Pedros is hard to beat. R124.99 puts a whole flame-grilled bird in front of two or three people and R139.99 adds four rolls to it, both well under the R176.00 that the nearest Chicken Licken family bundle costs.
At the very top end the balance tips back the other way. The Pedros Mega Meal is R309.99, which is R9.99 above the 21-piece Chicken Licken Family Barrel at R300.00, and the Barrel also tells you exactly what you are getting rather than leaving the split to the branch. Above that, the Pedros Chicken Platter at R509.99 is a different beast aimed at proper gatherings, and Chicken Licken has no direct answer to it.
What R100 and R200 actually buys at each
Most people do not order by menu category, they order by what is in their pocket. Here are two common budgets spent as well as possible at each chain, using the standard in-store prices above.
| Budget | Chicken Licken | Pedros |
|---|---|---|
| R100 | 12 Hotwings at R86.00 with a Licken Loaf and regular Soul Fries to finish the budget, or the Lunch Meal at R77.00 plus a Cool Cone | A ½ Chicken Meal at R89.99, or two ¼ Chicken and Chips at R44.99 each for R89.98 |
| R200 | Family Full House with 8 pieces, Soul Fries, sides and Licken Loaf at R176.00, or 24 Hotwings at R170.00 | The Viva Meal at R159.99, or Full Chicken & 4 Rolls at R139.99 with a large chips and a coleslaw |
At R100 neither chain really beats the other, they just answer the question differently: Chicken Licken hands you a pile of wings, Pedros hands you half a grilled bird with chips and leaves change. At R200 Pedros feeds more people, because R139.99 to R159.99 covers a whole chicken plus extras while the nearest Chicken Licken family bundle starts at R176.00.
How Chicken Licken vs Pedros compares to KFC
Plenty of people are not weighing these two up in isolation, they are weighing up all three. On buckets, Chicken Licken and KFC are effectively level. The 9-piece Chicken Inn is R150.00 against the KFC 9 Piece Bucket at R149.90, and the 21-piece Family Barrel is R300.00 against R299.90, so KFC is ten cents ahead at both. Chicken Licken’s one clear win is the 15-piece at R234.00 against R239.90, which we break down size by size in our KFC bucket vs Chicken Licken comparison.
Pedros sits outside that fight because it does not sell buckets of fried pieces at all. Its equivalent is the whole flame-grilled bird at R124.99, which undercuts any 9-piece bucket from either fried-chicken chain, though you are getting one chicken rather than nine pieces drawn from several.
The stuff that isn’t on the price tag
Price is only half of the Chicken Licken vs Pedros question. A few things separate these two that no table captures.
Halaal. Chicken Licken states on its official South African menu that all menu items are halaal, which matters to a lot of South African families and is a genuine tick in its column. Pedros varies branch to branch, so if halaal is non-negotiable for you, phone ahead rather than assume.
Fried versus grilled. This is taste, but it is also a rough health call. Flame-grilled chicken is the lighter option most days, so if you are trying to eat a bit better without giving up a chicken run, Pedros has the edge. If you came for indulgence, the fried Hotwing is not pretending to be a salad and that is the point.
How far they’ve spread. Chicken Licken has the bigger footprint at 250-plus stores and a longer history, so for a lot of towns it is simply the one that is there. Pedros has grown fast since 2018 and is past 200 branches, but there are still places where you will drive past three Chicken Lickens before you find one.
How Chicken Licken vs Pedros prices shift by city
Both chains run on franchises, so every Chicken Licken vs Pedros figure above is the standard national list rather than a guarantee for your exact branch. Chicken Licken pricing in particular moves around a fair bit between stores, and between the delivery apps, where Uber Eats and Mr D almost always cost more than walking in. Airport, garage-forecourt and inner-city branches read highest of all. We are building out branch-level price checks for Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria so you can see the real spread instead of one list.
If you’re weighing up other chicken too
- Every Chicken Licken price for 2026
- Full Pedros menu prices
- KFC 9-piece bucket vs Chicken Licken bucket prices
- Pedros platter prices and what they feed
- Pedros vs Nando’s price comparison
- Is Pedros the same company as Nando’s?
- Full Hungry Lion menu prices
- Full KFC menu prices
- Cheapest fast food under R50 in South Africa
Chicken Licken vs Pedros: quick answers
Is Chicken Licken or Pedros cheaper?
It depends what you are buying. Pedros is cheaper for grilled chicken, burgers and family-sized orders, with a 1/4 Chicken and Chips at R44.99. Chicken Licken gives better value on wings, where six Hotwings cost about the same as four Pedros wings. For a full solo meal Pedros is clearly cheaper, at R44.99 for a quarter chicken and chips against R60.00 for the Chicken Licken Rock My Soul 3.
What is the difference between Chicken Licken and Pedros?
Chicken Licken fries its chicken and is best known for Hotwings and SoulFire burgers. Pedros flame-grills whole chickens with a peri-peri-style marinade. One is fried comfort food, the other is grilled and a little lighter.
Which one is better for a family meal?
Pedros, for most tables. A full chicken is R124.99 and the Full Chicken with 4 Rolls is R139.99, which feeds two or three without a combo. At the larger end it flips: the Pedros Mega Meal is R309.99, which is R9.99 more than the 21-piece Chicken Licken Family Barrel at R300.00, so Chicken Licken edges the biggest orders and also tells you exactly how many pieces you are getting.
Which has cheaper burgers, Chicken Licken or Pedros?
Pedros, across the whole range. Its burgers start at R29.99 for the Sprinkle Chicken Burger against R32.00 for the Chicken Licken S’Dumo, and the gap widens at the top: the Don Pedro is R35.99 while the Big John is R47.00. As a full meal with chips and a drink the Don Pedro is R55.99 against R77.00 for the Big John Top Deluxe.
How much is a full chicken at Pedros?
A Pedros Full Chicken is R124.99 on its own. With four rolls it is R139.99, with large chips it is R149.99, and the Full Chicken Paella version is R149.99. It comfortably feeds two to three people.
How much is 4 pieces of chicken at Chicken Licken?
Four pieces from the Just Chicken Licken range is R81.00, which works out at R20.25 a piece. Buying bigger drops the unit cost: the 9-piece Chicken Inn is R150.00 and the 21-piece Family Barrel is R300.00, or R14.29 a piece.
Is Chicken Licken cheaper than KFC?
Barely, and it depends on the size. The Chicken Licken 9-piece Chicken Inn is R150.00 against the KFC 9 Piece Bucket at R149.90, and the 21-piece Family Barrel is R300.00 against R299.90 at KFC, so KFC is ten cents ahead at both. Chicken Licken wins the 15-piece size at R234.00 against R239.90.
What can I get at Pedros for R100?
R100 covers a 1/2 Chicken Meal at R89.99, or two 1/4 Chicken and Chips at R44.99 each for R89.98, or a Fully Loaded Wrap with chips and a drink at R69.99 with change for a side. A whole Full Chicken is just over budget at R124.99.
Is Pedros halaal like Chicken Licken?
Not automatically. Chicken Licken states on its official South African menu that all menu items are halaal, with individual franchise certification displayed in store. Pedros halaal status depends on the individual store, so confirm with your local branch before ordering.
Which is healthier, Chicken Licken or Pedros?
Pedros, on the simple basis that flame-grilling adds no frying oil while the core Chicken Licken range is deep-fried. Grilled quarter and half portions with pap and chakalaka or a salad sit at the lighter end of either menu. Neither chain publishes full nutritional tables for every item, so treat this as a general rule rather than a precise comparison.
Which tastes better, Chicken Licken or Pedros?
That is genuinely down to taste, and it splits along the fried-versus-grilled line. Hotwings and SoulFire sauce are the reason Chicken Licken regulars keep coming back, and nothing on the Pedros menu replicates them. Pedros builds its flavour on a peri-peri marinade and an open flame, which is closer to Nando’s than to Chicken Licken.
Which has more branches in South Africa?
Chicken Licken, with more than 250 outlets to Pedros’ 200-plus. Chicken Licken has also been around far longer, since 1981, while Pedros only started in 2018.
Every Chicken Licken vs Pedros price on this page was last checked on 5 September 2026 against the official Chicken Licken and Pedros South African menus. Both brands run on franchises, so your nearest branch may charge a little more or less than the national lists here. Delivery-app prices are usually higher than in-store. Always confirm before you order.