Your chickens will be as tame and friendly as the time you put into them. If it's plain old chickens inside a pen and a few eggs every day that you want, that's what you'll get. If you want affectionate pets and you're willing to spend the time to train them, then your rewards will be over-flowing. And I strongly disagree with anyone who insists that chickens aren't capable of affection like dogs or cats. My chickens are way more affectionate and love being cuddled while my cat definitely does not.
The ideal way to get affectionate chickens is to raise your baby chicks in a brooder at eye level, and avoid reaching into the brooder from overhead. Chicks raised in this manner, handled a lot, cuddled from day one, usually grow up to be very affectionate.
If you're taming an older chicken, start out encouraging them to eat treats or even their feed from your hand. After they begin to trust you, move to touching them as they eat from your hand. Slowly, as their trust builds, handle them more. I've had older chickens who had never been handled turn into lap cuddlers.
It's true that some breeds are naturally tamer than others, but most can be taught to trust you with patience and time.
