KFC Has Started Selling Kentucky Fried Nuggets
Topics: Food and Drink, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: KFC/Alamy
Topics: Food and Drink, US News
Kentucky Fried Chicken has revealed it's trialling a new type of chicken nuggets.
The popular fast-food chain known for it's finger-lickin' chicken has added a new type of fried delight to its menu.
However, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets are only available for a limited time and at selected stores.
So roll your sleeves up, grab a bucket and go nab them quick.
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The latest edition to the menu was made available at select restaurants located in Charlotte, North Carolina from Monday, 18 July.
As per the press release: "Made with 100 percent white meat and hand-breaded with KFC’s unique Original Recipe of 11 Herbs and Spices that made the fried chicken chain famous, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets can be enjoyed as a snack, meal on-the-go, complement to the bucket meal or even as an appetizer on the way home!
"[...] Each juicy nugget is bursting with so much flavor it doesn’t require dipping, though that doesn’t mean you can’t dip them! The new nuggets can be paired with any of your favorite KFC sauces, including KFC Sauce, Honey BBQ, Classic Ranch or Honey Mustard."
You can choose from a range of quantities, from eight, 12 to a whopping 36 nugs.
The introduction of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets follows shortly after a plant-based version was similarly trialled in the US earlier this year - the 'bites' having used Beyond Meat as a meat substitute.
KFC has sold other nugget variations before and does feature smaller more bite-sized items on its menu - such as its popcorn chicken - but none which use its iconic seasoning on fried chicken breast specifically in a nugget shape.
KFC’s US chief marketing officer, Nick Chavez, told The Takeout: "While nuggets often come in small packages, that doesn’t mean they should have small flavor. We wanted to introduce Nuggets with the flavor and ingredients that live up to our legacy as the original fried chicken experts.
"Our Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets offer a new way to enjoy our distinctive 11 Herbs & Spices and will have you saying, now THAT’S Finger Lickin’ Good."
A KFC spokesperson told CNN the launch of the new item hopes to target 'younger customers, like Gen Z and Millennials, who are interested in boneless chicken options'.
The fast-food chain's director of consumer and industry insights at Technomic - a restaurant consulting firm - previously explained to the outlet: "The earlier you can engage with a consumer, the more potential you have for building loyalty and building frequency over the course of more years.
"It's hard to develop loyalty "once somebody's past that window."
KFC is testing new chicken nuggets that apparently taste more like their Original Recipe fried chicken. They'd replace the "Popcorn Chicken" they've been selling off-and-on since 1992 . . . and they're a direct response to Gen Zers who refuse to eat chicken off the bone.🍗🚫 pic.twitter.com/sQrKnCSSOq
— 999TheBuzz (@999thebuzz) July 19, 2022
Nugget fans have flocked to social media in hot discussion of the latest introduction to KFC's menu.
One said: "KFC is testing Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets starting today in Charlotte. The Original Recipe nuggets will come in 8, 12 and 36 pieces. This is apparently the first time KFC has tried chicken nuggets, which seems weird to me."
Another claimed the chain has had 'original recipe nuggets' on the menu before 'in 1988 or so'.
"That’s correct! They were called Kentucky Nuggets.I’m from Louisville Kentucky where Colonel Sanders started the chain.And I ate them religiously for years while growing up, until they were sadly discontinued!They were the BEST! Not sure why people are saying they’re brand new," a third user replied.
That’s correct! They were called Kentucky Nuggets.I’m from Louisville Kentucky where Colonel Sanders started the chain.And I ate them religiously for years while growing up, until they were sadly discontinued!They were the BEST! Not sure why people are saying they’re brand new 🤔
— Rick (@perryrick2011) July 19, 2022
Head chef at KFC US, Chris Scott, told Yahoo Finance what a 'big deal' the launch is to the chain.
He explained KFC hopes 'a whole new generation' will be introduced to 'original recipe' after being enticed by the newer nuggets.
Scott resolved: "It's a completely different flavour profile than what everybody else has on the market ... Bringing that to the boneless avenue is just such a huge place that opened up for us."
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