KFC Adding Chicken Nuggets to Its Menu - Food & Wine

If you’re still writing “Chicken Sandwich Wars” on your checks, you’re going to be furious with KFC, because the Louisville-based chain may have just kicked off a Chicken Nugget War.

After a short-lived test run last year, Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets will officially be on the menu at KFC restaurants across America starting Saturday, March 27. 

The hand-breaded nuggets are 100% white meat chicken seasoned with that eternally secret combo of 11 herbs and spices. The new nuggets start at a suggested price of $3.49 and are available in 5-, 8-, 12- and 36-piece servings. They can also be ordered on their own or as part of a combo that comes with fries, a biscuit, and a medium drink. (And because KFC isn’t above firing another shot at Chick-fil-A, it adds that these nuggets “can be enjoyed nationwide seven days a week.”) 

"As the original fried chicken experts, we're introducing a chicken nugget made the way only KFC can," Nick Chavez, the Chief Marketing Officer for KFC U.S., said in a statement. "Simply put, you've never had chicken nuggets like these — they're the chicken nugget America deserves, and worth the wait. Now that's Finger Lickin' Good!"

The chain is also bringing back the KFC Mac & Cheese Bowl for a limited time. The $5 bowl includes the new KFC Nuggets, creamy mac and cheese, and a blend of three cheeses. It's also serving up its recently discontinued Nashville Hot Sauce again, if you want to add more heat to your bowls. 

Like its Yum! Brands sibling Taco Bell, KFC has been busy shaking up its menus for the past few months. In February, it announced the nationwide arrival of the Classic Chicken Wrap and the Spicy Slaw Chicken Wrap, and it started testing two new chicken sandwiches in Tampa, Florida. (These tests can — and often do — lead to broader rollouts: after all, it demo-ed the KFC Nuggets in Charlotte, North Carolina, last year.) 

On top of that, the iconic Double Down Sandwich is still available for a few more days. The sandwich, which replaces the bun with two Extra Crispy filets, made its triumphant return on Monday, March 6, and it is expected to stick around for a full month. In a statement, Chavez said that KFC decided to "embrace the chaos" of the Double-D, after "nearly a decade of people begging for its return." 

Those additions don't happen without a few subtractions. KFC recently discontinued its Kentucky Fried Chicken Wings, Popcorn Chicken Combo, Strawberry Lemonade, and Chocolate Chip Cookies. The company explained that those particular items were axed because they weren't available nationwide, because their sales weren't increasing, or both. (That doesn't mean KFC regulars were ready to let their faves go. KFC's Instagram post announcing the new nuggets still drew some comments like "Why get rid of popcorn chicken???" and "[G]etting rid of the popcorn chicken is insane.”)

A KFC spokesperson added that those changes were necessary to "make room for some new, exciting additions to the menu in 2023." And what's more exciting than potentially starting a Nugget War?

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