KFC to roll out plant-based fried chicken made with Beyond Meat nationwide on Jan. 10
The fried chicken industry is getting its feathers ruffled once again by Beyond Meat.
Kentucky Fried Chicken will next week roll out its highly anticipated plant-based alternative, Beyond Fried Chicken.
Beginning Jan. 10, KFC restaurants across the U.S. will offer the crispy invention for a limited time and while supplies last.
“The mission from day one was simple – make the world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken from plants,” the company’s president and chief concept officer, Kevin Hochman, said. “And now over two years later we can say, ‘mission accomplished.’”
The Louisville, Kentucky-headquartered brand was the first national quick service restaurant to sell plant-based chicken (replicating the taste and texture of chicken) when it tested its first iteration of Beyond Fried Chicken in August 2019 as a part of a limited-run test in Atlanta.
The buzzy new product’s launch was an overwhelming success with the test store selling out in less than five hours.
KFC previously tested the plant-based nuggets at one of its restaurants in Atlanta.
For almost 100 years, the fried chicken chain has prided itself in “doing chicken right” but now they are getting deeper into the deep-fried plant-based market – hoping to keep up its “finger lickin’ good” motto among its fans.
“We couldn’t be prouder to partner with KFC to offer a best-in-class product that not only delivers the delicious experience consumers expect from this iconic chain, but also provides the added benefits of plant-based meat,” Beyond Meat founder and CEO Ethan Brown said. “We are truly thrilled to make it available to consumers nationwide.”
The company previously tested or launched meatless breakfast sandwiches with Dunkin’ Donuts and Peet’s Coffee, meatless burgers for Carl’s Jr., orange chicken at Panda Express, meatless tacos and burritos with the Del Taco chain, and Jamaican-styled meatless patties with Golden Krust.
The El Segundo, California-based company says its products are made from simple ingredients derived from plants, without GMOs, synthetically produced ingredients, antibiotics or hormones.
But make no bones about it, consumers of the protein-packed faba bean-based poultry-inspired product won’t have to deal with any chicken bones.
KFC noted that its Beyond Fried Chicken is not prepared in vegan/vegetarian manner, which a rep confirmed to mean that it is cooked in “common fryers.”
Served with a choice of KFC dipping sauce – Honey BBQ, Ranch, Honey Mustard and KFC Sauce – Beyond Fried Chicken is available as the brand’s first plant-based combo meal with Secret Recipe Fries and a medium drink, or à la carte in six or 12-piece orders.
Prices will start at $6.99.
Last year, Beyond Chicken Tenders arrived in grocery store frozen food sections mimicking the same taste and texture as traditional chicken tenders but with 50% less saturated fat.
Due to supply chain issues that have resulted in chicken shortages and skyrocketing prices, the pioneering plant-based poultry product became the best alternative according to positive taste reviews and consumer demand, the company said.
