Business
10 KFC Food Items You Can’t Get In America
Despite the fact that KFC has committed to a single kind of meat, they’ve proven time and time again that that in no way makes their menu boring. KFC has come up with some of the most outrageous food items of any fast food chain out there, and this list of ten is just the tip of the iceberg. Prepare to have your mind blown by the crazy creations KFCs worldwide have come up with.
10. Zinger Double Down King
Any self-proclaimed carnivores out there should definitely be taking note of this item off of the KFC Korea menu. It’s Korea’s take on the iconic Double Down, a sandwich released at American KFC locations that used two pieces of fried chicken instead of buns. The Zinger Double Down King wouldn’t be worthy of the Double Down name if it didn’t replace bread with fried chicken patties, so that ingredient was a given. The fillings, however, take the concept of the original sandwich to a whole other level. Between its two chicken patties, the Zinger Double Down contains a hamburger patty, bacon, BBQ sauce and special sauce. Talk about a protein overload. If there was one thing the Double Down wasn’t lacking in, it was meat, yet here we are. This definitely does not constitute a well-balanced meal, so, if you find yourself in South Korea and plan on getting yourself one of these, maybe consider picking up a side salad to go with it. It would be doing your body a favor. It would be easy to go on for hours about how unhealthy the Zinger Double Down is, but none of the entries on this list are winning any health-food awards. They are all, however, foods that, if you can get over how ridiculous they are, can definitely be enjoyed. Just in moderation (seriously, please eat some vegetables).
9. Crispy Burrito
Going just by name, the Crispy Burrito sounds the most conventional out of all the food items on this list. However, this isn’t any ordinary burrito. Preparation starts with a flour tortilla being filled with fried chicken, bacon, cheese and bourbon BBQ sauce. Then, the cooks proceed to deep fry the whole thing to crispy perfection. The deep-fried burritos are small enough that KFC considered them to be a snack instead of a full meal. As a result, they don’t cost that much; it’ll set you back less than three dollars American. Despite the fact that you don’t get more American than a deep-fried food item coated with a bourbon sauce, this burrito is a New Zealand creation. It was released for a limited run in early 2015, and never made it out of its country of origin. If this is the first you’re hearing of this one-of-a-kind burrito, sadly, the window of opportunity to try it has closed. However, we’re still holding out hope that they might bring this one back, and maybe even begin producing it in KFCs worldwide. Because even though it’s kind of a weird concept, you’ve got to admit that it sounds pretty awesome.
8. Shrimp Burger
Calling all seafood lovers! This burger is not only unique in terms of ingredients, but KFC also got creative with the presentation. Released in China, the Shrimp Burger contains all the fixings of a regular burger; lettuce, cheese, condiments and a savory patty. However, it’s no ordinary patty. When you bite into it, you’ll be met with a very fishy surprise. That’s right. The fried patty is filled with whole shrimp. It sounds both crazy and awesome at once. This item adds a bit of diversity to the menu, but it actually emerged as the result of a scandal. After the news broke that chickens in China were being administered drugs in order to fatten them. This raised several health concerns, and people become wary of eating chicken. Obviously, this scandal wasn’t great for sales at KFC. In response to the dip in their sales, KFC China came out with this chicken-free burger. Not only did it provide customers with an alternative to chicken, but it actually ended up tasting pretty fantastic. This is great news, since many people had become hesitant to order chicken, but with the Shrimp Burger they don’t have to sacrifice taste for comfort. It’s quickly became a favorite among KFC fans, and, while the chicken scandal is an incredibly unfortunate event, the silver lining is that it forced KFC to think outside the box, which resulted in this delicious and innovative burger.
7. Chizza
If you guessed that Chizza was a combination of the words “chicken” and “pizza,” you would be correct. Available in the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, India, Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan, this chicken pizza is weirder than it sounds. Things get unconventional pretty quickly, when you learn that there’s no crust, at least not in the traditional sense. The crust is swapped out for breaded chicken, and the toppings include mozzarella cheese, pineapple, chicken ham and KFC’s cheese sauce. It looks a bit messy to say the least; this is one pizza you definitely want to dig into with a knife and fork. Using your hands is just asking for trouble. Chizza does raise the time-old debate of whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza. It’s a very polarizing topic, and friendships have been ended over it. Regardless of your feelings towards pineapple on regular pizza, pineapple on cheesy chicken patties is probably something that can be universally agreed upon as being weird. Maybe it tastes better than it sounds. Who are we to judge before having tried it? All that being said, trying Chizza is definitely bucket list material. It might be a bit over-the-top, but it has the potential to be an incredibly flavorful experience.
6. Egg Tarts
Margaret Wong rose to fame in Macau for her mouthwatering Egg Tarts. Her pastries are soft and flaky, and her egg custard is delectably smooth. If you have the chance to drop by her stall and try one of her homemade Egg Tarts, don’t pass it up! Just be aware that you may find yourself waiting in an impressively long line. However, if you won’t be stopping in Macau, you can try the next best thing in various locations all over Asia. KFC restaurants in Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia were inspired by her delicious pastries, and took it upon themselves to bring a version of them to the masses. Typically, we think of tarts as being sweet, often containing fruit, such as cherries or some form of berry. They aren’t usually considered to be a breakfast food, yet these Egg Tarts are just that. They also make a for a great snack if you find yourself hungry between meals. These aren’t necessarily a weird food item, and are actually incredibly popular in Portugal, however, they do make for a strange addition to the KFC menu. Although, chickens do come from eggs, so maybe that’s the link they were trying to draw…
5. Nacho Box
In 2014, Australia was going through a Mexican food craze. People couldn’t get enough of it, so, naturally, KFC took the hype in stride and decided to see what they could do to profit from it. They decided to take the nacho route, adding their own twist to the classic dish. It was dubbed the Nacho Box, a highly literal title, since it was in fact a box full of nachos. In all advertisements, the Nacho Box was incredibly appetizing, but, unfortunately, in person, the presentation leaves something to be desired. It kind of looks like someone tossed all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and hoped for the best. But what does presentation really matter? Gordon Ramsey isn’t here to judge anyone on their plating, and if the taste is on point, that’s good enough for us. You might just want to make sure you grab some utensils, because this dish really doesn’t have enough structural integrity for you to be eating it like a finger food. The Nacho Box is actually a really interesting take on nachos. It includes all the typical ingredients, such as tortilla chips, cheese and salsa, but, since it’s KFC, the recipe also calls for a whole lot of popcorn chicken.
4. Cheese Top Burger
Never before has there been a burger so simple, yet so absurd. The Cheese Top Burger consists of a fried chicken patty, Parmesan dressing sauce and two buns, and is topped with a slice of cheese. And when we say topped with a slice of cheese, we mean that the entire burger is topped with a slice of cheese. As in, there is a slice of cheese just chilling on the top bun. Since the burger is warm, the cheese tends to melt a little, which, on one hand it great, because who doesn’t love melted cheese? But on the other hand, good luck not getting that all over your fingers. If you’re one of those people who likes to eat your burgers upside down…well, just forget about this one. It seems like it would be simpler to just put the slice of cheese inside the burger, but maybe they were going for the cheesy bread effect. The Cheese Top Burger was a KFC Philippines creation, and, honestly, despite the inconvenience and how ridiculous it looks, it would probably taste really great. Because, you know, cheese. That, coupled with the fact that the condiment of choice for this burger is cheese sauce really just makes this a cheese-lover’s fantasy.
3. BBQ Bacon Boxmaster
There is a lot going on in KFC’s BBQ Bacon Boxmaster. Seriously, it’s not just the name that’s a mouthful. The BBQ Bacon Boxmaster is a squat little wrap, which sits, as the name implies, in a small cardboard box. It’s extensive list of ingredients includes a fried chicken fillet, bacon, barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and a hash brown. All of this is wrapped up in a toasted tortilla wrap. The bacon and the hash brown say breakfast, but the BBQ sauce and the fried chicken say dinner, so we’ll just compromise and say it’s fair game to eat this at any time of day. It’s a very unique food item, particularly because hash browns are rarely included in wraps, burgers and sandwiches. Seeing how its texture and flavor juxtaposes with the rest of the ingredients would be a very interesting experience indeed. While the BBQ Bacon Boxmaster is pretty small, judging by the list of ingredients, it’s likely quite filling and would leave you feeling satisfied. If any breakfast fans out there want to see how the hash brown fares outside of its comfort zone, this is definitely a food item to look out for.
2. Pizza Twister
Have you ever been faced with the dilemma of choosing between pizza and KFC? Chizza is one option in that scenario, but it isn’t the only pizza-inspired item on the KFC menu. Another is the Pizza Twister, and if you thought Chizza was strange, prepare yourself for this one. Instead of a traditional pizza crust, the Pizza Twister has all of its ingredients tucked neatly inside a warm tortilla wrap. In addition to the KFC touch of breaded chicken breast, the Pizza Twister consists of all your classic pizza fixings. There’s pizza sauce, onions, mozzarella, and salami. Basically, it’s just a pepperoni and chicken pizza. This is another food item on this list that will probably be an absolute disaster to eat, so prepare for things to get messy if you decide to order this one. The Pizza Twister is yet another product specific to KFC Philippines, which has us wondering why they get all the cool KFC creations. If you’re a die hard KFC fan, you might want to add a stop in the Philippines to your bucket list, because, if not, you’ll be missing out on tons of outrageous and potentially delicious food items.
1. Double Down Dog
We started this list with one variation of the Double Down sandwich, and we end it with another. You’ll be excited to hear that the one is objectively the weirder of the two. And that’s saying quite a lot. It may sound like a fancy yoga pose, but the Double Down Dog is actually a cheese and mayo covered hotdog wrapped in a fried chicken patty. Yeah. The name tells us that it’s a member of the Double Down family, which implies that any buns would be replaced with a chicken patty, yet despite the warning, this creation is still shocking. You shouldn’t be surprised to hear that credit for this creation goes to KFC Philippines. Judging by this list, KFC Philippines is probably the most creative in terms of coming up with original food items. Sometimes it’s a hit. Other times, they might take it a bit too far. Of course, the Double Down Dog may have its fans, but there are a lot of people who would not find the concept of a hotdog wrapped in fried chicken to be appealing. The Double Down sandwich was already controversial, however the Double Down Dog still managed to top it. It really is every nutritionist’s worst nightmare. If you’re feeling adventurous, by all means, give it a try. But it’s also perfectly understandable if you choose not to. You can appreciate for its entertainment value if nothing else.