Food
Top 10 KFC Foods You Probably Haven’t Tried
If it’s fried chicken you wish, KFC is the place to be. As a fan of the restaurant, maybe you’ve tried a wide range of their menu items, from the iconic bucket of popcorn chicken to the notorious Double Down. Or maybe you’ve stuck to the same old stand-by over the years. There are probably a few menu items you’ve never had the chance to try. Don’t worry, this isn’t necessarily for lack of trying. The reason why you might be missing out on some pretty tasty – or, at the very least, interesting – KFC foods is because your local restaurant doesn’t serve them. Like many fast food chains, KFCs menus vary from country to country. Whether they’re inspired by the local cuisine, or simply flexing their creative muscles, international KFCs have churned out some food items that are worth hearing about. So, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 KFC food items you haven’t tried.
10. Nacho Box
If you’re not from Australia, there’s a good chance you’ve been missing out on KFC’s Nacho Box. This dish from the Land Down Under proves that looks aren’t everything. At first glance, you might think this KFC food item looks sloppy and unappealing but, if you look closely at what’s actually going on here, you might just your tune. The Nacho Box was brought about during an era when Mexican food was, for no apparent reason, taking Australia by storm. Always game, KFC was quick to jump on the bandwagon, launching their very own line of Nacho-themed products. The concept of the Nacho Box is quite straightforward; it’s literally a box of nachos. For the most part, it follows the classic nacho recipe, and is made up of salsa, cheese, and tortilla chips. But, since this is KFC, the fast food chain added their own special twist to it, adding spicy chunks of popcorn chicken into the mix. No doubt, this is one food item we have no trouble getting behind. The recipe might seem simple, and it definitely isn’t flashy, but it tastes amazing, and, in the end, isn’t that what really matters?
9. KFC Krushems Skittles
On KFC’s British dessert menu, you’ll find a line of novelty milkshakes, famously named “Krushems”. There are several flavors of this summertime dessert, many of them inspired by different candies, such as Maltesers, Twix and Oreo. And the one we’re most interested in is their Skittles flavored Krushems, a pink milkshake with original Skittles mixed into it. This sweet treat is the perfect chaser to any of KFCs salty savory meals and can always be counted on to cool you down on a hot summer day. KFC isn’t the first fast food restaurant to mix candy and ice cream, but their decision to use Skittles is impressive. It’s pretty uncommon to see Skittles eaten in any way other than straight out of the bag, so the Skittles Krushems gets points for originality. The Skittles Krushems came under fire a few years ago, criticized for its allegedly dangerous sugar content. This can be taken as a sign that it probably tastes absolutely amazing. Luckily, in spite of the public outcry, this delicious flavor is still widely available in the UK. Many tourists and newbies shouldn’t miss out on this frozen Skittles treat.
8. Deep Fried Corn Soup
The phrase “Deep Fried Corn Soup” gives us a lot to unpack. It isn’t quite like anything we’ve ever seen before. It’s totally understandable if you’re skeptical but give this Japanese KFC food item a fair shot. When you think about it, corn and soup are both top tier foods, and no food has ever gone into a deep fryer and come out worse for wear. So, logically, Deep Fried Corn Soup has to taste incredible. This KFC snack started off with a corn potage, which is heavily battered and deep fried. The resulting product looks like an extra puffy hash brown. While the outside is crispy, the inside remains ridiculously creamy. It’s the perfect comfort food. Plus, it gives you a way to easily enjoy soup on the go. That’s not necessarily something you’ve ever needed to do before, but it’s nice to know you have the option. Japan’s authentic cuisine already offers so much, that if you were to vacation there, an American fast food restaurant probably wouldn’t be high on your culinary bucket list. But if you do have the chance to visit a KFC in Japan (maybe at the airport or something), this would definitely be an interesting food to try.
7. Caramel Kream Ball
Another decadent KFC dessert comes from France. This dessert as a whole sounds like any sweet tooth’s dream come true, but it’s its presentation that has people obsessed. Like most of KFC’s sweet food items, the Kream Ball lineup is ice-cream based. Served in a plastic sphere with an opening at the top, each kind of Kream Ball is made up of three main components: a crunchy base, vanilla ice cream, and a sweet flavored sauce. The specific ingredients in France’s Caramel Kream Ball are vanilla soft serve on a bed of chewy caramel fudge chunks, topped with caramel sauce. It’s basically a new and improved caramel sundae. And it gets major bonus points for being one of the few items you can purchase at a fast food restaurant that is aesthetic enough to fit on a foodie’s Instagram feed. If you find the idea of a Kream Ball interesting, but aren’t big on caramel, French KFCs have also come out with a Nutella Kream Ball, which also sounds awesome. This is one country where KFC has absolutely perfected their desserts and, in all honestly, nobody’s surprised. One cannot expect anything else from France, where sweets reach another level.
6. Shrimp Doughnut
When Thai KFCs created the Shrimp Doughnut they he altered the course of history. They mixed various ingredients that should have nothing to do with each other and conceived something sumptuous. The Shrimp Doughnut has little in common with the dessert food served by Dunkin’ and Krispy Kreme. It only gets its name from its shape. Let’s break down this indulgent side dish from the inside out. Inside the doughnut, you’ll find a layer of minced shrimp stuffing but, despite being in the name, this seafood is far from the only ingredient. The shrimp is wrapped with lightly breaded mozzarella cheese, the whole thing is dunked into batter and deep-fried to perfection. The Shrimp Doughnut is paired with your choice of dipping sauce, which really brings it all together. If you live in the USA, odds are that you’ve never had the opportunity to try out this KFC product. Hopefully, one day, everyone who has added the Shrimp Doughnut to their foodie bucket lists will have the chance to eat it. In the meantime, if you don’t have a passport, keep your fingers crossed and pray that American KFCs eventually decide to upgrade their menus to include some of their more interesting international food items.
5. Tomato Soup Macaroni with Flava Roast Chicken
If you’re an American craving comfort food in Hong Kong, swing by your nearest KFC for this pick-me-up meal. The name Tomato Soup Macaroni with Flava Roast Chicken might be a bit of a mouthful, but the only words needed to describe it are “wholesome” and “delicious”. The tomato soup and macaroni are a classic combination, but the star of the dish in the Flava Roast Chicken that tops it all off. If you need a frame of reference, it’s comparable to the Grilled Chicken you can get at KFCs a little closer to home. The marinade is top notch, and it’s perfectly cooked, leaving it juicy and tender. In the name of keeping things healthy, there’s some corn mixed into the soup as well. It might not be a leafy green, but it counts as a vegetable, right? Finally, for the sake of presentation, a slice of tomato tops the whole thing off. This soup is a nostalgia trip and is sure to take you on a trip down memory lane, first stop, your childhood kitchen table. Pair that with the chicken that never disappoints, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for success.
4. Scoff-ee Cup
In the fight against climate change, people are making the switch from single-use coffee cups to reusable coffee cups. KFC’s Scoff-ee Cups were made and gave a whole new meaning to the word non-disposable coffee cup. KFC described the cups as being made from a unique biscuit, wrapped in sugar paper, and lined with a layer of heat-resistant white chocolate. Then as you drink the coffee in the cup, the white chocolate lining will slowly begin to melt and mix with your coffee. The cup even gave off it’s own aroma, as KFC partnered with The Robin Collective, an experimental food company, to help infuse the Scoff-ee cups with a coconut cream, freshly cut grass and wild flower scents. This lead some people to say the cup smells like grass and tastes like chocolate, wether that’s a good thing or not, that’s up to you to decide. If by now you’re wondering why this edible cup is on our list of KFC foods you haven’t tried, well, the main reason is because you more than likely didn’t have the chance to try these, even if you wanted to. The KFC Scoff-ee Cups were only “released” in the UK for a trial period. This trial period came and went, and no plans were made for an international release, or to even have more available to UK customers. It simply disappeared. There are rumors that they are simply tweaking the formula, but the original limited run was in 2015, and still no word as of now of any pending role out. So that hypothesis seems to be mostly wishful thinking at this point. But fear not, if you like this concept, there are indeed other smaller and local shops experimenting with these type of edible coffee cups. Some airlines now offer edible coffee cups as well. Maybe KFC was just ahead of their time, or just hadn’t figured out the perfect formula yet. We hope this is not the last we hear of edible coffee cups being offered from a major fast food player as it’s just such a cool idea!
3. Corn and Philly Chicken Sandwich
Hailing from Brazil, this food item does not look all that appealing. And yet, most people would probably be surprised by how much they enjoy it. That’s not to say that it’s not one of the menu’s more divisive items. There are definitely people out there who would be so turned off by something called a Corn and Philly Chicken Sandwich that they wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. But it wouldn’t be surprising to find many, many people who consider it to be a favorite. KFC developed this sandwich as part of a partnership with Philadelphia cream cheese. The recipe is quite simple. Instead of a traditional condiment, like ketchup or mayo accompanying the piece of fried chicken and two hamburger buns, this sandwich is kept from getting too dry by a generous serving of cream cheese. For added flavor, corn has been mixed into the cream cheese topping. This isn’t a chicken burger for the faint of stomach. Altogether, it makes for a pretty heavy meal, so you may want to rethink ordering a side or dessert. Cream cheese goes well with pretty much anything and we doubt that a chicken burger would be the exception to the rule. As for the corn, well, who doesn’t love corn?
2. Okonomiyaki Chicken
While Okonomiyaki Chicken is on menus at KFCs in Hong Kong, Okonomiyaki is actually a staple of Japanese cuisine. It’s a savory pancake that, depending on where you order it, will contain different ingredients, but the basic recipe calls for flour, eggs, cabbage, and water. Okonomiyaki is usually served with a variety of toppings. In their own take on this classic dish, KFC did away with the basic recipe entirely, replacing the pancake itself with a piece of bone-in fried chicken. The restaurant is Kentucky Fried Chicken, after all. The piece of chicken, however, is dressed just like Okonomiyaki would be. The toppings include mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, seaweed flakes, and bonito flakes. The sheer volume of the toppings makes this piece of fried chicken tricky to eat – this isn’t something you’d want to order on a first date. But it’s more than worth the mess. This is a really unique way to enjoy fried chicken. All of the dressings are absolutely delicious and complement each other perfectly. This is a great way to get a taste for another culture, even though the restaurant is American. While you’re not getting Okonomiyaki Chicken at your local KFC anytime soon, definitely keep it in mind in case life ever takes you to Hong Kong.
1. Zinger Double Down King
It was only a matter of time until a version of the Double Down made this list. It was simply a question of which one. There have been several variants of this burger, ever since the United States came out with the original Double Down, a sandwich where the buns were replaced with two fried chicken patties, in between which you can find bacon, cheese, and sauce. As ridiculous as it sounds, the creation of the Double Down launched a worldwide feud. KFCs in different countries have come up with their own versions of the Double Down, each more outrageous than the last. The one wild enough to snag the number one position on this list of KFC foods you haven’t tried can be purchased in South Korea. The Zinger Double Down King one-upped the original sandwich by adding a slice of beef between the two chicken patties acting as buns. Oh yes, the bacon, cheese, and sauce are all there, as well. Talk about protein city. Unless you’ve travelled to South Korea and decide to forsake their amazing local cuisine for American fast food, and then opted for this monstrosity over all other KFC Korea’s available food items, there’s a great chance you have yet to taste the Zinger Double Down King. It’s up to you to decide whether or not that’s a bad thing.