The KFC Nuggets Reddit Called A Total Rip-Off
When KFC released its own version of fast food chicken nuggets in early 2023, the internet was up in arms with varying opinions. On the more positive end of the spectrum, some customers enjoyed the secret ingredients of KFC's fried chicken in nugget form. YouTube creator Peep This Out, for instance, noted in his review that the spices added a lot of flavor to the chicken nuggets. He ultimately declared them a "high-quality fast food nugget."
That said, many other reviews were less than favorable, particularly where price was concerned. Reddit users called the product a "rip-off," as KFC's five-piece chicken nugget costs around $3.49 depending on location. For comparison, Chick-fil-A offers a five-piece for around $3.25, while Wendy's offers a six-piece for around $3.09.
Other reviewers described the nuggets as a disappointing downgrade from KFC's beloved popcorn chicken, claiming that the nuggets aren't as crunchy. Still others accused KFC of trying to copy Chick-fil-A.
What was KFC trying to accomplish with its chicken nuggets?
Fast food restaurants have to be increasingly strategic about their menu items. Considering how the chicken sandwich wars consumed all the major chains for over four years, it should come as little surprise that KFC might have tried to start a second war for chicken nuggets. In fact, that's putting it lightly, as the chain actually wrote in its March 24 press release, "Let the nugget wars begin!"
KFC went on to boast that its nuggets aren't uniform shapes — a clear jab at the fact that McDonald's chicken nuggets only come in four shapes — and are instead made with 100% white meat chicken. This might have been a fair point, as there are plenty of fast food nuggets that aren't 100% pure chicken. KFC also claimed that its nuggets pack so much flavor that they don't need to be paired with a dipping sauce, which could be aimed at pretty much every other contender in the chicken nugget arena. Too bad the chain's attempts to incite a nugget war might have been foiled by customers' less-than-stellar reviews.