What KFC's Menu Looked Like The Year You Were Born

Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't deny the expansive reach of Kentucky Fried Chicken, otherwise known as KFC (and, possibly to some young readers, KFC only thanks to one marketing ploy in the 1990s). While KFC got its humble start in the tiny, tiny town of Corbin, Kentucky, the restaurant's global influence is mammoth, made possible in part due to the famous (or possibly infamous, depending on your view) Colonel Sanders' tenacity and simple dedication to good fried chicken. Now, there are more than 24,000 KFC restaurants in more than 145 countries, with a new KFC restaurant opening, on average, every six hours. KFC employs 800,000-plus team members and two-thirds of the world's KFC restaurants are yet to be built.

The KFC menu has changed considerably over the years and differs equally depending on where in the world you live. Still, you can find the famed red and white bucket of KFC original fried chicken, with its secret 11 herbs and spices, at every eatery, with the bucket menu item representing 35 percent of the chain's global sales. Then, depending on where you are, you might find spicy chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, or even Blizzard-like desserts called "Krushers."

Learn more about these significant KFC menu items and more, with a look at how KFC's menu has changed over the last near-century of its existence.

Once Colonel Sanders had finally hit on his path to success in life, at the ripe old age of 62, he decided to take his restaurant idea on the road and opened the first KFC franchise location. But rather than offering the franchise opportunity to his friends and neighbors in nearby Kentucky locales, he headed a little further afield — going to Utah to open the first KFC franchise location in Salt Lake City.

The first franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken menu wasn't that different from the menus you'll see today. Somewhat limited, the first menus included boxes of fried chicken in various quantities alongside the still-popular sides of chicken gravy, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw. Instead of the iconic KFC biscuits that you'll find on the menu today, though, the older combos featured hot rolls and honey instead. A "thrift box" of nine chicken pieces to feed three to four people was just $2.25, while the "regular box" with three pieces of chicken, whipped potatoes, gravy, a hot roll, and coleslaw came out to just $1.10.

It didn't take long at all for KFC to grow from that single franchise location in Salt Lake City into a North American sensation. By 1964, there were hundreds of KFC locations across both the United States and Canada and, after a lot of wooing, Colonel Sanders decided to cash out and sell the company for a whopping $2 million and an annual salary. Unfortunately, the deal didn't make him happy, and his displeasure all came down to menu changes (via The New Yorker).

Following Sanders' departure, the new owners decided to change the chicken gravy recipe, opting for a recipe that was easier to make for the average employee, and one that was a lot quicker to make, too. One executive said at the time, "Let's face it, the Colonel's gravy was fantastic, but you had to be a Rhodes Scholar to cook it. It involved too much time, it left too much room for human error, and it was too expensive."

Colonel Sanders became infamous for visiting KFC locations around the United States and sampling the gravy, letting franchisees know exactly what he thought about their work. While he personally aimed for gravy so good that "it'll make you throw away the durn chicken and just eat the gravy," he would frequently pronounce the gravy at the franchise locations as too runny, too glue-y, and just plain bad.

In the 1980s, KFC entered into previously uncharted territory: chicken sandwiches. The Chicken Little (which reappeared on menus in 2012) was introduced as a very straightforward chicken sandwich. Small, square, and looking kind of like a slider, the Chicken Little sandwich was as basic as it gets: chicken on bread with mayonnaise. And people loved them.

Meanwhile, across foreign borders, KFC was working on a different kind of chicken sandwich, something a little spicier and bolder: the Zinger. First introduced in Trinidad and Tobago in 1984, the Zinger features a spicy fried chicken patty, lettuce, mayonnaise, and a sesame seed bun. Although the menu item wasn't released in the United States until 2017, the sandwich experienced rapid success all around the rest of the world. According to KFC, as of 2017, the Zinger was served in more than 120 countries; more Zingers are sold in the United Kingdom, India, and Australia than anywhere else; and Australia alone sells more than 22 million Zingers each year.

In 1993, KFC rolled out a product called "Colonel's Rotisserie Gold," a roasted chicken that was designed to compete with similar products from Roy Rogers, Boston Market (formerly Boston Chicken), and even McDonald's. A 1993 Chicago Tribune article reported that, in test markets with ad support, Rotisserie Gold improved KFC's sales by 20 to 30 percent at individual outlets.

The Rotisserie Gold option was available in a quarter, half, or whole chicken size, and accompanied by some new sides like garden rice, pasta salad, and a corn muffin. One AP article quoted the KFC U.S. president at the time as saying, "KFC is clearly trying to contemporize the brand. The consumers demanded it. They said they would come more frequently with non-fried chicken." 

And while Rotisserie Gold didn't last, KFC did bring grilled chicken back on a wider basis later, recognizing the continual modern desire for a non-fried chicken product.

An international issue helped put this new item on the menu. In 2005, the world was dealing with the avian flu scare, which, somewhat unfairly, gave a bit of a bad name to our favorite poultry friends. Poor sales on KFC's part resulted.

So, KFC launched its Snacker sandwich in March 2005. Very similar to KFC's previous Chicken Little sandwich, which was more slider-like in nature, the Snacker was an extra crispy chicken strip with lettuce and pepper mayonnaise on a sesame seed bun (so a little more like the Zinger, only without the spicy chicken). But the Snacker's real appeal may have come from its price: just $0.99 per sandwich.

The launch of the Snacker came just at the right time and was one of the most successful product launches in KFC history. Some KFC locations reported sales of as much as 1,000 sandwiches per week, with 100 million Snackers sold in the United States in just six months.

"The KFC Snacker is a huge hit with consumers because it satisfies their need for a high-quality, affordable, portable chicken sandwich," said KFC's EVP of marketing at the time. "The KFC Snacker is an example of how KFC is becoming more relevant to today's consumers. We are appealing to individuals as well as families with products that are in tune with their lifestyle needs."

For the start of a new decade, KFC decided to take things to an entirely new level when it came to its chicken sandwiches. After a "wildly" successful market test, KFC launched the Double Down, a chicken sandwich made with no bun. Instead, the sandwich is two thick chicken filets (either fried or grilled), holding together two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of cheese, and a sauce. Of course, while some diners were thrilled with the idea, evidenced by the launch's success, many speculated over the sandwich's nutritional value (after all, it does seem like an awful lot of fried chicken). KFC was quick to refute claims of inflated caloric content, however, and pointed out that with its 540 calories, the Double Down was similar in calorie count to many fast food burgers.

Meanwhile, in 2010, KFC decided to permanently add its Colonel's Catch fish sandwich to its menu. The sandwich, made of Alaskan Pollock and topped with tartar sauce and a sesame seed bun, was previously only available to diners during Lent in select markets.

In 2016, KFC began rolling out chicken breakfast meals around the world. Initially, locations such as those in the United Kingdom received new menu additions like breakfast sandwiches with fried chicken, bacon, ketchup, and a fried egg on a bun. Today, you can find a wider range of breakfast menu items in different KFC locales, such as the breakfast menu in Singapore, which features a platter with fried chicken, eggs, bacon, a hash brown, and bread; burritos with chicken, tomato, eggs, and bacon; and a porridge topped with fried chicken, among other items.

While the United States didn't receive such a cool menu change as KFC breakfast options, KFC did offer U.S. diners a new Nashville hot chicken option, which makes sense given the Nashville hot chicken craze that was growing in the late 2010s. KFC's Nashville hot chicken strips were seasoned with cayenne, black pepper, and paprika, and served up alongside coleslaw and pickles to battle the heat.

In 2019, KFC brought wings back in more ways than one.

First, the brand brought back its traditional chicken wings — the dubbed Kentucky Fried Wings were available in four flavors, including plain, honey barbecue, buffalo, and Nashville hot. The permanent menu item was available in quantities of six, 12, 24, and 48. All came with a side of ranch dressing. According to reviewers, "We received a spread of all four flavors and were surprised and impressed by the crispiness and the fully-present spice factor, even in the unsauced version."

Then, KFC jumped on the plant-based meat trend, with a new partnership with Beyond Meats that allowed for plant-based chicken-like products that the brand called Beyond Fried Chicken. Fried just like the regular chicken, Beyond Fried Chicken is currently available with dipping sauces either as part of a combo, or in servings of six or 12 pieces. However, it's worth noting that KFC does list a disclaimer on its website stating that Beyond Fried Chicken is not vegetarian or vegan, as the menu item is prepared in the same fryers used for the regular chicken.