Kentucky Fried Chicken has long been a staple in the Sewell household.
Growing up, the nearest KFC was only a mile away, and my family ate there every Sunday after church. In retrospect, the food has never been that good, but nostalgia is a fickle mistress, and I was eager to try their newest product: Beyond Fried Chicken, vegan chicken nuggets made from a collaboration between KFC and plant-based meat substitute producer Beyond Meat.
After ordering my faux chicken in the drive-thru of the KFC on Western Avenue, I sat in my car for 15 minutes before receiving my nuggets, even though I was the sole customer there.
Upon first glance, they looked a lot more like chicken nuggets than other brands I have tried, but looks aren’t everything. My first bite lasted a while, as I struggled to get through the rubbery meat of the nugget. I will say that the crust was flaky and far more developed than other chicken substitutes I’ve tried, though.
Overall, the taste was satisfactory. I’m not sure how much it tasted like chicken, as I haven’t eaten chicken in years, but it seems to match my memory of chicken flavor.
Unfortunately, Beyond Fried Chicken tastes nothing like actual KFC, and with a combo, you’re paying a little less than a dollar per nugget. I will say that the nuggets are better than most chicken substitutes, but they aren’t worth the price or the wait time, especially for a nugget that seems like it was thawed and microwaved.
Besides, KFC has advertised this delicacy as being a limited-time product, so I doubt I’ll be able to try them again anyways.
I am delighted that more fast-food chains are dabbling in plant-based alternatives; however, like KFC’s latest venture, few seem to last. Going forward, it will be interesting to see if Beyond Fried Chicken will return, or if plant-based fast food will become a temporary trend of the 2020s.
