Review: KFC - Unsauced and Buffalo Kentucky Fried Wings

KFC's Kentucky Fried Wings feature breaded and deep-fried chicken wings (drummets and flats). They come in four varieties: Nashville Hot, new Honey BBQ, new Buffalo, and Unsauced.

I picked up 12 wings for $9.99. They would only give me one flavor per six wings so I went with Unsauced and Buffalo.

Kentucky Fried Wings are the replacement for KFC's Hot Wings which, most recently, was only offered at some locations. They were fairly plump and bigger in comparison.

I got a batch fresh out of the fryer so they were piping hot and juicy inside.

I went with Buffalo sauce as it's probably the more popular of the two new sauces. The sauce was pretty standard as far as fast food Buffalo sauces go with moderate spicy heat from cayenne paired tangy vinegar notes. It lacked the flavor and richness of butter (or butter flavoring). It might vary with location but my local KFC squeezed the sauce on top of each wing rather than tossing the wings in sauce (which tends to give better coverage).

I got the Unsauced version to compare with my memories of their Hot Wings. The new wings have a thicker but slightly less flaky breading. The breading formed a loose shell around the chicken that was a bit crumbly. It had a tendency to crack and fall off as I bit into the wings and was fairly messy as a result (the shell of Hot Wings generally stayed but although some pieces occasionally flaked off). There was an audible crunch to the shell (moreso than Hot Wings).

The overall flavor of Kentucky Fried Wings was more neutral than Hot Wings; they don't feel like they've been seasoned with anything more than salt. Specifically, the shell tasted of salt, a bit of heat, fried flour, and nothing else, while the underlying meat offered a little more in the seasoning department but was still overwhelmed by the breading-to-meat ratio.

When it comes down to it, KFC's Kentucky Fried Wings were basically bigger and crunchier than Hot Wings but lack in the flavor department. They're really meant to be sauced and it shows. I preferred to eat Hot Wings without sauce and especially enjoyed the flavor so I'm a bit disappointed by their replacements.

Nutritional Info - KFC Unsauced Kentucky Fried Wings - per wing
Calories - 80 (from Fat - 50)
Fat - 6g (Saturated Fat - 1g)
Sodium - 150mg
Carbs - 3g (Sugar - 0g)
Protein - 5g

Nutritional Info - KFC Buffalo Kentucky Fried Wings - per wing
Calories - 100 (from Fat - 60)
Fat - 7g (Saturated Fat - 1.5g)
Sodium - 310mg
Carbs - 3g (Sugar - 0g)
Protein - 5g