Review: KFC - Beyond Fried Chicken

KFC's Beyond Fried Chicken nuggets are plant-based fried nuggets that are meant to taste just like KFC's fried chicken. According to the ingredients listed on the KFC website, they're mainly made of soy protein. While they're plant-based, they're "not prepared in a vegan/vegetarian manner."

A six-piece order costs $8.99 (the suggested price starts at $6.99) at my local KFC, but I received these courtesy of KFC.

The Beyond Fried Chicken nuggets were noticeably bigger than your typical fast food chicken nuggets but smaller than a chicken sandwich filet. I guess I would say they're a good size for a slider. All six pieces had a somewhat squarish shape (maybe to retain the consistency of the chicken-like fibers?) rather than the more round or irregular shapes of other fast food chicken nuggets.

In terms of texture, they had a pretty uniform, granular breading that's similar to KFC's Extra Crispy Tenders but less flaky. The plant-based meat tore like chicken but didn't quite look like chicken fibers. When it's hot, it felt a little bit softer and more tofu-like than chicken, but when it had cooled, it felt more like chicken--there was more of a meaty resiliency to it.

In terms of flavor and aroma, they taste and smell just like fried chicken. They had the same lightly seasoned flavor profile as Extra Crispy Tenders, which made them ideal for dipping.

In sum, if you're looking for a plant-based fried nugget, the Beyond Fried Chicken makes one that tastes just like a traditional chicken nugget and feels like a cross between a ground-chicken nugget and a chicken breast piece in terms of the texture. It does come with a slight plant-based meat premium, but works out well if you're looking for KFC's take on a chicken nugget since they don't currently offer any chicken nuggets here in the States.

Nutritional Info - KFC Beyond Fried Chicken (1 piece)
Calories - 80 (from Fat - 40)
Fat - 4.5g (Saturated Fat - 0g)
Sodium - 240mg
Carbs - 5g (Sugar - 0g)
Protein - 6g