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We tested fried chicken sandwiches from every major fast-food chain — and the winner surprised us

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Fried Chicken Sandwiches 9

We're living in the golden age of the chicken sandwich.

Fried chicken sandwiches are popping up on more menus across the country, according to data from the menu research firm Datassential. 

Chick-fil-A has transformed from a regional chain to a national chicken powerhouse, managing to lift annual sales by more than $1 billion in a year.

Restaurant chains that aren't even known for chicken are looking to poultry to appeal to more consumers and in turn boost sales, Nation's Retaurant News recently reported.  

McDonald's completely overhauled its chicken sandwich, and Shake Shack unveiled one of the best sandwiches ever made in 2016.

David Chang fanned the flames with the chicken-sandwich-focused Fuku, the most hyped addition to the trendy Momofuku empire.

In light of this crispy, golden renaissance, we decided to gather the chicken sandwiches from major fast-food chains and see which ones are worth it — and which ones are better left untouched.

SEE ALSO: What 2,000 calories looks like at every major fast-food chain

For this taste-test showdown, we got sandwiches from seven major fast-food chains: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's, Dairy Queen, KFC, and Chick-fil-A.



First up: McDonald's. The recent revamp of its chicken sandwich brought some much-needed change to the chain. The 'buttermilk crispy chicken' sandwich is indeed crispy — in fact, perhaps a little heavy on the breading.



The chicken is slightly on the dry side, but there is a definite hint of tangy buttermilk seasoning. Unfortunately, it often gets masked by a glob of mayonnaise — the usual for this sandwich, based on our reviews before. The 'artisan' bun does the job well, holding up to the heaping helping of mayo without getting too soggy.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Great lunch options from McDonald's, Starbucks, and 13 other popular fast-food chains to keep you energized all day

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Chipotle

Fast-food chains get a bad rap, especially when what you order brings on a food coma posthaste. 

While we know that what you eat for lunch affects your productivity for the rest of the day, this doesn't mean you have to rule out convenience for the sake of healthy choices.

Plenty of chains offer meal options that are heavy on the protein and healthy fats and easy on the carbs and bad fats, which is just what you need to avoid the 3 p.m. slump, says Lisa DeFazio, a healthy-lifestyle expert and registered dietitian.

Take Chipotle: An oversized burrito is probably not the best thing for your productivity, but bowls and other less-carb-heavy options with lots of protein and healthy fats like avocado will give you just what you need to feed your brain without overdoing it, DeFazio says.

These healthier fast-food lunch options should keep you from passing out at your desk:

Nutritional content may vary and is based on company guides.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best lunch options to keep you from passing out at your desk

DON'T MISS: The 27 jobs that are most damaging to your health

McDonald's

Premium southwest chicken salad with grilled chicken

Protein: 33 grams

Carbs: 26 grams

Healthy fat: 7 grams

Bad fat: 4 grams



Chipotle

Three soft tacos with steak or chicken, fajita vegetables, guacamole, and green tomatillo salsa

Protein: 39 grams

Carbs: 57 grams

Healthy fat: 28 grams

Bad fat: 8.5 grams



Burrito bowl with steak or chicken, brown rice, black beans, fajita veggies, guacamole, and green salsa

Protein: 44 grams

Carbs: 76 grams

Healthy fat: 29 grams

Bad fat: 6.5 grams



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Sriracha is taking over fast food — here are some of the most popular products

We compared Popeyes and KFC fried chicken — here's the verdict

The CEO of Popeyes says one of her biggest professional successes 'would not exist' if she hadn't been fired earlier in her career

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Cheryl Bachelder popeyes ceo

"A really ugly day."

That's how Cheryl Bachelder describes the day in 2003 when a Louisville newspaper published an unflattering photograph of her, along with the headline "Cheryl Bachelder Replaced."

Specifically, she'd been replaced as president of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, where she'd served for about two years. Her kids saw the news in school.

The anecdote about Bachelder appears in "Earning It," a new book by Joann Lublin, who is management news editor at The Wall Street Journal. Lublin interviewed dozens of high-powered women about the personal and professional obstacles they faced on the path to success — and Bachelder's stands out as both cringeworthy and inspiring.

Today, Bachelder is the CEO of fast-food restaurant chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Bachelder told Lublin that the experience at KFC made her a stronger leader for two reasons. One, she learned to prioritize short-term results along with long-term strategy. And two, she learned to treat people with dignity when she let them go.

When Bachelder took over KFC, the company was already troubled. "I thought the brand could be revitalized," she told Lublin. Bachelder was soon after diagnosed with breast cancer and worked throughout her treatment — but afterward, she told Lublin that "everything I touched turned to mud."

Lublin writes that, during Bachelder's tenure, KFC was plagued by negative press coverage around the lawsuits linking obesity to fast food and the new advertisements and products grew unpopular.

Bachelder said she focused on long-term fixes — but admits that was where she went wrong. Senior executives at Yum Brands, KFC's parent company, demanded short-term results. And Bachelder didn't make it clear enough to management that she was focusing on long-term strategy.

At some point, Bachelder decided things weren't working out, and it was time for her to resign. Walking to the office of Yum Brands' CEO, she ran into him in the hallway — he'd been coming to tell her the same thing.

In an interview with Business Insider, Lublin said the failure "totally shaped and changed [Bachelder's] leadership style. When she then ran Popeyes, she came in with a much different understanding of the need for a publicly held company to perform well every quarter."

At Popeye's, Bachelder's efforts — including reducing costs, speeding up service, and adding new menu items — prompted a 190% gain in the share price by March 2014. Popeyes currently holds a $1.3 billion market capitalization.

As Bachelder told Lublin: "This success story would not exist without KFC."

SEE ALSO: 33 famous people who failed before they succeeded

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How to turn your fear of failure into a motivator

5 'healthy' fast food meals that are worse for you than pizza

KFC's UK loyalty program has been hacked (YUM)

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KFC RiggleThis story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

Kentucky Fried Chicken has informed its 1.2 million UK loyalty rewards program members that some identity related information may have been compromised in a hack, according to Forbes.

Although no payments information is stored in the loyalty program and KFC has already started implementing security features, the possibility that users' names, dates of birth, and addresses could be in the hands of hackers will likely concern the quick-service restaurant's (QSR) consumers.

Security issues are always a concern for companies, but this can be even more significant when it affects a major digital channel. 

  • Loyalty programs are an important digital channel for QSRs to push offerings. Loyalty programs have proved to be major drivers for QSRs. For context, Starbucks rewards and loyalty program has 12 million active members, Among those, 8 million pay via mobile, and roughly 4 million use Starbucks' mobile order-ahead feature. And they do so regularly — in Q3 2016, over one in four US Starbucks transactions came from its mobile app. Alienating these consumers could potentially lead to significant lose for KFC. 
  • Security issues could hinder some of the digital momentum KFC has built with its consumers. KFC has been aggressive in growing its digital offerings, which include accepting mobile payments through Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay, as well as a mobile order-ahead feature in partnership with AIRTAG and PayPal in the UK. However, if consumers in and outside the UK don’t trust that their information is secure, its unlikely they would be willing to adopt these digital features or future ones. 

This security hack is news other QSRs should take note of, especially if they rely heavily on digital programs to attract consumers. Major QSRs, like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and McDonald's, are heavily pushing digital offerings to drive up sales, traffic, and ticket size. In addition, it's becoming increasingly popular to add payments capabilities to these programs, which exacerbates any associated security risk.

In order to continue pushing successful features, these companies must invest in limiting consumer security concerns, especially when payments information is involved and with loyalty programs that have proven to be quite lucrative. Finding ways to neutralize this threat, especially when loyalty and mobile offerings are in the spotlight, could go a long way in attracting consumers and maintaining support.

Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) — also known as fast-casual restaurants — such as Starbucks have been turning to mobile order-ahead apps to extract higher sales, intensify customer loyalty, and heighten foot traffic.

Mobile order-ahead refers to a consumer-facing mobile payment platform that allows customers to order food remotely, pay for the items on their phone, and pick up their order at a specific restaurant location.

Leading QSRs in the U.S. are beginning to adopt these platforms at an accelerated pace and are benefiting from them. Taco Bell sees 30% higher average order values on mobile compared to in-store, and Starbucks' Mobile Order & Pay already represents 10% of total transactions at high-volume stores, directly contributing to increased company sales.

Mobile order-ahead is still in its early days, but will be a $38 billion industry by 2020, accounting for 10.7% of total QSR industry sales. This will be driven by full adoption among the top QSRs in the US, the growth of mobile commerce, QSR adoption through aggregators like Grubhub, loyalty programs, higher average order values, and new buy buttons.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed Mobile Order-Ahead Report that profiles the companies that have proved the mobile order-ahead concept and analyzes the trends contributing to this new industry's growth.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

  • Mobile order-ahead apps — platforms that enable consumers to remotely purchase menu items for in-store restaurant pickup — are on the rise among quick-service restaurants (QSRs). We expect sales on these platforms to reach $38 billion by 2020, representing a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 57%.
  • Mobile order-ahead will ultimately have an additive effect on the QSR industry. Mobile ordering platforms have been proven to intensify customer loyalty, increase purchase frequency, and lift average ticket sizes through order customization and easier checkout options. This means that mobile ordering is not a simple substitution for in-store purchasing, but a channel that can enhance the lifetime value of QSR customers. This makes mobile order-ahead a critical channel contributing to the growth of the QSR industry.
  • Alternative commerce solutions will help propel mobile ordering. Aggregators like Grubhub will onboard smaller fast-casual restaurants into the mobile ecosystem by offering them an existing app to integrate into, lowering the upfront costs of creating a mobile channel of their own. And in-store self-service kiosks will help popularize remote ordering and accustom users to less traditional forms of payment that don't require a cash register.

In full, the report:

  • Forecasts the growth of the mobile order-ahead industry in the US from 2015 to 2020, including its share of total QSR sales.
  • Profiles brands that are leading the migration to mobile ordering.
  • Examines the alternative commerce solutions that could help popularize mobile order-ahead.
  • Explains the risks and drawbacks to launching a mobile commerce platform.
  • Assesses the ways both large and small brands can create a mobile order-ahead platform.
  • Determines which types of fast-casual chains are in the best position to benefit from mobile order-ahead.

To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options:

  1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP
  2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT

The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of mobile order-ahead.

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How KFC made Christmas all about fried chicken — in Japan

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KFC Japan Christmas

While Christmas in the US may conjure up visions of sugarplums and holiday hams, in Japan a certain fast-food staple takes center stage — and it's all thanks to a clever marketing ploy by KFC. 

Over the last four decades, KFC has managed to make fried chicken synonymous with Christmas in the country.

An estimated 3.6 million Japanese families eat KFC during the Christmas season, reported the BBC. Millions of people weather long lines to order fried chicken weeks in advance to carry on the tradition.

Here's a look back at how KFC became a Christmas tradition in Japan. 

SEE ALSO: We visited a restaurant that's powered by machines instead of people — here's what it's like

KFC's Christmas promotion was the brainchild of Takeshi Okawara, who managed the first KFC restaurant in Japan. He would go on to become CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan from 1984 to 2002.

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Here's the BBC article on KFC's Christmas marketing in Japan. 



Just a few months after the first KFC opened in Japan in 1970, Okawara had the idea to sell a Christmas "party barrel," inspired by the elaborate American turkey dinner, but with fried chicken instead of turkey.

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The promotion went national in Japan in 1974 under the name Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii: Kentucky for Christmas.

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I found the best fried chicken sandwiches of 2016

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Fried Chicken Sandwiches 9

As I've said before, we've reached the zenith of the fried-chicken sandwich — and I couldn't be happier.

These are tumultuous times; more than ever, we need some crispy, crunchy, golden, and delicious chicken served up in a bun.

I taste-tested a glut of chicken sandwiches from major fast-food chains this year to find which chain does it best.

There were some surprises (Arby's makes a fried-chicken sandwich?) and some severe disappointments. 

But what's most surprising — to me, at least — are the sandwiches which tasted the best. Not McDonald's new recipe, not Wendy's reliable Homestyle, not even Chick-fil-A's inimitable classic snagged the top spot.

It was KFC's sandwich, sharing the throne with Shake Shack's.

Fried Chicken Sandwiches KFC 7

I can already hear the cries: What? How could Chick-fil-A not be the best of them all? KFC, the chain of mutant chickens and the creepy Colonel? And then a chicken sandwich from a burger joint? Come on.

The Doublicious from KFC is a beautiful creation. A crispy breast of KFC's finest chicken, resplendent with the mysterious herbs and spices, swathed in bacon, Monterrey Jack cheese, and some sweet, tangy sauce — all lovingly embraced by a fluffy and lightly sweet Hawaiian bun.

Smokey bacon lends a richness to the sandwich that melds seamlessly with the mild and rich cheese. The chicken is crispy and thin. There's the unmistakable tang of buttermilk in every bite.

Fried Chicken Sandwiches KFC 8

The sauce seems to be a combination of mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, with perhaps a pinch of paprika and garlic. It adds a perfect balance of smooth, creamy flavor and a vinegary kick all while managing to play second fiddle to the chicken and bacon. 

In terms of quality, it seems more genuine than countless other items on the menu. There's little "gross factor" with this sandwich, which can't be said for most of the competition, or even of KFC's own sides. 

And yes, Chick-fil-A's sandwiches are always fantastic — I'm not denying this by any stretch of the imagination. Classics are classics for a reason, and if we were judging on terms of tradition, Chick-fil-A would walk away victorious with ease.

But KFC's Doublicious is a surprisingly flavorful, rich sandwich that manages to sidestep the looming, greasy shadow of KFC's previous sandwich of note, the quadruple-bypass-to-go that was the "Double Down." 

It's not too much, or too little; it's simply delicious. 

Does it beat Shake Shack's chicken sandwich? That's a harder question to answer. 

Shake Shack v Chick fil A 3

Shake Shack's beautifully crisp and golden creation was first rolled out in 2015 as a test item in Brooklyn locations only — its nationwide release happened in January 2016, meaning it counts as a contender for best chicken sandwich of 2016. 

And boy, what a contender. Could-'a had class, could-'a been somebody? This sandwich oozes class, plus a deliciously tangy and smooth herb mayonnaise that dances a delicate waltz with the tart, crunchy pickles and perfectly peppered breading on the chicken. 

This chicken sandwich is pretty darn close to the American ideal of a chicken sandwich: fried to a crispy crunch, yet juicy and tender; mayo and pickles and lettuce swaddled by a plush potato bun. 

Shake Shack v Chick fil A 12

But comparing it to KFC's Doublicious is comparing apples to oranges — bacon to, well, chicken. They're both staggeringly delicious in their own ways. The Doublicious relies on a vinegar and barbecue sauce, and salty bacon to take the eater on a strangely satisfying journey — an itinerary hitting every taste bud grouping from salty to sweet. The Colonel would've made a bang-up taste bud travel agent, if either were still around. 

The Chick'n Shack takes a more traditional approach, which is downright refreshing in today's stunt food environment. Nothing here but a bun, some pickles and lettuce, and some herb mayo, slathered on perhaps the most rewarding fried chicken breast ever known in the realm of chain restaurants. It has little pretense — its superiority lies only in its quality and delivery.

So do yourself a favor and start 2017 off on a good note — try one of these pinnacles of fried fowl. Or even better, try both.

SEE ALSO: We tried the special breakfast sandwich McDonald's is testing — and think it could be a huge hit

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: These are America's 2 most hated fast-food restaurants

A new KFC in China will be able to guess your order by scanning your face

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A man walks past a logo of KFC, outside a restaurant in Shanghai, China, July 30, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song

Indecision can sometimes be the bane of fast food. It would be so much easier if robots could pick and choose what we wanted to eat before we wasted any more time in contemplation.

Mashable reports that a partnership between Kentucky Fried Chicken and Chinese search engine company Baidu is creating a "smart restaurant" concept in Beijing. Thus putting the whole robots choosing what you eat thing in a whole new light.

Beijing's new restaurant features kiosks that will scan a customer's face, making menu suggestions based on their age, gender, and mood they're currently in. The tech will store facial scans and make future suggestions for repeat customers based on things they've ordered in the past.

The point, according to TechCrunch, is to guess what the customer wants before they even have to ask. So far, one concept is slated to open in the near future, with no official release date as of yet.

Are you ready for restaurants to eventually know your every food preference?

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's what happens to your body when you stop eating sugar

We tried KFC's latest take on a trendy regional chicken dish — and it's the chain's best menu item yet (YUM)

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KFC Georgia GoldKFC is bringing a new regional cult favorite to the masses.

On Wednesday, the chicken chain announced that it would launch its new Georgia Gold Honey Mustard BBQ Chicken nationally on January 30.

To accompany the launch, KFC has also hired a new Colonel Sanders: actor and producer Billy Zane. Zane appears in marketing for Georgia Gold completely covered in gold, a slightly bizarre nod to the chicken's name. 

Georgia Gold chicken is tangy and packs a flavorful punch, drawing from barbecue traditions of Georgia and parts of South Carolina

"I think this is a strategy we are going to continue — finding these regional flavors that go great with our fried chicken and then sharing them with the world, in a way that's very accessible," Kevin Hochman, KFC's chief marketing officer, told Business Insider. 

Business Insider had a chance to try the chicken before its national launch. Immediately, it was clear that the new menu item would become one of our favorites. 

KFC Nashville Gold

It's a flavor that's familiar to anyone who has dipped fried chicken in honey-mustard sauce. However, the chain doesn't over-do the flavor, with more muted honey sweetness than aggressive mustard flavoring.Georgia Gold is an ideal flavor combination for customers who enjoy the slight sweetness of the chain's Nashville Hot Chicken, but aren't fans of spice.

Georgia Gold follows the launch of Nashville Hot Chicken, which KFC'shead cheftold Business Insider was his favorite new menu item he had developed in his 16 years at the chain. However, when Nashville Hot hit menus, many reacted with skepticism, especially Nashville locals. 

A few factors could help Georgia Gold avoid some of the negative attention Hot Chicken received. First, honey-mustard barbecue flavoring is already more widespread than Nashville Hot — you can buy Carolina Gold BBQ sauce atTrader Joe's. Second, KFC has created the term Georgia Gold, drawing inspiration from a number of different local barbecue joints. 

Ultimately, Hot Chicken skeptics didn't negatively impact KFC's sales. Nashville reportedly became one of the top markets for the dish, and the new menu item helped drive significant sales at KFC in 2016. 

Georgia Gold is a chance to replicate that success in the new year. And, if it succeeds, you can expect more regional chickens to follow in its path.

SEE ALSO: We tried Taco Bell's controversial new fried chicken chalupa shell — and it's shockingly good

Join the conversation about this story »

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KFC just revealed a new Colonel Sanders (YUM)

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KFC Georgia Gold

KFC just revealed a new Colonel Sanders — again. 

To accompany the launch of the new Georgia Gold chicken, KFC has hired a new Colonel Sanders: actor and producer Billy Zane.

Zane, who is best known to many for his role in 'Titanic' as the villainous Cal, appears in marketing for Georgia Gold completely covered in gold, a slightly bizarre nod to the chicken's name. According to KFC, Zane was tapped because the chain was looking for an "established actor who knows you don’t have to be a millionaire to eat like one."

As the new Colonel Sanders, Zane follows in the footsteps of a number of other comedians who have taken on the role since Darrell Hammond brought the founder back from the dead in May 2015. Other Colonel Sanders include Norm Macdonald, Jim Gaffigan, and, most recently, Mad Men star Vincent Kartheiser.

Heading to #ces at the crack of yawn for a meeting on a racetrack. #vegasbaby

A photo posted by Billy Zane (@billyzane) on Jan 5, 2017 at 7:21am PST on

When KFC reintroduced the Colonel in 2015, many customers were skeptical or disgusted that the chain would revive its founder — a real person — from the dead. 

However, the move has paid off for the chain. In October, KFC hit its ninth consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth, after a period of slumping sales. 

SEE ALSO: We tried KFC's latest take on a trendy regional chicken dish — and it's the chain's best menu item yet

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A teen built a KFC chicken vending machine made entirely of Lego blocks — here's how it works

We got an exclusive invite to try KFC's new chicken dish, and it’s the best menu item yet

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KFC's new Georgia Gold chicken was revealed in glamorous fashion in NYC. The item is being rolled out with the new Colonel Sanders, actor Billy Zane. We got invited to the exclusive event, and Business Insider's Kate Taylor tried the chicken herself.

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Forget burgers and fries — fried chicken is taking over the fast-food industry (YUM, MCD)

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Taco Bell Naked Chicken Chalupa 8

Forget burgers and fries — there's a new king of fast food on the rise. 

The fast-food industry is currently obsessed with fried chicken.

Of the 100 biggest restaurant chains in the US, three of the five fastest-growing are chicken concepts. The chicken sector has been the No. 1 category in the fast-food business by purchase consideration since last April, when it eclipsed the burger sector.

Now that fried chicken is firmly established as one of the most marketable types of fast food, unexpected chains are adding more and more of it to the menu.

Take, for example, Taco Bell.

On Thursday, Taco Bell launched the Naked Chicken Chalupa, which swaps a traditional tortilla shell for a shell made out of fried chicken. Taco Bell is also testing fried chicken chips in Irvine, California and the chain has hinted that a breakfast Naked Chicken Chalupa could be the focus of an upcoming test. 

Chicken McGriddle 9

Other chains are similarly eager to add more fried chicken to the menu. McDonald's is expanding its test of the Chicken McGriddle breakfast sandwich. Arby's relaunched its fried chicken last August, and plans to add more chicken sandwiches to the menu in 2017 after seeing significant growth in the area. 

The rise of fried chicken at restaurants better known for burgers, burritos, and roast beef sandwiches is based on a few factors. 

There are simple economic reasons. In 2016, chicken prices were significantly lower than beef prices, giving chicken chains a leg up on the burger-centric competition. While prices have equalized, the success of new chicken items proved to chains that there is a demand for poultry.

Chicken has managed to rehab its reputation — a key factor in making it a desirable dish to have on menus. 

In the 1990s and early 2000s, fried chicken was widely seen as unhealthy. KFC was the largest chicken chain by sales in the US at the time — but it wasn't doing much to boost fried chicken's reputation. The chainstruggled to promote its chicken as a high-quality product,instead debuting stunt menu items like the infamous Double Down.

Fuku Chicken sandwich 1742

However, in 2016, fried chicken has transformed into something that customers see as quality food — and maybe even somewhat healthy.

Shake Shack's popular Chick'n Shack  sandwich and celebrity chef David Chang's fried chicken concept Fuku played a role in making quick-service fried chicken trendy. 

And in recent years, Chick-fil-A helped usher fried chicken into the mainstream, becoming the No. 1 chicken chain in the US by sales. In 2015, system-wide sales topped $6 billion, and the company reported that same-store sales growth (sales at stores open more than a year) was in the double-digits.

Now, fast-food chains of all kinds are trying to get in on the trend. 

On Wednesday, KFC announced it was launching the new Georgia Gold Chicken, the chain's take on a niche, regional favorite. In tests, Taco Bell executives say that customers perceived the Naked Chicken Chalupa as fresh and creative, instead of being shamed as the second coming of the Double Down.

The restaurant industry's love affair with fried chicken isn't new. The biggest difference in 2017 is that fast-food chains of all kinds are ready to get in on the action.  

SEE ALSO: We tried KFC's latest take on a trendy regional chicken dish — and it's the chain's best menu item yet

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We got our hands on Taco Bell's new chalupa with a fried chicken shell and it's surprisingly tasty

KFC is doing something unprecedented with Colonel Sanders at this year's Super Bowl (YUM)

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Colonel Sanders

KFC is doubling down on Colonel Sanders-centric marketing. 

In the chicken chain's first-ever Super Bowl ad, KFC is featuring not just one, but two Colonels. Both Billy Zane — the Colonel paired with the chain's new Georgia Gold Chicken — and Rob Riggle — the Kentucky Buckets Colonel who has appeared in the chain's NFL ads — will star in the commercial. 

This is the first time a KFC ad will feature two Colonels in one commercial since Darrell Hammond brought the founder back from the dead in May 2015.

When KFC reintroduced the Colonel in 2015, many customers were skeptical or disgusted that the chain would revive its founder — a real person — from the dead. 

However, the move has paid off for the chain. In October, KFC hit its ninth consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth, after a period of slumping sales. 

SEE ALSO: KFC just revealed a new Colonel Sanders

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We got an exclusive invite to try KFC's new chicken dish, and it’s the best menu item yet

KFC's chicken pizza 'Chizza' comes with a bitter side-serving of expectations vs. reality

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KFC Chizza

Fried chicken and pizza, combined into a Frankenstein's monster of fast food.

What could possibly go wrong?

KFC's publicity photos for the new"Chizza" product are saliva-inducing, if you like the idea of "chicken ham" on a fried-chicken base with tomato sauce, "Signature KFC Cheese Sauce," mozzarella and — we're not making this up — pineapple chunks.

Unfortunately for beguiled diners, expectations have not quite aligned with reality.

The saucy chicken hybrid is currently only available in the Philippines. It is supposed to look like this:

Chizza

But these reactions on Twitter show something different:

In the promo shot, Chizza looks like a coherent product ...

But in reality ...

... It is sometimes served like a random, unconnected pile of ingredients. 

Undeterred by the reception on Twitter, KFC told The Express: "We’re always looking to introduce delicious new products to our menu, and are really excited about the incredible response Chizza has received around the world. Keep your eyes peeled!"

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Colonel Sanders’ nephew revealed the family’s secret recipe — here’s how to make KFC’s ‘original' fried chicken

KFC trolls the internet with a 'clean-eating burger' — complete with spiralized chicken breast and ice cube relish (YUM)

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KFC UK and Ireland decided to have a little bit of fun with its social media this week.

On Thursday, the fast food giant advertised a forthcoming "clean-eating burger" on its social media accounts.

The burger apparently consists of:

  • A chia-seeded cauliflower bun
  • Unsweetened almond yoghurt
  • Ice cube relish
  • Spiralized chicken breast
  • 100% British kale

The burger was purportedly created in collaboration with "Figgy Poppleton-Rice," a clear poke at nauseous clean-eating, clean-living food bloggers. The bio on her Twitter account, which was set up just this month, reads: "Clean-eating fanatic, development chef, cauliflower connoisseur. Proud mummy to Julian, the micro-teacup Pomeranian 🐩 #CleanEating"

It's clearly a parody, but that hasn't stopped some incredulous responses to the campaign from social media users:

A KFC spokesperson told Mashable: "The KFC spokesperson isn’t available to comment as they are currently looking into an increased cauliflower demand."

Ha. Ha.

We'll have to wait and see what delights KFC UK and Ireland has in store for us on Monday. KFC's UK and Ireland ad agency is BBH, while Freuds handles its PR.

SEE ALSO: The German supermarket known for creating amazing viral ads has a new commercial about losing weight

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It turns out KFC's 'clean-eating' cauliflower burger was a prank to launch a much more traditional menu item

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kfc cleaneating burger

Last week, KFC UK and Ireland ran a puzzling social media campaign to trumpet the launch of its new "clean-eating burger."

It apparently contained a "chia-seeded cauliflower bun,""unsweetened almond yoghurt,""ice cube relish,""spiralized chicken breast," and "100% British kale."

KFC said it was created in collaboration with "Figgy Poppleton-Rice"— a clear parody of clean-eating food bloggers. Nevertheless, some internet users reacted in disdain at KFC for neglecting its traditional fried chicken fare.

Now KFC has revealed the stunt was a marketing ploy to launch a much more KFC-like menu item.

In a press release, KFC says the idea for the campaign was based on "consumer fatigue" around the clean eating trend: "Let’s get real – no one is craving a quinoa salad, lusting over a kale and celery juice, going weak at the knees for chia seeds or daydreaming about raw veg crudités."

Instead, KFC is launching a new burger called "The Dirty Lousiana." It contains a chicken fillet, three sauces (black pepper mayo, "supercharger" sauce, and BBQ sauce), two layers of cheese, gherkins, and a hash brown.

That's more like it:

kfc dirty louisiana

SEE ALSO: KFC trolls the internet with a 'clean-eating burger' — complete with spiralized chicken breast and ice cube relish

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