I hadn’t specifically planned my most recent posting hiatus just as I didn’t initially plan this post. However, sometimes you find yourself wanting KFC and then they go and provide you an impetus to drive down and try something. That impetus, of course is KFC’s Beyond Nuggets. That’s right, KFC has hopped on the imitation (is that the correct nomenclature?) meat bandwagon and recently rolled out Beyond Nuggets nationwide. These are on a trial run, but I imagine KFC and Beyond would like to make the arrangement permanent.

Regardless, I was intrigued enough by how KFC could execute this that I decided I wanted to try them – though to be fair I also bought myself chicken in case they were terrible. I’m not unfamiliar with Beyond products: I’ve cooked and eaten the beef and a few of the sausage varietals. I found them to be fine, but not something to put into my regular eating rotation. I’d rather skip meat entirely than use a substitute which also happens to be high in sodium. However, I’d never had a chicken product, so this would be a whole new experience.

KFC’s Beyond Nuggets are “KFC’s exclusive plant-based chicken” and come in packs of six and twelve, available alone or as a combo, which comes with their new Secret Recipe Fries, a medium drink, and one to two sauce packets. I got the six piece combo, which was $9.99 before tax, as well as a three piece tender and extra crispy leg. As mentioned above, I got the extra chicken because I was dubious of the Beyond Nuggets, but they also provided me the opportunity to directly compare actual chicken and Beyond Chicken.

I placed my order in person and drove it home, so it was probably around twenty minutes from receipt of my bag to my first bite, which is not ideal, but I don’t think eating in the store or my car would have changed anything. The nuggets were put into a KFC box with the fries… which were also within a box (boxes in boxes!). I don’t need the extra packaging, but it made the Nuggets seem like an afterthought since they did not have their own presentation.

Upon first glance, these looked like regular chicken nuggets. They had a distinct smell, which I couldn’t quite place. I don’t want to say it was bad, but just different. The nuggets themselves were …. fine. The breading was a little bland and to be honest, the texture reminded me more of baked frozen nuggets than something freshly fried. They weren’t especially crunchy and while they didn’t feel greasy, it felt like maybe oil had dried into the breading. KFC chicken has a distinct taste (11 herbs and spices!) and I really didn’t get that blast of flavor.

The Beyond meat itself didn’t have a strong overall taste. I thought it tasted like chicken, as did my wife. The texture of the meat was dense. It looked dense and the nugget felt a little heavy. I understand that most nuggets are packaged together chicken parts, but good nuggets either aren’t or don’t seem that way. These felt like compressed meat. They weren’t overly greasy, but also weren’t overly flavorful.

When bouncing between these and the other chicken, the Beyond Nuggets definitely lacked the flavor of the other two items. Their breading had more seasoning and the chicken had a more natural texture and flavor and was juicy. The Nuggets were dry. This could have been alleviated by sauce. However, I didn’t receive any. I thought it came standard with the meal so I didn’t ask for any. I could see how the Nuggets would be elevated by the sauce, but then these are just a vehicle for your preferred sauce. I’m not a big sauce person. Sauces enhance the experience but good food should stand on its own.

So what are the Beyond Nuggets? They’re serviceable sauce vehicles for someone who is at KFC but does not want to eat chicken. Oh, and they are not vegetarian or vegan (I’m guessing due to preparing them in the same containers as the chicken) so they are not catching that market (For what it’s worth, I think the same can be said for the Impossible Whopper).

What is the market for these? Checking the nutritional information, a three piece chicken tender is lower in fat and sodium than a six piece nugget, so you’re not eating healthier. They aren’t bad but the real chicken tastes better. They aren’t vegetarian/vegan. I’ve heard the argument in favor of the Impossible Whopper is that you physically feel better after eating it when compared with the beef patty. I can’t make that comparison here, but that would be the only reason I could conceive of why to get these. But if that’s your concern, you’re probably not at KFC in the first place. At $9.99 for a six piece meal, these are also pretty expensive for fast food. As the prices between fast food and restaurants become slimmer, one of the main appeals of fast food disappears.

If the Nuggets are to become a permanent addition, I think they need an overhaul on the breading/seasoning. Make them crispy! This is supposed to be KFC. If I wanted oven baked chicken, I’d get it from the supermarket at a cheaper price. Make that breading more on par with the chicken. I think that texture contrast would also distract from the texture of the meat.

While I’m writing, I may as well mention KFC’s new Secret Recipe Fries which are “Seasoned with a secret blend of herbs and spices and fried to crispy perfection”. These replaced the potato wedges and this is the first opportunity I’ve had to try them. Ladies and gentlemen, I deem myself something of an expert on fries. The old potato wedges were not great – they generally were not fresh and felt like they had been sitting under lamp for at least thirty minutes (what are you people ordering for sides here and at Popeye’s?!), but they were distinctly KFC’s.

These new fries were not good. If they were seasoned with anything other than salt, you could have fooled me. Even though I didn’t eat them fresh, I could tell they would not have been better even if I ate them as soon as they were handed to me. They were overdone and had been sitting under a lamp. I know all fast food fries are frozen, but they need to taste better than something I could buy in a supermarket (I know I made that reference above but it holds here too). KFC downgraded from something that was distinctive, if not always the best it could be, into something generic that I didn’t even finish. Disappointing.