KFC has started offering KFC Beyond Nuggets at most locations in Canada and the United States. These plant-based nuggets made in conjunction with Beyond Meat add a vegetarian option to the menu, similar to Beyond Burgers and Impossible Burgers offered by numerous hamburger chains. For people concerned about the environmental impact of meat or for families that love KFC but have a vegetarian in the household, it’s a nice option to have. Unfortunately, the inconsistency and cost of these faux chicken nuggets will limit their popularity.
Here’s my breakdown of Colonel Sanders’ foray into plant-based chicken.
You Down With KFC? (Yeah You Know Me!)
Taste — KFC’s plant-based nuggets are oily and salty, like most things on the KFC menu. Compared to other chicken nuggets, they’re not as tasty. The flavor is similar to frozen chicken nuggets you can buy at the grocery store. For me, the taste wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t memorable either. Naturally, we all have different taste buds, so opinions will vary.
Texture — This was my biggest issue with these fake nuggets. Some of the pieces were great; they felt just like biting into a freshly fried chicken nugget from McDonald’s, Burger King, etc. Unfortunately, those pieces were the minority of my 12. Most of the ones in my box range from too firm to this-is-almost-painful-to-bite firm.
Consistency is one of the main drawing parts of fast food. No matter where you are in the world, McDonald’s feels and tastes like McDonald’s. Meanwhile, KFC Beyond Nuggets have wildly varying textures within the same box. It was almost impressive how drastically different this food felt nugget to nugget.
Price — KFC offers 6 nuggets for $7.99 and 12 nuggets for $14.99. While the nuggets are slightly bigger than those offered by other fast food chains, the price is quite expensive.
Really Vegetarian? — Similar to other fast food chains, my local KFC does not use separate equipment for the preparation of Beyond Nuggets. This means that the plant-based nuggets come into contact with oil used to cook actual chicken. Some vegetarians are fine with this and some are not.
Should I Buy KFC Beyond Nuggets?
No. They’re expensive, they aren’t particularly tasty, and the texture is amazingly inconsistent.