KFC Debuts National Rollout Of Its Plant-Based Fried Chicken

The Faux-Poultry war is on: KFC adds its Plant-based Fried Chicken to the menu in all its US restaurants.

“The mission from day one was simple: make the world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken from plants,” Kevin Hochman, KFC’s U.S. president, said in a statement. “And now over two years later we can say, ‘Mission accomplished.’”

KFC was the first national fast-food brand to offer plant-based chicken. The brand conducted an initial experiment in Atlanta back in 2019, where massive crowds bought out a week’s worth of plant-based nuggets in five hours. Subsequent tests in Nashville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina, confirmed the trend: in both cases, the faux chicken was sold out within a week.

Now, the brand has announced a national rollout of the plant-based fried chicken, developed with Beyond Meat, starting January 10.

KFC has recruited actress and Creator Liza Koshy to promote the Beyond nuggets in a celestial-themed campaign dubbed “Kentucky Fried Miracle.” Koshy was chosen for her content that is “equal parts funny, fantastical and slightly unexpected, kind of like the idea of plant-based fried chicken,” according to a spokesperson.