There's nothing wrong with ordering a meal from the regular KFC menu, but wouldn't it
be more fun to upgrade it with a hack? Luckily for you, there's a deep bucket of inspiration
to draw upon, so keep watching to discover the KFC hacks you need to know about.
Back in 2018, KFC asked its Facebook followers to divulge their own secret menu hacks. The
most original by far came from someone named Jessica Cole, and it involves ordering any
version of KFC chicken in which drumsticks are involved, along with mashed potatoes,
gravy, and fries. If that sounds pretty humdrum, just wait until you hear what you're supposed
to do next.
Grab the drumstick at the stick end and proceed to peel off the finger-lickin' skin. Then
take that crispy coating and wrap it tightly around a fistful of Secret Recipe fries. Use
your free hand to douse the mashed potatoes with gravy and then send your fistful of skin-wrapped
fries plunging into that mashed gravy goodness. KFC was clearly impressed with the moxie of
this suggestion, as they declared,
"Now that's a hack, Jessica."
Plenty of people have heard of gizzards, but not everyone's actually tried them. For the
uninitiated, a gizzard is a muscle in a chicken's digestive tract. When chickens are pecking,
they swallow some of the grit and gravel, which ends up in their gizzards. When it's
feeding time, this powerful muscle contracts like a fist, squeezing the gravel, which then
grinds up food before it heads to the stomach.
Gizzards are also known to taste pretty divine among gizzard aficionados, who describe the
flavor as similar to a morsel of rich, dark, chicken meat, which when cooked becomes succulent.
Gizzards are also one of the most nutritious parts of a chicken. Teeming with protein,
they contain abundant amounts of iron, phosphorus, and zinc. Now that you know the truth about
gizzards, you'll want to order some. Thankfully, some regional KFCs actually offer them, particularly
in the Southeast United States, where fried gizzards are a beloved delicacy. In fact,
after they were discontinued from many locations in the late 2000s, a wave of discontent led
to the creation of a Facebook page to get them back. Ultimately the campaign proved
so successful that KFC did indeed reintroduce them to select locations.
When KFC unleashed the Double Down back in 2010, it was as if a bomb had gone off. The
bunless sandwich consisted of bacon, sliced cheese, and the Colonel's Special Sauce between
two fried chicken filets posing as bread. Naturally enough, it provoked massive controversy.
Food critics called it disgusting, while statistician Nate Silver did the math to find out if the
Double Down was the unhealthiest sandwich ever. Even comedian Stephen Colbert weighed
in, as he declared,
"This is the warped creation of a syphilitic brain!"
Despite all that talk, the Double Down was a hit. In just over a month, more than 10
million units were sold, causing KFC to extend the initial limited-edition offering.The Double
Down has since disappeared from KFC menus. But the essential components are still available
individually with the exception of the Colonel's sauce, so menu hackers have been able to revive
the Double Down in all its greasy glory. Some particularly innovative customers have gone
even further, creating the likes of the Mac & Cheese Double Down, as well as the Triple
Down, which is achieved by adding a third layer of fried chicken along with extra bacon
and cheese. And if you're feeling guilty about all that grease, just swap the fried chicken
for grilled.
"Bacon and cheese wrapped in fried chicken, or living?"
KFC and Taco Bell are fast food siblings, as their shared parent company is Yum! Brands.
It's no surprise then that numerous KFC and Taco Bell locations literally share space
by operating under the same roof. This cohabitation adds benefits to Yum!'s bottom line, and it
also offers advantages to indecisive diners who might otherwise have a difficult time
choosing between Kentucky Fried goodness and Mexican hotness. Why limit yourself to one
when you can hack the best of both?
One spicy possibility is a helping of Nacho Cheese Fries. Start by ordering some KFC fries
and then head over to Taco Bell for a side order of cheese sauce to pour on top. Before
digging in, you'll want to bathe the proceedings in all different temperatures of hot sauce.
For those who don't know, poutine is a glorious mix of hot crispy fries and melted cheese
curds, doused in beef-infused gravy. A culinary accident dating back to rural Quebec in the
1950s, it's grown into one of Canada's most iconic dishes. It's such a mainstay that no
fast food restaurant in the Great White North would dare to offer a poutine-free menu. Burger
King kicked off the trend in the late 80s and McDonald's and KFC wisely followed suit.
KFC recently introduced fries at its American locations, but tragically cheese curds can
only be found at locations north of the 49th parallel.
Happily, there's no need to head across the border when you can make what's known as "Sanders
poutine." You have several cheesy options to make this happen. It's likely that your
local KFC has some cheese slices kicking around. Plead with the cashier for a couple, then
tear them into bite-sized pieces and scatter them on your fries before pouring on the gravy.
You may also want to consider lathering your fries with a side order of mac and cheese.
Finally, if your KFC happens to be joined to a Taco Bell, make the trek next door and
request a side of cheese sauce to complete the holy poutine trinity.
KFC's old-school mashed potatoes have an incredibly loyal following. While they're typically served
as a side dish, they also work fantastically well as a rich and creamy condiment. In other
cultures and moments in time, the mashed potato sandwich has been a prominent source of nutrition
and comfort. During World War II, its spread along with other potato-based staples like
potato salad, potato soup, potato pudding, and potato scones, made it a life-sustaining
staple in Great Britain. And in India potato sandwiches remain a popular mainstay to this
day.
When you reinforce any KFC chicken sandwich with a generous smear of mashed potatoes,
you're creating a fusion of creamy and crispy, while adding a whole other extra layer of
deliciousness. Even though KFC doesn't advertise mashed potatoes as a topping, most servers
will be more than willing to add a scoop of mashed goodness to your meal.
White Castle may have invented the slider with its tiny steamed burgers and diced onions,
but these days basically any edible substance that's topped with condiments and wedged between
two tiny buns is considered a slider. Some people with lax criteria even claim that KFC's
Chicken Littles Sandwich is a slider. The original, square-shaped Chicken Little, which
vanished in the early 80s, perhaps could've passed for a slider. But the present-day version
that was reintroduced in 2012 is little more than a Crispy Strip on a long bun with some
pickle chips and a dollop of mayo. That is to say, not really a slider.
But luckily if you head to KFC with sliders on the brain, you can make it work. You'll
just need to get creative. A popular hack in Australian KFCs is a fancy slider that's
made by slicing a roll in half and then piling it with shredded pieces of Original Recipe
chicken, coleslaw, and a ny sauce that your heart desires. Since American KFCs don't offer
rolls, we recommend going the biscuit route, as biscuits have the advantage of warding
off any potential sogginess created by slaw seepage. Although if you happen to be in Bermuda,
you actually don't have to get through all that trouble, as Biscuit sliders are actually
offered on the menu there.
In recent decades, American pop culture has given rise to a handful of iconic sandwiches.
Among the favored few is the Moist Maker, which made its televised debut on the 1998
Friends episode "The One with Ross's Sandwich." In the episode, Ross Geller is feeling pretty
low while fresh off his second divorce and evicted from his apartment. Things get worse
when his boss eats the Thanksgiving leftover sandwich that his sister Monica made for him,
whose most iconic feature is a gravy-soaked piece of bread in the middle that Ross refers
to as the "moist maker." Before indulging in an epic sitcom meltdown, he whines that
the sandwich is the only good thing he has going on in his life.
"My sandwich? MY SANDWICH?!"
As Friends has remained popular in syndication and on streaming sites, Ross's sandwich has
gone viral as fans have tried to recreate the Moist Maker. Even KFC got in on the act
in 2017 when they released a video detailing how to hack the sandwich. Here's how you do
it: order a Crispy Colonel sandwich, a Chicken Littles sandwich, and some gravy. Take the
top bun off the Crispy Colonel and cover the chicken with a layer of gravy. On top of that,
place the top bun from the Chicken Littles sandwich and more gravy. Then add the smaller
piece of chicken and even more gravy before crowning it all off with the Crispy Colonel's
top bun. Finally, take comfort in the fact that at least one good thing is going on in
your life.
KFC isn't known for anything involving bacon. But this crispy delicacy is actually available
at KFC, just waiting to be ordered by an in-the-know customer. All you have to do is ask for it.
Armed with these strips of salty smokiness, you can add an entire new dimension of texture
and flavor to any item on the menu. We recommend reproducing a version of what chicken and
bacon do best together: a club sandwich. This iconic American specialty was supposedly invented
at New York's Union Club in 1889 and originally consisted of sliced chicken or turkey along
with ham. When the first recorded Club-House Sandwich recipe was published in 1894, bacon
was already being suggested as an alternative to broiled ham, with lettuce, a pickle, and
mayo adding essential moisture and zest.
It's pretty easy to concoct a KFC Club sandwich using any of the restaurant's chicken sandwiches.
Along with the essential bacon, add a side of cole slaw as an alternative to the classic
condiment trio of lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo. Then pig out to your heart's content!
As the world gets crazier by the minute, KFC has done a great job keeping pace. In the
spring of 2020, for example, the restaurant revealed its truest self by unleashing a fried
chicken and donut sandwich. Baked off-site, the "glazed to order" donuts were fried and
doused with vanilla icing before serving as the circular top and bottom to a filling of
Extra Crispy fried chicken. Although the limited-time creation ended in mid-March, the fact that
KFC invested in all that donut equipment seemingly leaves the door open for a return. And if
you missed out, you can just copy a pair of DIY hackers in Japan who picked up a box of
donuts and constructed a makeshift chicken donut sandwich in the cozy comfort of their
car.
For those whose tastes skew more salty than sweet, you can consider hacking another surreal
flavor pairing from 2019: the KFC Cheetos Sandwich. This crunchy concoction featured
a chicken filet topped with mayo, an intensely orange Cheetos sauce, and a generous layer
of Cheetos. Hacking this sandwich is pretty simple. You have to do some prep work ahead
of time by coming armed with a bag of Cheetos when you arrive at KFC. While there's no substitute
for the Cheetos sauce, you can compensate by ordering a Crispy Colonel Sandwich to up
the crunch factor. Now get out there and get to hacking!
"Colonel Chester, you saved us!" "That's one finger-lickin' good product partnership."
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite
fast food are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't
miss a single one.