Sponsored By

KFC sauces up its chicken nuggetsKFC sauces up its chicken nuggets

KFC’s Saucy Nuggets are available in one of five sauce flavors, three of which are new.

Alicia Kelso, Executive Editor

March 28, 2024

4 Min Read
KFC Saucy Nuggets
KFC's Saucy Nuggets are available in five flavors.Photo courtesy of KFC

KFC is adding sauces to its chicken nuggets a little over a year after their successful launch.

Starting April 1, 10 Saucy Nuggets will be available in one of five sauce flavors for $5.99. Customers who spend $10 or more on KFC.com or KFC’s app can get a free 10-piece Saucy Nuggets order. The Saucy Nuggets flavors include:

  • New Honey Sriracha, which features a blend of red chile peppers, garlic and honey.

  • New Korean BBQ, an umami sauce with soy sauce, garlic sugar and sesame.

  • New Sticky Chicky Sweet ‘n Sour, combining sweet and tangy flavors including pineapple, garlic, vinegar, and chile.

  • Nashville Hot, first introduced by the company in 2016 as part of KFC’s Nashville Hot Chicken.

  • Georgia Gold, first launched in 2017, this honey-mustard-style BBQ sauce is made with vinegar, honey and savory seasoning.

“We’ve entered the sauce chat,” CMO Nick Chavez said in a statement. “Our KFC Nuggets – made from 100% white meat chicken and hand-breaded with KFC’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices – dripping with these sauces create an unmatched flavor experience, with something for every palate.”

@nationsrestaurantnews Starting April 1, 10 Saucy Nuggets will be available in one of five sauce flavors for $5.99. Customers who spend $10 or more on KFC.com or KFC’s app can get a free 10-piece Saucy Nuggets order. The Saucy Nuggets flavors include: New Honey Sriracha, which features a blend of red chile peppers, garlic and honey. New Korean BBQ, an umami sauce with soy sauce, garlic sugar and sesame. New Sticky Chicky Sweet ‘n Sour, combining sweet and tangy flavors including pineapple, garlic, vinegar, and chile. Nashville Hot, first introduced by the company in 2016 as part of KFC’s Nashville Hot Chicken. Georgia Gold, first launched in 2017, this honey-mustard-style BBQ sauce is made with vinegar, honey and savory seasoning. #kfc#kfcnuggets#chickennuggets#koreanbbq#nashvillehotchicken#bbqsauce#honeysiracha#chickenwings#nrnunboxing#nrnmenutracker#fastfood#newfastfood♬ Fighter (Instrumental) - ROKKA

Related:KFC adds Honey BBQ and Spicy Mac & Cheese to its wraps lineup

That sauce chat has grown louder recently, as companies from McDonald’s to Taco Bell move their sauce creations into the spotlight in response to growing consumer demand. Product introductions including sauces and seasonings increased by 10% in 2022, while the global culinary sauces market is projected to grow to nearly $60 billion by 2029, from $46.6 billion in 2022, according to Fortune Business Insights. Younger consumers are driving this trend.

“Younger consumers are not only diverse from a heat standpoint, but they also dip, drench and sauce everything. Everything,” Chavez said during a recent interview. “That’s why we upped our sauce game …”

Sauces have become a bigger part of KFC’s strategy as the brand works to generate younger audiences, and because they’re a simple ingredient addition that creates variety, Chief Food Innovation Officer Vijay Sukumar said during a recent interview.

“People are finding ways to sell more variety with a simplistic operational approach. One of the ways you can offer a variety of fried chicken is with different sauces,” he said. “The sauce war has just started. The younger generation cares for it and chicken is a great carrier for sauce.”

KFC has also added Apple Pie Poppers to its dessert menu, featuring apple pie filling wrapped in a flaky crust. This launch comes as more concepts up their snack/dessert offerings to drive special intent visits and incremental sales.

Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]

Read more about:

KFC

About the Author

Alicia Kelso

Executive Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Alicia Kelso is the executive editor of Nation's Restaurant News. She began covering the restaurant industry in 2010 for QSRweb.com, FastCasual.com and PizzaMarketplace.com. When her son was born, she left the industry to pursue a role in higher education, but swiftly returned after realizing how much she missed the space. In filling that void, Alicia added a contributor role at Restaurant Dive and a senior contributor role at Forbes.
Her work has appeared in publications around the world, including Forbes Asia, NPR, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, Crain's Chicago, Good Morning America and Franchise Asia Magazine.
Alicia holds a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University, where she competed on the women's swim team. In addition to cheering for the BGSU Falcons, Alicia is a rabid Michigan fan and will talk about college football with anyone willing to engage. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her wife and son.

Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.