KFC is testing new Original Recipe chicken tenders in Cincinnati and surrounding areas starting Oct. 23. The tenders are available for $5 and paired with a dipping sauce and biscuit.
They’re also available as part of KFC’s $20 Fill Up Box, which comes with four Original Recipe tenders, four pieces of fried chicken, a side of Secret Recipe fries, four biscuits and four dipping sauces.
According to Claire Brandenburg, KFC’s product innovation manager, the Original Recipe tenders are different than the chain’s current tenders because of the breading process. Both are hand-breaded and double-breaded, but the current tenders go through the Extra Crispy breading system, while the tenders in test are put through the Original Recipe breading system. Before the company’s new nuggets were launched in April, only the company’s chicken on-the-bone products were breaded through the Original Recipe system.
“We’re now shifting some of our boneless items into the Original Recipe breading system and this (test) is our newest product,” Brandenburg said during a media immersion experience this week at KFC U.S.’s headquarters in Louisville, Ky. “And, instead of putting them in a fryer, like we do our current tenders, we fry them under pressure, which helps deliver a juicier product, but with the crispy exterior still.”
This test comes on the heels of KFC’s chicken wraps launch in February and as the brand sharpens its focus on attracting a younger demographic by offering more boneless and portable offerings, including sandwiches, nuggets and wraps.
“We’re innovating to attract younger and newer customers and the nuggets’ introduction is an example of that. It introduced a new generation of customers to KFC with our Original Recipe,” KFC U.S. CMO Nick Chavez said during this week’s media event. “Original Recipe is our superpower. That unique blend of 11 herbs and spices is something no one else can deliver.”
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
