Place: KFC
Item: New chicken salads
Price: $4.29
Maybe Colonel Sander's brain is fried, because KFC is in the throes of an identity crisis. First, there's the lingering psychosis from the "Kentucky Fried Chicken" name change, and now the further delusion, manifesting itself in commercials, that a bucket of its fried chicken counts as health food.
Colonel, after more than 50 years in business, pleasejust face the facts that you ain't no tofu-and-sproutsjoint, no matter what name or marketing spin you put on it. That said, you do serve good-and-good-for-youchicken ‘ it just doesn't come in a bucket. In searchof what really is healthful at KFC, we partook of twoentries from the new line of chicken salads, namelythe BLT and the barbecue ones. Colonel, here's yourdiagnosis, courtesy of the Lunch Guys.
Tom: I don't get the feeling KFC is truly committed to health food and that's OK by me. These salads seem like an afterthought the way someone throws leftovers together and calls it a meal. Since the menu neither depicts nor describes, you have to guess which one of the three offered best suits you.The tropical was out of the question, so I went with the BBQ and the BLT. While the BBQ with the roasted chicken was good enough to have me digging through the
upthe accompanying mini-tub of ranch dressing (a.k.a."screw your health, let's fatten this salad up" condiment). Of course, if my health wasn't an issue,I'd prefer this salad topped with the still superiormeat from an Original Recipe Extra Crispy chicken breast freshly plucked off the bone, but I think mydoctor would nix that.
Tom: Maybe they are having a consistency problem with their salads. That never happens with the 3-piece meal. KFC should face the facts. No one is ever going to go there for a salad. Even if you get a good one it's hardly enough to tide you over till dinner. The Colonel didn't seem like he was a gambling man, and if he were here he'd tell you to go with the sure thing: the fried things.
Chris: True enough. You can't miss with the buckets of glisteningly crispy chicken. But really, who could eat 3-piece for lunch? It's messy and unhealthy (unless you believe those TV ads). The Colonel may still be working the kinks out of these salads, but count me as one person who'll go to KFC for one.
Rating: 3 sporks (out of 5)
Food facts: Surprisingly not available.
E-mail The Lunch Guys:
tomandchris@thelunchguys.com
lettuce looking for more of the black beans, corn and chicken in bbq sauce, the BLT was awful. It had only a few measly chunks of chicken, over what looked like leftover scraps from the bottom of a salad bar. A few pieces of broccoli and cauliflower seemed like a desperate appeal tonutrition in the same way someone orders a dozen doughnuts and a Diet Coke in an attempt to lose weight. Each "meal" was complemented with a rock of a roll and a tub of dressing. Neither was filling or worth the five bucks it cost.
Chris: No other chain should be able to do chicken as well as KFC can, otherwise what's the point? If Ronald McDonald's twonot-so-secret spices could top the Colonel's recipe,then KFC should close shop.But as I expected, I thought the chicken saladexcelled. In my barbecue chicken version, I had so many grilled chunks of breast meat nestled throughout the bed of iceberg lettuce that I almost filled up on those savory tender bites without even touching the corn and black beans mixed in. Thesubtle barbecue sauce drizzled on top also did the jobfor me in the dressing department -- no need to open
KFC's Colonel Orders Salad on the Menu
