KFC (or… The Best Excuse Ever for Eating Fried Chicken)

There are a lot of reasons I choose to write about a place.  Being “Cheap” is a given… but other than that the first, and most obvious is the food.  A lot of the places I write about do something interesting- something that isn’t available everywhere.  Whether it’s the Indian Burritos at Kati Roll, the rice balls at Oms/b, the various ramen places, or the meat pies at Tuck Shop– these postings are most popular because they are destination lunches- worth walking that extra 5 or 10 minutes if you don’t work right near the place.

I write about carts because there are so many of them, and it’s hard to know which ones are good and bad.  Plus, a lot of people are scared of them… and would rather read about my suffering after eating at a bad cart- then experience it for themselves.  I don’t usually write about the deli/salad bar places, because there is one on every block of Midtown- and they bore me.  I will, however write about one if they are doing something different or interesting… like the Korean Food at Cafe Duke, or the Soups @ Dishes

I very very rarely write about fast food- so the next question is obvious… Why the hell would you write about KFC???  Well the answer depends on who’s asking.  If you haven’t heard yet, New York City is considering banning artificial trans fats from all restaurants in the city.  In light of this possible ban, KFC has taken preemptive action, phasing trans fats out of the fried chicken at all their Manhattan restaurants (it’s still in the biscuits) as of the first of this month.  They plan on rolling out the change in all of their restaurants Nationwide by April of next year.

Clearly this is topical.  People need to know if this new KFC, fried in trans-fat’less soybean oil is as good as it used to be!  Right???  I’m doing a service to the community.  How does the new chicken compare to the old chicken.  (The real reason I’m writing about KFC, pictures and a less than helpful +/- after the jump)

So, when my wife asked me, “Why are you eating at KFC?” that was my answer.  But the real reason is much more simple.  Fat guy likes fried chicken.  That’s right.  I admit it.  I am using my blog as an excuse to eat something I probably would not normally eat for lunch.  Sue me.  I love fried chicken!  And I don’t care what anyone says, KFC is freaking good.  I am actually of the opinion that it is hard to screw up fried chicken… as long as it’s well seasoned with salt and pepper, and fried crispy it’s gonna be good.  How could it not be???  Sure, there are a ton of places you could name where there is better fried chicken (Harlem, New Orleans, Popeye’s), but it doesn’t change the fact that fried chicken at KFC is gooooood.

So, with my “reason” for eating fried chicken in hand, I headed to one of the few KFC’s in Midtown to check out the “new” chicken.  To make my “taste testing” appear more scientific, I have taken a picture of each item individually:


Extra Crispy Breast


Original Recipe Thigh


Artificial Trans Fat Biscuit

I didn’t have any of the old chicken to compare it with, and I haven’t eaten at KFC in a few years… so i can’t really speak to the differences between the two (this post is getting more and more useless as it continues).  All I can really say is the chicken was awesome!!!!  Hot, a good dose of salt, pepper and other spices, super crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside.  I was surprised at how crispy the original recipe thigh was.  I never understood what kind of crazy person would turn down the opportunity to make anything “extra crispy”… but after tasting the original recipe, and armed with the knowledge that it is actually significantly less fattening then the EC, I think I might be an original recipe convert.

There are only 3 KFC locations that would be considered “Midtown”, and I went to the one on 50th btw. 6+7th.  Despite being a combo KFC/Pizza Hut/Dunkin Donuts/Haagen Daaz location, the food was surprisingly hot and fresh tasting.  If this crappy KFC was good, I’m assuming they all must be good (something that I’m sure will be disproved by multiple comments below).  It seemed a little expensive, which may either be the location (everything in Midtown NYC is more expensive) or the fact that I’m getting old and things are starting to seem more expensive.  (Please use a Grandpa Simpson voice when reading the next line) “When I was a kid, a 2 pc. extra crispy meal was $2.65, dagnabbit!!!”

So in the end, my taste test is useless and has revealed nothing… except that I am not afraid to use this blog (and you people- my readers) as an excuse to eat fried chicken.  Thanks!  And if this post causes you to go out and eat fried chicken for lunch today, feel free to use my “Ban on Trans Fats” excuse with that special person in your life who doesn’t want you to die at 40 from a coronary.  

THE +

  • Um… it’s chicken that’s been battered and fried.  How could that not be good????
  • Now fried with slightly less deadly soybean oil!!!!!

THE –

  • The biscuits still have artificial trans fats in them… (so the only excuse for eating them is deliciousness)
  • It’s greasy  (I wonder why….)
  • It’s fattening (I wonder why….)

Kentucky Fried Chicken, Multiple Locations

  1. 761 7th Ave. (on 50th) 212-563-7440
  2. 47 E. 42nd. St. (btw. Mad+Park) 212-681-8501
  3. 1286 Broadway(on 33rd) 212-630-0315

18 Comments

  • Lard, people, lard! No transfats and it makes everything fried in it taste succulent.

  • Ooh, listen to Lisa, she knows what she’s talking about. I don’t know why people get so upset about lard, look at Mario Batali (HAHAHAHA)…

    But damn, you just made me want fried chicken. There’s a KFC that’s so walkable (and has not been open the 2 times I’ve attempted to go, once on a Sunday and once on a Saturday), and a Popeye’s that’s slightly further. Oh damn…

  • fried chicken is the world’s most photogenic food.

  • spammers eat at kfc (they use them for domain name registrations) we call them chicken boners.

  • I actually went to KFC to try out the trans-fat-less-ness of it but it was CLOSED again. Whoever heard of a KFC closing at 5 pm!? Bah, wound up at Popeye’s because the fried chicken craving was burning into my stomach. Pictures up shortly.

  • The only time I ever eat KFC is when I go to Jamaica. It actually tastes extremely different in a good way. The barbecue is something special there. I almost got a heart attack after reading this post. Wow!! I can’t imagine how clogged the arteries will be after eating enough KFC. That would make me scared. Salad anyone?

  • Your lucky then because KFC in England is likely to taste like cardboard.

  • Gimmeh! Gimmeh!

    P.S. Everyone, go watch South Park!

  • Jesus – noestly have never read a more upsetting article.Celebration of KFC is fu**ing wird.I aint no liberal but bigging up KFC and the health horrors it holds is bizarre…Whats wrong with local produce from one of your many markets? NYC rocks…

  • Zach!
    You know biscuits are supposed to have shortening (read: trans fats) in them, right? You can make them with butter (not enough lift), or lard (right texture, wrong flavor), but shortening is biscuit magic!

    And I like the balanced “mainstream” reviews once in awhile. Keep it up!

  • i dont trust these fast food place’s….The oil goes bad many time’s since it is not change as often as it should….Been hit bad with ransit oil……How is a person suppose to know when the oil is fresh or not….They would never clue you in when you ask about it…. i love friend chic,but can’t risk the chance since i got hit real bad….

  • even though its so unhealthy if you do eventually give in to the temptations its always packed and you need to wait like 20 minutes when u could have just cooked a nice meal (healthy or not) and then you need to get home whether driving or not and it’s so annoying (mayby you could make a thing that tells you when to go to a fastfood place)

  • YOU ARE CRUEL TO YOUR SO CALLED CHICKENS

  • ew they put steriods in their chicken and most chickens r squised and stepped on and turn black and dull and smells like dead animals

  • …and what pleasure comes without suffering, I ask? Jesus, Crisp died for our sins. I think I’m gonna have to grab me some of that Chipotle flavored crap their hawking (he he) because what could sound more [s]disgusting[/s] delicious than bird parts drenched in oil and covered with artificial flavored gunk? Yum…. god eats.

    Don’t bother playing the lame video games on the website there’s no coupon or anything at the end…. bastards.

  • Well I survived, and it was not as bad as one would imagine. Chicken was greaseless, coating was crispy with a faint whisper of chipotle. Left a not altogether unpleasing aftertaste, mildy spicy.

    Would I have it again? Probably not at $8.40 for a breast and
    a thigh (which turned out to be a leg – but I’m not complaining at least it was from a chicken).

    No fast food sides have every even come close to that glop they called mashed potatoes w/gravy and the biscuit. My dying wish is to bathe in the stuff (and yeah, I know the biscuit won’t float despite all the fat in it).

    Alas, the angst experience passing Daisy’s cart empty handed was barely tempered by the chuckle experienced in noting the irony of Bobby Van’s joint adjacent to Tad’s.

  • Burp!

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