KFC ‘pulled chicken' range is menu's first overhaul for 20 years

Fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is rolling out its menu's biggest overhaul in 20 years, including a range of non-fried, street-food-inspired "pulled chicken" dishes.

Launched today (1 September), the pulled chicken range comes ahead of the brand's 50th anniversary. It will include the ultimate burger, chicken twister wrap and the lower-calorie lil'wrap, and has been designed to reflect the growing street-food trend, including slow-cooked BBQ meats, as well as provide a nod to the brand's Kentucky heritage.

The pulled chicken range includes a blend of white and dark chicken breast, plus a Kentucky-inspired BBQ sauce. The meat is rubbed with a dry spice mix, including paprika, cloves and chilli, and then covered in a molasses-based sauce. It is then slow-cooked for almost two hours.

The menu taps into the trend for comfort, simplicity, low and slow cooking and the use of cheaper cuts of meat, alongside a huge flavour delivery

Estimates from the Kantar Wordpanel, which analyses consumer choices, suggest that the BBQ-style food market in the UK is now worth over £68m.

KFC innovation manager, Louise Direito, said: "If pulled pork was the dish of 2014, then 2015 will become the year of pulled chicken. Influenced heavily by both our Kentucky heritage and the UK street food scene… we have been working for the past 18 months to improve the variety of our menu."

KFC was set up in the US by Colonel Harland D Sanders in the 1950s, who reportedly discovered a "unique" taste blend of 11 different herbs and spices. The brand first opened in Britain in 1965, in Preston, Lancashire, and now runs over 865 outlets across the UK.

The brand is now part of the Yum! Brands company, which also owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.

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