Chicken, Chilled

Thanks to the quest, my goal to maintain blood pressure readings in the normal range, and economics, I’m not nearly as seduced by fast food establishments as I’d been once upon a time.

Particularly, those of a chicken variety.

I love chicken. Fried, baked, broiled, boiled, grilled, shredded for tacos and tostadas, sliced and dropped over salad greens. Chicken is my signature meal. That is, when beef isn’t in play for one reason or another.

I’ve run the gamut of fast food chicken available in my area, El Pollo Loco, Popeye's, KFC, Church's, Brown's and others, I’ve had them and then some. El Pollo Loco edged ahead of Popeye’s as my favorite. But, as I said, I don't indulge very often anymore.

However, I was still intrigued by KFC's new grilled offering. In spite of swearing off KFC due to bad experiences, I decided to give the new grilled chicken a try. Though, not before I read some reviews, talk to some folks who'd tried it, trying gauge if it was even worth the trouble I was sure I'd be in for inside any one of the 3 or 4 locations near my home and office.

The positive feedback convinced me to give it a whirl.

The menu touts a 2-piece meal combo for $4.99 (which includes a beverage). I order 2 (one each: white and dark).

Clerk: Sides?
Me: Mashed Potatoes / Coleslaw for one…
Clerk: We don’t have coleslaw
Me: Ok, corn-on-the-cob
Clerk: We don’t have corn-on-the-cob. What do you want for the other dinner?
Me: We haven’t resolved the 1st dinner yet. You don’t have 2 of the (6) available sides. Sounds like I don’t have much choice. What DO you have?****

****this kind of thing happens every time I break down and go into a KFC, which has me swearing them off, forever. . . until the next time.

I settled on mashed potatoes / green beans for one and macaroni/cheese and green beans for the other. I tell the clerk, it doesn't matter which (Danielle and I were going to mix/match anyway).

The preparer had combined the mac/cheese with the potatoes on one dinner, but switched it out before bagging it up.

When I got home, I discovered they’d given me two white meat dinners, no dark. Not a big deal, Danielle would have eaten either, I'd only ordered one of each so we could trade and compare.

The chicken didn't taste bad, but I wasn't super impressed either. It certainly wasn't a knock-out and it didn't knock El Pollo Loco out of my personal top spot. The chicken might have fared better, had the experience not left such a bad taste.

So, once again, done with KFC. And since they are the closest of the establishments listed to either work or home, my quest, blood pressure, and wallet thanks you, Colonel's peeps.