KFC ‘Invents’ Boneless Chicken, Thinks it Has ‘Game Changer’

Boneless chicken has been around for decades. The folks at KFC have just discovered it an think they have something special.

Boneless chicken has been around for decades. The folks at KFC have just discovered it an think they have something special.

LAT (“KFC says new boneless chicken is a ‘game changer’“):

Trying to tear meat off a chicken skeleton is an annoyance for many Americans, especially younger ones. So KFC, in what it’s calling a “game changer” of a move, is ditching the bones.
The Kentucky-based chicken chain is rolling out its Original Recipe Boneless options on April 14 as it attempts to draw back patrons seeking more portable, convenient foods.

In the U.S., 80% of fried chicken is served off the bone in the form of strips, bites and filets, according to the company. Competitors such as McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Burger King are invading the chicken market with hassle-free chicken offerings such as wraps, nuggets and sandwiches.

That leaves a slim market for the drumstick, thigh and breast pieces KFC is known for serving up. Hence the new boneless launch, which KFC says in a statement is “more than just a promotional product; it’s a new way of doing business.”

Wait ’til the guys at Chick-fil-A hear about this concept.

FILED UNDER: Economics and Business, ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Nothing KFC makes is gonna draw me back as long as the Popeye’s near me is still open.

  2. @Stormy Dragon

    Ate Popeye’s once. The amount of grease left on my fingers after that lunch could have completely lubricated a 1956 Studebaker.

    Last time I ate at Popeye’s.

  3. Tyrell says:

    @Doug Mataconis: Hey, I knew a guy who had a Stude ! That was the ’60’s. You couldn’t give those ugly things away back then. He had the Studebaker Avanti. Did you have a Stude? I saw one in a guy’s back yard a few years ago – just sitting there .
    That guy also had a 56 Pontiac – huge, heavy, powerful, and fast. That thing had a deep sound that would make some guys cry!! Don’t make them like that now.

  4. Neil Hudelson says:

    If you are ever in the coastal south, try Zaxbys fast food chicken chain. The fried chicken in the south always confirms that we did the right thing, keeping the union full.

  5. Chris Berez says:

    What confuses me is that KFC already has chicken tenders and stuff like that. Is their big game changer that they’ll now offer boneless chicken products made with dark meat? Even though people generally want stuff made with breast meat (hence restaurants emphasizing their products are made with all white meat)? I seriously don’t get this at all. Whatever. We’ll see I guess. But if they go too far they’re going to lose me.

    Stormy Dragon, I’d go to Popeye’s but the only one remotely near me is in Boston. At 45-50 minutes, that’s a bit of a stretch, even for delicious Popeye’s. Also, driving in Boston is really stressful. 🙁

  6. Andre Kenji says:

    Here in Brazil there was a very good chain, Frango Assado. Unfortunately, a PE firm bought it and they destroyed it.

  7. DC Loser says:

    The best KFC I ever had was someplace near Brunswick, GA off of I-95. I guess that qualifies for coastal south.

  8. john personna says:

    Out here in California KFC’s market was directly taken by El Pollo Loco, and they did not do it with boneless chicken. (Pollo Loco is just a chain version of traditional “pollo al carbon.” They are split and grilled chickens, usually dressed with garlic and butter.)

    I’m sure that once you split off all the people eating grilled chicken, and just look at people eating fried, it is left to the convenience foods and nuggets. KFC may try to sell them a bucket o’ nuggets, but …

  9. Andre Kenji says:

    @john personna:

    I’m sure that once you split off all the people eating grilled chicken, and just look at people eating fried, it is left to the convenience foods and nuggets.

    That´s exactly what I see here.

  10. David in KC says:

    If I’m going to blow my diet on fried chicken, I want it fried, not that thing that KFC serves up.