KFC proves maximalist fried chicken is here to stay

We balked at the Double Down. Now, the chain is upping the ante. [View on web]( [A hand holding a piece of fried chicken topped with stringy mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, sliced to look like a piece of pizza.]( Your saucy, cheesy reminder that maximalist fried chicken isn’t going anywhere. | PRNewswire As we’ve already established, KFC has won against its detractors. The Famous Bowl, which [Patton Oswalt ripped to shreds]( in 2007 as a gluttonous pile of slop, is now a menu staple. The Double Down, initially introduced as a prank, [came back for real](, and honestly seems pretty tame in retrospect. So good luck to anyone loudly decrying its new menu item, the Chizza. Yes, that is a portmanteau of chicken and pizza. The Chizza, aka two chicken tenders topped with cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni, has been [available in some international markets]( for years, but the chain determined the time is right to launch it in the U.S. “Boneless is clearly a faster growing category that appeals to younger consumers,” KFC’s chief food innovation officer Vijay Sukumar [told NRN](, and [fried chicken, in general](, continues to be a popular fast food category. So it’s no surprise that KFC is continuing its tradition of treating chicken like bread, piling it with more meat and cheese. The only surprise is that the team behind this amalgamation didn’t recognize that cheese on fried chicken is less a pizza, and more a chicken parm. (Though perhaps they noticed that “[Parmizza](” was already taken by this recently-closed Culver City restaurant.) We’re in a maximalist moment when it comes to fast food at large. Burger King launched a [whopper with candied bacon](, and McDonald’s is making [Big Macs with four patties](. Taco Bell is making [Baja Blast gelato]( and stuffing Crunchwraps [with a giant Cheez-It](. Wendy’s has a [pretzel Baconator]( with six strips of bacon on top of two burger patties. Things are getting big and weird, and the fast-food push for fresher, more sustainable ingredients (and more vegetarian options) of just a few years ago seems like a distant memory. Remember when McDonald’s was maybe almost sort of going to [release a veggie burger](? Or when KFC had [meatless nuggets]( on the menu? So quaint! You’d be forgiven for feeling some whiplash at how fast these trends are sprinting back and forth, but fast food trades in newness and novelty, and what is more novel than the opposite of what was available a year ago? The Chizza, as KFC insists, is just giving the public what they want, which is different from what they wanted in 2023. If you like this email, please forward it to a friend. If you aren't signed up for this newsletter, you can [do so right here](. — Jaya Saxena, correspondent  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=today). View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 11, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.