Yep, I’m as shocked as you are. Kentucky Fried Chicken is following in the footsteps of Grill’d and opening its first ever non-meat variation in Australia. 

Prior to this, vegetarians have long been refined to eating strictly chips. Or, if feeling a little adventurous, potato and gravy.

Now KFC has developed its latest meat free popcorn chicken. There will of course be the haters saying it is only mimicking the taste of the real deal. But then again – that’s not the point. For people who choose to avoid meat because of social, ethical or biological reasons, this is an important step for KFC.

Sally Spriggs, CMO at KFC Australia, spoke about the foray into meatless. “We’re excited to serve up Wicked Popcorn – an innovative product that offers more choice on our menu. We’re always looking to treat our fans with new products, so we hope they’ll enjoy this meat-free option which offers that great KFC taste our fans know and love. South Coast locals should head down to KFC for the limited-time offer and try it while they can!” 

KFC is putting the plant-based popcorn chicken and chicken wings out for a limited time to test the market. They will only be available until September 5th across 14 restaurants on Sydney’s coast. The vegetarian and alternative options are increasingly growing in popularity, but is it enough to sustain this limited time offer into a full time deal.

Who knows, KFC has always been throwing out new inventions to refresh its menu. Zinger stackers, wraps, controversially nixing the Krushers. 

Vegetarians are often starved for effective alternatives for meat, hopefully KFC will spark the love of its chicken in its plant-based variety. It would be a real shame if they were to prove the haters right.