Kentucky Fried Chicken, more commonly known as KFC, is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the world’s second largest restaurant chain after McDonald’s, with over 25,000 locations globally in 155 countries. KFC was one of the first fast food chains to expand internationally, opening outlets in Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Jamaica by the mid-1960s.
KFC is known for its fried chicken recipes using the “Original Recipe” – a closely guarded spice mix of 11 herbs and spices created by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1940. Over the years, KFC has introduced various new products and flavors to appeal to changing consumer tastes. One such product is the Nashville Hot Chicken – a fried chicken breast or tender covered in a cayenne pepper sauce and topped with dill pickle chips. It was introduced by KFC in 2016.
Did KFC discontinue Nashville Hot Chicken?
There have been some rumors circulating online that KFC has discontinued its Nashville Hot Chicken product. However, based on information available on KFC’s website and menu boards, it appears these rumors are false.
KFC has not made any official announcement regarding discontinuing Nashville Hot Chicken. It is still listed as an available menu item on the KFC website as of October 2023. KFC restaurants also have signage and menu boards advertising Nashville Hot Chicken as one of the available products customers can order.
Several media outlets and food blogs have reported trying the spicy hot chicken at KFC as recently as September 2022, indicating it is still available chainwide. Social media chatter from customers also suggests they are still able to order Nashville Hot Chicken at their local KFCs.
So in summary – no, KFC has not discontinued their Nashville Hot Chicken product despite some misleading online rumors. It remains available on their menus for customers to enjoy the spicy fried chicken.
History of KFC’s Nashville Hot Chicken
To better understand the rumors, it is worth looking at the history of KFC’s Nashville Hot Chicken and how it became part of their menu offerings:
Origins in Nashville
Nashville Hot Chicken has its origins in the city of Nashville, Tennessee. It is a regional specialty consisting of fried chicken seasoned with a spicy cayenne pepper sauce. The exact origins are disputed, but it became popular in Nashville restaurants and chicken shacks in the 1930s-1940s.
Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack is often credited with having the first Nashville Hot Chicken, but other local restaurants also claim to have invented the dish. Nonetheless, Nashville Hot Chicken was popularized as a local delicacy in Music City.
KFC brings it nationwide
In 2016, KFC decided to take the Nashville spice nationwide. They introduced Nashville Hot Chicken as a limited-time offering at all 4,200 KFC restaurants across the United States. It was part of a wider strategy to offer more regional American flavors at KFC.
The KFC version consisted of fried chicken tenders or bone-in chicken coated in a reddish cayenne pepper sauce. It was then topped with dill pickle chips to provide a tangy, crunchy contrast to the spicy heat.
The limited-time launch was a success, with Nashville Hot Chicken selling twice as much as previous KFC products in their first weeks. Customer feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
Transition to permanent menu item
Given the enthusiastic customer response, KFC decided a few months later to make Nashville Hot Chicken a permanent part of their menu. It joined options like Original Recipe Chicken, Extra Crispy Chicken, and Kentucky Grilled Chicken as staple fried chicken choices at KFC.
KFC CMO Kevin Hochman said it tested off the charts as guest’s favorite product, which led to the decision to transition it from limited-time to permanent menu item in late 2016. It remains available nationwide at KFCs today.
Why rumors emerged about it being discontinued
Despite its continued availability at KFCs, there are likely a couple reasons why rumors emerged in 2022 that Nashville Hot Chicken had been discontinued:
Shortages and outages
Like many restaurants, KFC faced supply chain shortages, staffing issues, and inventory challenges over the past couple years. This led to some temporary outages of products, including Nashville Hot Chicken sauce.
Some customers who couldn’t order it at their local KFC may have mistakenly assumed it had been discontinued nationwide, sparking false rumors online. But the shortages were temporary.
Confusing marketing
KFC periodically rotates which fried chicken flavor it most heavily advertises and promotes. During some periods Nashville Hot Chicken ads and signage are emphasized, while at other times Original Recipe or Extra Crispy may see more marketing focus.
This rotation of marketing focus could create the impression that certain flavors are being discontinued, even when all remain available on the everyday menu. KFC’s marketing team has worked to correct any misleading impressions.
New hot chicken flavors
In 2021, KFC launched a new Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich along with a Nashville Hot Extra Crispy Chicken option. This may have led to incorrect assumptions that the original tenders and bone-in Nashville Hot Chicken were being replaced altogether.
In reality, the new hot chicken variations were simply new additions to build on the original, which remains available.
Current availability of Nashville Hot Chicken at KFC
Despite the rumors and assumptions, KFC’s Nashville Hot Chicken continues to be available as a core menu item at locations across the United States.
Here is an overview of where customers can still enjoy the spicy hot fried chicken:
Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
The original Nashville Hot Chicken menu item – chicken tenders fried and coated in spicy hot sauce – remains available as both a standalone item or as part of a meal with sides and a biscuit. Tenders are juicy cuts of all breast meat.
Nashville Hot Chicken on the bone
For customers who prefer bone-in chicken, KFC offers Nashville Hot Chicken on the bone. The spicy sauce coats juicy, crispy fried chicken on the bone for full flavor. It comes as a two-piece or three-piece meal.
Nashville Hot Crispy Colonel Sandwich
This sandwich layers a fried chicken fillet coated in Nashville Hot sauce with pickles and mayo between a brioche bun. It adds a Nashville Hot twist to their classic Crispy Colonel chicken sandwich.
Nashville Hot Extra Crispy Chicken
To satisfy fans of their Extra Crispy chicken, KFC offers the Nashville Hot flavor on top of their Extra Crispy chicken as well. The spicy cayenne coating adds heat to their crispiest chicken.
Meals, combos, fill ups
Nashville Hot Chicken can be ordered as part of any KFC meal combo, fill up, or bucket. Simply substitute Nashville Hot Chicken in place of original or extra crispy chicken in any meal.
So the spicy Nashville Hot Chicken remains available across the entire KFC menu at locations nationwide.
The future of Nashville Hot Chicken at KFC
Based on its continued presence and popularity on their menus, KFC’s Nashville Hot Chicken appears to be a permanent menu item that isn’t going away anytime soon.
As a growing percentage of Americans continue to embrace spicy heat and crave new flavors, Nashville Hot Chicken lets KFC cater to these preferences. It provides an extra spicy option alongside their classic original recipe without compromising their core menu.
KFC is likely to continue promoting and featuring Nashville Hot Chicken in their marketing campaigns through targeted ads and in-store promotions. It differentiates them from competitors and gives their customers more choice.
Periodic limited-time promotions or new Nashville Hot Chicken variations may also emerge, building on top of the original menu item rather than replacing it. KFC’s chief marketing officer indicated Nashville Hot Chicken is here to stay as a “menu hero.”
While shortages or shifting marketing strategies may occasionally confuse customers, there are no signs from KFC that Nashville Hot Chicken will be discontinued. Expect the spicy fried chicken to remain available at KFCs across America for the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
In summary, despite some online rumors and assumptions, KFC has not discontinued their popular Nashville Hot Chicken menu item. It remains available nationwide as fried chicken tenders, on the bone, and in sandwiches and meals. Supply chain issues and marketing rotations likely fueled misperceptions that it had been cut. But Nashville Hot Chicken continues to be a core part of KFC’s menu. With its popularity among spicy food fans, KFC appears committed to serving up Nashville Hot Chicken for the long haul. So loyal KFC customers can rest assured the Nashville heat isn’t going away at their local outlets anytime soon.