The Colonel's special recipes made Kentucky Fried Chicken popular. Unfortunately, health was not a factor in its success. KFC's menu items are high in calories and fat.
KFC Extra Crispy Chicken
One KFC's extra crispy chicken breast contains 510 calories, 290 of which are from fat. One extra crispy chicken thigh has 340 calories, including 220 from fat. Each extra crispy chicken wing has 190 calories and 110 from fat.
KFC Popcorn Chicken
A large order of KFC's bite-sized popcorn chicken has 550 calories, with 320 from fat. KFC advertises a "kids" size box of popcorn chicken, which has 290 calories, over half of which is fat -- 170 calories.
KFC Double Down
KFC's Double Down consists of two pieces of bacon and melted cheese sandwiched between two chicken breasts. This stack of meat comes with 540 calories, with 290 from fat.
KFC Beverages
If you're really thirsty, don't be tempted by the large 64-oz cup of your favorite soda, which contains 800 calories. The 64-oz iced tea is not much better at 640 calories.
KFC Vegetables
If looking for something light, consider the green beans with 20 calories, the small corn-on-the-cob with 70 calories, the three-bean salad with 70 calories or the house side salad with Marzetti Light Italian dressing with 25 calories, and all with limited fat. The Crispy Chicken BLT Salad with KFC Creamy Parmesan Caesar dressing and croutons, on the other hand, has 650 calories, with 365 from fat.
Significance
KFC's high-calorie, high-fat menu items can quickly account for a large portion of your full day's calories and fat, as recommended by the US Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A Variety Big Box Meal, for example -- which comes with a drumstick, crispy chicken strip, popcorn chicken, 2 sides, biscuit and 32-oz beverage -- equals 1,700 calories, with 645 from fat, reaching close to what the USDA considers a healthy daily caloric and fat intake for most people.
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