After years of pilots, Beyond Meat’s Fried Chicken goes nationwide at KFC

I’ve long been of the opinion that you can deep fry just about anything to make it edible. But such opinions haven’t stopped KFC and Beyond from entering into a years-long pilot of Beyond Fried Chicken to perfect the recipe for mass consumption. The pair started their first trial way back in August of 2019, with a limited test run at a store in Atlanta. KFC says the location sold out of its stock in less than five hours.

Additional locations have gotten a piece of Beyond’s imitation meat, including Nashville, Charlotte and select stores in Southern California back in 2020. Starting January 10, however, the Beyond’s offering will arrive at KFC locations across the U.S. — though once again, the company is positioning this as a “limited time offer.” How limited the offer will prove to be, the companies aren’t saying.

“We couldn’t be prouder to partner with KFC to offer a best-in-class product that not only delivers the delicious experience consumers expect from this iconic chain, but also provides the added benefits of plant-based meat,” Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said. “We are truly thrilled to make it available to consumers nationwide.”

The news follows a similar Beyond Meat deal, which brought the company’s Orange Chicken to 70 Panda Express locations across the U.S. last year. The company has also provided various alternative meats to Pizza Hut, Denny’s and Dunkin’.