Kentucky Fried Chicken® is bringing the sweet –and the heat @kfc

Kentucky Fried Chicken® is bringing the sweet –and the heat –to its world famous fried chicken with its newest menu item, Hot Honey. Inspired by a trending flavor mash-up of golden honey blended with mild peppers, the new flavor adds an unexpectedly delicious burst of sweet honey with the spicy kick of pepper to KFC’s fried chicken.“If you travel across the south, you’ll find different recipes for sweet and spicy honey-based sauces. They went through many versions to find the combination of sweet and mild spice that perfectly complements our world-famous fried chicken,” said Bob Das, Head Chef, KFC U.S. “With summer coming to an end, people start to crave the soul-warming, comforting flavors that come with fall, so it’s the perfect time to introduce our new Hot Honey fried chicken.”

Along with its new Hot Honey flavor, KFC’s newest Colonel is unlike any of his predecessors –because, well, he’s a bear.Just like his human inspiration,Colonel Sanders, Colonel Bear is obsessed with selling KFC fried chicken. As new ad spots show, sometimes Colonel Bear takes his dedication a little too far, leading to the sweet little bear’s fiery side coming out. “Hot Honey adds a little kick to our lineup of authentic southern-inspired flavors. And we’re bringing the flavor to life in a fun way, with our cutest –and feistiest –Colonel yet,” said Andrea Zahumensky, Chief Marketing Officer, KFC U.S. “Aside from his personality, the Colonel Bear’s physical appearance is adorably inspired by the nostalgic honey bottles in the shape of a bear that you may have had on your kitchen table growing up.”Fans who fall in love with the mischievous and fun Colonel Bear can enter for a chance to adopt their very own vintage-inspired, pull string talking Colonel Bear figurine by filling out the format www.KFC.com/adoptacolonelbear starting Monday, September 17(keep in mind there are only so many bears that can be adopted!).

Perfect Pair Following its very limited time offer of Pickle Fried Chicken this summer, KFC’s Hot Honey is the latest in a series of new, exciting flavor innovations that the brand is bringing to fans of fried chicken on a broad scale.Known as “the next sriracha,” honey combined with spicy peppers represents a rising food trend that’s started garnering a cult following, similar to the well-established pickle craze.
Hot Honey is available at participating U.S. restaurants as a Crispy Colonel Sandwich™, Extra Crispy™ Tenders, Chicken Littles® and Extra Crispy™ Chicken.For the full tasting experience, try it alongside a Lipton Brisk Raspberry Tea. The sweetness and complexity of the raspberry and honey work with the heat from the peppers and the tannins from the teafora perfect pairing.Flavor enthusiasts can now experience a total of four southern-inspired flavors at KFC, including new Hot Honey and fan favorites spicy, smoky, crispy Nashville Hot, Georgia Gold honey mustard BBQ and Smoky Mountain BBQ fried chicken.

About KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world’s most popular chicken restaurant chain. KFC specializes in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Extra Crispy™ Tenders, Hot Wings™, Go Cups, KFC Famous Bowls®, Pot Pies, freshly hand prepared chicken sandwiches, biscuits and homestyle side items. There are over 21,000 KFC outlets in almost 130 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE:YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kfc), Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/KFC)