KFC is adding sauces to its chicken nuggets a little over a year after their successful launch.
Starting April 1, 10 Saucy Nuggets will be available in one of five sauce flavors for $5.99. Customers who spend $10 or more on KFC.com or KFC’s app can get a free 10-piece Saucy Nuggets order. The Saucy Nuggets flavors include:
- New Honey Sriracha, which features a blend of red chile peppers, garlic and honey.
- New Korean BBQ, an umami sauce with soy sauce, garlic sugar and sesame.
- New Sticky Chicky Sweet ‘n Sour, combining sweet and tangy flavors including pineapple, garlic, vinegar, and chile.
- Nashville Hot, first introduced by the company in 2016 as part of KFC’s Nashville Hot Chicken.
- Georgia Gold, first launched in 2017, this honey-mustard-style BBQ sauce is made with vinegar, honey and savory seasoning.
“We’ve entered the sauce chat,” CMO Nick Chavez said in a statement. “Our KFC Nuggets – made from 100% white meat chicken and hand-breaded with KFC’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices – dripping with these sauces create an unmatched flavor experience, with something for every palate.”
That sauce chat has grown louder recently, as companies from McDonald’s to Taco Bell move their sauce creations into the spotlight in response to growing consumer demand. Product introductions including sauces and seasonings increased by 10% in 2022, while the global culinary sauces market is projected to grow to nearly $60 billion by 2029, from $46.6 billion in 2022, according to Fortune Business Insights. Younger consumers are driving this trend.
“Younger consumers are not only diverse from a heat standpoint, but they also dip, drench and sauce everything. Everything,” Chavez said during a recent interview. “That’s why we upped our sauce game …”
Sauces have become a bigger part of KFC’s strategy as the brand works to generate younger audiences, and because they’re a simple ingredient addition that creates variety, Chief Food Innovation Officer Vijay Sukumar said during a recent interview.
“People are finding ways to sell more variety with a simplistic operational approach. One of the ways you can offer a variety of fried chicken is with different sauces,” he said. “The sauce war has just started. The younger generation cares for it and chicken is a great carrier for sauce.”
KFC has also added Apple Pie Poppers to its dessert menu, featuring apple pie filling wrapped in a flaky crust. This launch comes as more concepts up their snack/dessert offerings to drive special intent visits and incremental sales.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]