Calbee's New KFC Chips Don’t Taste Like KFC, but They Do Taste Like Chicken

Calbee’s new KFC-flavored potato chips have hit shelves, intriguing many with their unexpected spice. While they don’t taste like KFC, they deliver a delicious chicken flavor reminiscent of Japanese-style fried chicken.

Calbee and KFC Japan Collaborate After Nearly a Decade to Introduce New KFC-Flavored Potato Crisps

Calbee, a Japanese snack manufacturer, introduced a new flavor of potato crisps this week: Kentucky Fried Chicken. Multiple members of the SoraNews24 staff eagerly anticipated sampling the collaboration between KFC Japan and Calbee, which had not occurred in nearly a decade.

Ultimately, the task of taste-testing was assigned to Ahiruneko, a Japanese-language correspondent known for his impressive enthusiasm for KFC (he once bathed in a bucket of KFC chicken bones) and for a previous article in which he was humorously inconvenienced. Therefore, upon introducing the new KFC crisps on July 8, Ahiruneko was authorized to retrieve a bag and begin the taste test.

Calbee KFC crisps are available in two distinct flavors: KFC Original Chicken Flavor, which is expected to replicate the renowned Colonel's Original flavor of KFC, and KFC Red Hot Chicken Flavor. Ahiruneko, who identifies as a "KFC Original Recipe fundamentalist," selected the KFC Original Chicken Flavor for his taste test, including a scent test.

Ahiruneko claims that his devotion to the KFC original recipe has enhanced his sense of smell to the extent that he can identify the aroma of Original Recipe chicken with the same precision as a customs dog identifying contraband at the airport. However, upon opening the package, he was met with a distinct aroma containing spicy notes that were not present in KFC's standard chicken.

He tasted a chip and found it unexpectedly spicy. The KFC Original Chicken Flavor chips, while not considered "spicy," are more intense than KFC Original Recipe chicken. Consequently, Ahiruneko does not perceive the chips as resembling KFC chicken, which is surprising given KFC Japan's involvement in developing the chips.

Calbee's KFC Original Chicken Flavor Crisps: A Flavorful Twist with a Japanese Flair

However, this does not suggest that Calbee's KFC Original Chicken Flavor crisps are unappealing; they are pretty delicious! Ahiruneko believes they would complement a refreshing, excellent beer particularly well. Despite not tasting precisely like KFC chicken, they still have a chicken flavor—albeit not Western-style fried chicken. According to SoraNews24, Ahiruneko could not pinpoint the crisps' specific flavor. Due to its slight soy sauce-like flavor, he suspected it might be Garage, a Japanese-style fried chicken; however, this was also incorrect.

He recognized the necessity of solving this problem and his desire to continue consuming snacks during his work shift, so Ahiruneko poured out an additional plateful to sample. As he continued to eat, the image of a man's visage gradually formed in his mind. It was not Colonel Sanders, but Shigeo Yamamoto, the founder of the well-known Nagoya-based chicken wing restaurant franchise Sekai no Yama-chan.

Ahiruneko's perception of the KFC potato chips was altered by soy and spice, which evoked the flavor of Sekai no Yama-chan's chicken wings. Subsequently, he was unable to associate them with any other food. The resemblance is so striking to his palate that if presented with a plate of these chips labeled as "Sekai no Yama-chan chicken wing-flavor potato chips," he would likely have believed they did an excellent job of replicating the flavor.

In conclusion, these chips are still exceptionally flavorful, mainly if you want chicken flavors. Ahiruneko enthusiastically endorses the KFC chips, albeit not for the reason he anticipated.