I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw the bright green box labeled: “Beyond Fried Chicken.” I got super excited because I am vegetarian, and I haven’t had a delicious fried chicken meal in a long time.

   I quickly went to KFC’s website to do some research. As a vegetarian, I am concerned about cross contamination, especially in the kitchen of a fast food restaurant with minimum wage employees. To my surprise, KFC was very thorough in preventing cross contamination with both proteins on different sides of the kitchen and specific side pairs.

   While ordering, six and ten pieces are available with only a side of fries. I got the six piece and fries, which was plenty of food. The french fries were similar to Burger King’s and were fresh.

   The “fried” chicken had more of a nugget consistency, and in a perfect square shape, were pretty dense. The texture itself resembles a typical chicken nugget, just more dense. The taste is similar to real chicken; it’s a little bit more bland and no grease. Though more bland than the traditional nugget, the sauces help a ton.

   I chose four dipping sauces, and in best to last: KFC Sauce, Honey BBQ, Honey Mustard and Classic Ranch. KFC Sauce seems like a tangy cousin to honey mustard— so delicious. Honey BBQ is very traditional, but always a great choice. Entirely disappointed by Honey Mustard; it didn’t taste like much, and I needed to pile it on my nugget to taste the sauce. Ranch was simply a no; it didn’t blend well with the faux nugget.

   Overall, I think that the beyond fried chicken is great for vegetarians or for people who want to be healthy. There’s no grease or fatty feeling that comes with fast food chicken. It’s a great comparison to a chicken nugget, and that is where my only issue is. KFC advertises the beyond “fried” chicken, which is somewhat misleading when you receive your order. I give KFC’s Beyond Fried Chicken an 8/10.