Chicken lovers everywhere, rejoice! Starting today, more than 3,000 KFC locations are now available on DoorDash. To celebrate, we’re going big. For the next week, we’re adding 12 free chicken tenders to select bucket meals with $0 delivery fees when you order KFC through DoorDash and use promo code KFC12*.
To kick off the partnership, we wanted to understand just how much consumers love fried chicken. We surveyed** 1,000 chicken-eating Americans on what they love most about fried chicken, KFC’s legendary sauces, America’s side preferences and more. Here’s what we found out.
Fried chicken is the king of comfort (comfort food that is)
92% of Americans say fried chicken is their go-to comfort food and 94% say they usually get comfort food when ordering in. Millennials and Gen Zers are more likely to have fried chicken delivered than any other age group. Plus, 80% of KFC-goers have an even stronger affinity for fried chicken (of course!).
And while fried chicken is the star of the show, sides are an important part of this comfort food meal of choice. Mashed potatoes reign as Americans’ favorite side dish to pair with fried chicken, closely followed by mac and cheese. But if you can’t choose just one side, KFC lets you pick from two, three or four sides depending on the bucket size you select!
Style and substance
While not all Americans agree on which cut of chicken and style is their favorite, 38% of Americans say “breast” is their favorite, followed by wings and legs. Chicken Tenders are the top ranked style in the Southwest (17.2%) and female respondents are more likely to prefer ‘extra crispy’ style fried chicken than their male counterparts (43.4% vs 32.1%).
What about plant-based substitutes? Nearly three quarters of Americans say they would try or have tried a plant-based chicken substitute. Millennials, Gen Zers and KFC-goers are most likely to open to trying a plant-based chicken substitute. KFC recently rolled out plant-based chicken across select markets making now the perfect time to test a plant-based alternative to chicken.
All about the sauce
75% of Americans say their meal isn’t complete without sauces and 20% say sauce is the single most important part of a great fried chicken meal. Over 80% say they have asked for extra sauce with 55% saying they do so “often” or “almost always.”
Honey BBQ Sauce ranks #1 as Americans’ favorite sauce, followed by Buttermilk Ranch and Honey Mustard. And KFC-goers are more likely to order extra sauces with their meal every time.
Is there such a thing as too much chicken?
Short answer, no. 43% of Americans say they could eat more than 10 chicken tenders in one sitting; and 9% say they could eat more than 20 in one sitting. Plus, over half of Americans (54%) admit to battling it out for the last piece of chicken in the bucket.
And the best part of KFC? Leftovers! 85% of Americans say they order extra food in order to have leftovers. 61% eat their leftover fried chicken warmed up on a plate, 19% eat them cold from the fridge and 12% opt for heating up their leftover fried chicken in a sandwich.
KFC pairs well with family and friends
What’s the best occasion to enjoy KFC? Most Americans agree that all times are the best with KFC.
We hope that this bucket meal deal gives you a reason to gather around the table safely. Welcome to the family, KFC!
*Offer valid with purchase of select Bucket Meals on DoorDash while supplies last 09/08/2020–09/17/2020. Prices and participation may vary. Limit one per person. Not valid for pick-up or dine-in orders. Service fees, taxes, and gratuity apply. All deliveries subject to availability. Must have or create a valid DoorDash account with a valid form of accepted payment on file. No cash value. Non-transferable. Use promo code KFC12 to redeem. KFC® is a registered trademark of KFC Corporation. See full terms and conditions here.
**Survey Methodology: This sample of 1000 adults (18 years or older) was surveyed between August 20, 2020 and August 21, 2020. Responses were restricted to individuals who eat chicken. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web.
Kicking Off Our New KFC Partnership was originally published in DoorDash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.