Aussie KFC Promotions: Hot Rods
Hot Rods are a returning item to the Australian KFC menu, where I've seen them come and go every year or so for about as long as I can remember.
But here's the thing. I've never had one of these before. No word of a lie, never had a fuckin Hot Rod before.
The reason why is because when I was growing up, my mum would always buy these honey-soy chicken skewers from Woolies when they were on special. On top of not really liking the taste, they were also messy, fatty and they had a fair bit of gristle to them (knuckle stuff, you know what I'm talking about).
So because of this, I always just figured that I didn't like chicken skewers. It's a similar story with Woolies donuts; I actually have a post on my account about trying a Woolworths donut for the first time in years that goes into that whole story.
This changed in the last year or so, where I had a fried chicken skewer from a local chicken shop that set my heart on fire - or maybe it was just another layer of grease sliding through my bloodstream to contribute to my encroaching cholesterol-induced stroke at 34, who knows. Point being - I conquered this particular demon of mine.
And now, the Hot Rods are back at KFC. So of course I had to try them.
They aren't particularly special; they're fried chicken skewers that have been Zingerized beforehand. You know, how they get that tangy orange sludge onto the chicken before it gets breaded - they've done that to these skewers. They're shorter than your average chicken skewer, but - at least in the box I got - they give you three of them plus sides, so I'm fairly happy.
First of all, the price point was good. I got a Hot Rods box that came with 3 Hot Rods, two pieces of hot and crispy (wicked boneless? Bugger it, it's hot and crispy to me), chips and a drink for like fifteen bucks. Considering I paid $17 for an Ali Baba kebab just earlier in the day (for just the kebab, mind you), this was an acceptable compromise to me - and I genuinely got a lot of mileage out of this chicken.
You can also grab just the three Hot Rods for like eight bucks; that's a slightly dicier prospect value-wise, but when you're paying like twelve bucks for just a Double Quarter Pounder? Eight bucks isn't so bad to give this a go, imo.
Taste-wise? They're a neat novelty, but nothing to write home about. The chicken is soft, well-seasoned and tender, and the reduced form factor adds to the charm of eating these things. But you're really not missing out on much; it's a KFC chicken skewer. If you've had KFC before, and you've had a chicken skewer before, you know exactly what you're in for.
So yeah - while I didn't have an issue with this promotion, it just kind of fades into the background for me. With something like the Zinger Nachos, I could go back for seconds and thirds and fourths if I have the time - with the Hot Rods, I'm satisfied having had them once. Definitely worth giving them a go, but personally? This was a 6/10 for me.
It's worth trying at least once, and god knows the $4.95 Hot Rods Fill-Up is an outstanding bargain. As a matter of fact, I'd tell you to try this in the Fill-Up Box format, because it's five fuckin bucks. You really can't go wrong. But for me, a chicken skewer is a chicken skewer - I honestly do like a good chicken skewer nowadays and these aren't bad, but the draw of the Hot Rod being "chicken skewers, but with KFC Zinger chicken" just isn't enough to get me back in the door. Perfectly fine promotion, but definitely not my favorite.