We Tried KFC's Pickle-Fried Chicken Before It Hit The Menu — Here's What It Tastes Like

If you're a fan of pickles and fried chicken, then congratulations — today is your birthday and Christmas and the Fourth of July all rolled into one. KFC's Pickle Fried Chicken was just announced on Twitter, to debut in participating locations on Monday, June 25 for a limited time — which undoubtedly will lead you to wonder in the days leading up to it, what does KFC's Pickle Fried Chicken taste like? Although you'll have to wait until June 25 to get your hands on this goodness yourself, Bustle was able to taste test the new offering before it hit the official menu, and I'm more than happy to bring you up to speed.

First, a bit of background on what exactly this pickle-flavored fried chicken entails: according to KFC, it starts with a base of their Extra Crispy Chicken. The chicken is then lovingly doused in their unique pickle sauce. "In addition to classic dill and vinegar flavors, the sauce features onion and garlic notes, buttermilk and a white and black pepper blend — a combination that is sure to satisfy even the ultimate foodie’s palate," says KFC in its press release.

The truly exciting bit about the advent of the pickle sauce is that it can alter just about any menu item you can dream up — KFC is offering it on its Crispy Colonel Sandwich, Extra Crispy Tenders, Chicken Littles and Extra Crispy Chicken. Here at Bustle, we tried it both in chicken and in sandwich form.

My TL;DR? Yum. But to be more specific, the pickle sauce was a sour and salty delight that perfectly complimented the fried chicken. My concern as a fried chicken consumer was that it might make the chicken soggy, but while it did taste like the chicken rolled around in pickle juices, it stayed nice and crisp. It isn't too sour or overly-sweet. And although KFC made it in response to people asking for pickles on their sandwiches, I'd argue that it just made me want even more pickles to go with my pickle sauce (which, luckily, KFC is all too willing to offer).

Bustle's Deputy Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Kattalia was also on the scene for this important pickle-flavored journalism, and gave it her stamp of approval as well: "The pickle sauce was subtle, but extremely spot-on. It didn't make the chicken soggy, which was a huge plus, and honestly, should come in a bottle so I can just eat it on everything."

Which leads me to a very important point — the promotion doesn't have a specific end date because, according to KFC, each participating location has been armed with enough pickle sauce to last approximately a few weeks, at which point this promotion ends. This tells us two things: one is that you need to get your pickle-loving behind to a KFC, stat. The other is that, if you say pretty please, there might be some wiggle room one what KFC will and won't put that pickle sauce on. (Read: I am very much going to ask KFC to put pickle sauce on my mashed potatoes, because only God and Mrs. Potatohead can judge me.)

For what it's worth, although the Crispy Colonel Sandwich version is delicious, the combo that floated my boat the most was when I broke up a biscuit and shoved some of the pickle fried chicken in between it. Do with that culinary advice what you will, my friends.

In the meantime, your other KFC options this summer include Smoky Mountain BBQ, Nashville Hot, and Georgia Gold honey mustard BBQ — but you've got sweet, sweet time to try those. The joy of eating your pickles pre-sauced on your chicken, however, shan't last long. Go forth and pickle prosper, y'all, starting on Monday, June 25.