Media & Advertising
KFC® Answers Fans' Calls (and Comments) With the Return of Popcorn Chicken, Reigniting Obsession Nationwide
After days of mounting online speculation, KFC® is proving good things come to those who wait. Today, fan-favorite Popcorn Chicken* returns to menus nationwide, marking the comeback of one of the brand's most requested items in recent memory.
About this update from Yum! Brands, Inc.
After more than three years of relentless fan demand, KFC brings back the menu item people never stopped asking for PLANO, Texas, July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- After days of mounting online speculation, KFC ® is proving good things come to those who wait. Today, fan-favorite Popcorn Chicken* returns to menus nationwide, marking the comeback of one of the brand's most requested items in recent memory. First introduced in the early 1990s, Popcorn Chicken quickly earned cult status for being an endlessly craveable crispy bite before disappearing from menus in 2023. Now, with the comeback of this beloved menu item, KFC is fueling the Popcorn Chicken obsession once again. "For years, KFC has heard directly from fans clamoring for Popcorn Chicken's return. We read every comment, every DM, and even every online petition signature, and the message was impossible to ignore," said Melissa Cash , Chief Marketing Officer, KFC U.S. "As we continue our Kentucky Fried Comeback journey, this menu item return shows our commitment to listening to our most passionate fans by giving them exactly what they're craving. We're nodding to nostalgia as we simultaneously modernize the brand and how it shows up throughout the world." This kind of fandom doesn't happen by accident. It's the same obsessive energy sports fans bring to nail-biter games or reality TV lovers have for can't-look-away plot twists. Turns out, the biggest moments in pop culture and the biggest cravings have one thing in common: they both start with popcorn. KFC's just bringing the chicken to the party. Available starting today and only while supplies last, fans can get their hands on crunchy, snackable, endlessly dippable Popcorn Chicken in three ways: Popcorn Chicken has one of the most obsessive fanbases KFC has ever seen, and the brand is meeting that obsession head-on by inserting itself into the internet's favorite reaction: the popcorn GIF. Through a new partnership with GIPHY, KFC is rolling out a collection of exclusive Popcorn Chicken GIFs starring the Colonel himself, giving fans a Kentucky Fried way to react in the exact moments they're already reaching for a popcorn meme. The collection is available now on GIPHY .