KFC brought back KFC popcorn chicken nationwide on July 13, 2026, ending a run that had kept the item off menus since 2023. The return starts immediately, but only while supplies last.
Melissa Cash, the chief marketing officer for KFC U.S., said the company had been hearing from fans for years. “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,” she said in the PR Newswire release.
Melissa Cash and KFC U.S.
Cash tied the return to what KFC calls its Kentucky Fried Comeback journey. She said, “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.”
KFC said Popcorn Chicken was one of its most requested items in recent memory. The company also said the item first appeared in the early 1990s, which helps explain why its return has resonated with longtime customers who had not seen it on menus since 2023.
KFC's nationwide rollout
The item is back across KFC locations nationwide, not in a test market or a single region. KFC said the return is part of a broader brand footprint that includes more than 30,000 restaurants in 150 countries and territories, though this particular offer is now available only on the U.S. menu.
KFC also said it is partnering with GIPHY on a collection of Popcorn Chicken GIFs starring the Colonel, with the GIFs available on GIPHY. For customers, the practical move is simple: if Popcorn Chicken is the order they want, they need to look for it now, because KFC is making no promise that the supply will last beyond the current stock.
The return gives fans a familiar item back on the menu, but the limited run means the window is narrow. For anyone who had been waiting since 2023, the message from KFC is direct: get it while it is there.
