Review of KFC Alabama Cheese
What they say:
The Alabama Cheese line up includes ketchup, mustard, pickles, double cheese and Original Recipe Chicken.
Price: £3.99 / £6.19 meal.
Calories: 500 kcal.
The second in the KFC Southern Legends tour takes us back to the South for the Alabama Cheese.
Having previously been tested in at least one location in Reading, the Alabama Cheese brings a chicken fillet, mustard, ketchup, pickles and two slices of cheese into a brioche bun. So far, so good.
To test it out, I visited a brand new branch of KFC, only open for a few weeks, and ordered the first Alabama Cheese on the first day of the promo.
I was the only customer in at that point, so wasn’t waiting long.
Taking it back to my table, I discovered a couple of problems with the build – the ketchup and mustard had been put in each other’s place, and the second slice of cheese was missing.
Back it went, re-built, no quibbles at all.
Second time round was much better, although the pickles had been placed on the bottom with the mustard instead of the top with the ketchup – that didn’t warrant a return though, so I got stuck in.
The fabulous Dirty Louisiana (also complete with pickles) had me really looking forward to this Alabama. With a more crinkle cut to them, this wasn’t exactly the same ingredient as the Louisiana, but close.
When I lifted the burger out of the (IMO bland promo) box, I was a little underwhelmed.
Whilst it did technically resemble the promo shots, it somehow just wasn’t as exciting.
Not photogenic at all. In addition, it was very slidy with a sauce at both top and bottom, making the smooth brioche heel and crown slip all over the place.
By the time I’d finished positioning it for photos, the ketchup made it look like a someone had tried to apply lipstick while sitting on a rollercoaster.
The colours, red, yellow and green were quite striking, granted, and elevated the beige of the crumb and the bread, but somehow it just wasn’t grabbing me.
The mustard sauce was fortunately quite mild.
I don’t like strong mustard and the blend chosen here was wise in my view – enough to define it as something different, but not strong enough to put off too many folks.
The ketchup was reasonable, but as it wasn’t of the overly sweet variety, it was the sourness dominated by the pickle and mustard that ran the show here.
As a result, my palate didn’t get the cheese at all, despite there being two slices of it.
The pickles however, did shine through, both in their characteristic taste and also in the crunch they gave to this build – a significant plus point.
This is a tough one to rate because I absolutely love the way the development at KFC is going – lots of new ideas floating around, some braver than others, and I wouldn’t want that to stop.
However, as we well know, not every promotional burger is going to be a winner. Sometimes you get a Chicken & Chutney Indian and sometimes, well, an Ultimate Supreme.
I like the look of the Nashville and Tennessee offerings still to come, so I think overall this KFC Southern Legends promo will be a great success for its first run.
As for the Alabama Cheese, I felt slightly disappointed – love the innovation, just not quite so much the execution on this occasion.
The KFC Alabama Cheese is available from Monday 28th August to Sunday 10th September.
Admiral Burgerbar
Website: https://www.kfc.co.uk/our-food/for-one/box-meals/alabama-cheese-box-meal/