by Bottom Line: The Spicy Slaw KFC Wrap has some assembly challenges and does not deliver too much heat, but it is still quite tasty.
And so . . . more chicken. I guess as long as I am reviewing spicy foods from the chains, it will involve a lot of poultry because that’s what they like to kick up. Not that it is a bad thing because I like chicken and it is a leaner protein (less so after being battered and deep fried, though). And my latest review item comes from one of my favorite chicken slingers: KFC. (Old-timers like myself know it better as Kentucky Fried Chicken.)
The Colonel has brought back wraps and has added some heat to one of those with its new Spicy Slaw KFC Wrap. This consists of an extra-crispy tender wrapped in a flour tortilla with coleslaw, crunchy pickles, and spicy sauce. Note that the name–Spicy Slaw Wrap–is a bit deceiving because it suggests that the slaw is spiced up, but this is just KFC’s classic coleslaw. The heat comes from the sauce, but I won’t count off points for the confusing title.
The chicken tender is good as expected. It uses the Extra Crispy batter so it has good crunch and it is tender throughout (thus the reason they call it a tender). The slaw, as mentioned, is KFC’s standard stuff which is pretty darn good. That’s why you can get it as a side. The spicy sauce adds some kick, though it quickly gets blended in with the slaw. The pickles add the expected tang, but since they refer to them as crunchy I would have expected a little more bite.
The tortilla is your standard store-bought kind. It holds everything together well enough but doesn’t add much more to the picture (and it is really no fewer calories than a small bun). In the description, they refer to it as being warmed, but it is pretty obvious mine was no better than room temperature when they wrapped everything inside. Add to that the cold coleslaw and cold sauce and you end up with a lukewarm wrap. But apart from the assembly challenges, I still rather enjoyed this, especially with the slaw thrown into the mix. It is rather messy, though, and the tortilla kept wanting to unwrap itself.
Heat-wise, you barely notice any kick at first. But as I got more bites with the spicy sauce, it amped up accordingly. I would put it somewhere between Mild and Medium on my scale, and that heat does linger a bit. I threw a few drops of habanero sauce on the second one and that really lit up the party.
I have not been able to find a breakout of the nutrition on these, but the website shows 800 to 900 calories for two. I am assuming the 800 number is for the regular wrap which includes the chicken tender, pickles, and mayo. The slaw probably bumps up the calories on the spicy wraps so that they total 900 for two. That is a hefty amount and that doesn’t even include your side. I went with a cup of the sweet corn which only adds 60 calories and truly counts as a vegetable. Add some Cajun seasoning and/or Louisiana hot sauce to that and you have a heck of a good side!
The wraps are scheduled to go back to Limited-Time-Only-Ville at some point, so get out and try these while they are available. Wraps used to be a favorite at KFC and people were clamoring for them to come back for years, so maybe if these sell well they will get added to the permanent menu. But nothing is really permanent at the drive thru, so don’t count on these being available if you wait too long. They are currently selling for two for five bucks in my area or a combo with a side and a drink will bump that to seven and a half bucks. KFC is also currently testing a sandwich version of this wrap with a full-sized chicken breast on a brioche bun, so keep an eye out for that.
