Takeaway Truth: KFC Zinger Double

Takeaway Truth is an occasional Lifehacker feature where we compare marketing images to what you actually get served. Today: KFC’s Zinger Double!

The KFC Double needs no introduction. Since launching in 2011, the ‘breadless burger’ has been one of the most beloved (and controversial) products on KFC’s menu. For the vegans and fast-food abstainers among you, the KFC Double is essentially two deep-fried chicken patties stuck together with sauce, cheese and bacon sandwiched in between.

Since its original debut, the KFC Double has been resurrected to much fanfare every couple of years. There have also been variants like the Hashbrown Double. However, it’s been a good while since we last saw the Double on KFC’s menu. So it’s okay to feel excited.

This time, the Double is being offered in two varieties: Original and Zinger. As you’d expect, the former uses Original Recipe chicken while the latter plumps for spicier Zinger patties. The Original Double comes with BBQ sauce. The Zinger version uses Supercharged sauce. Otherwise, all ingredients are identical.

For the purposes of this article, we tested the Zinger version. Here’s how KFC describes the product on its website:

Your eyes didn’t deceive you — this bunless work of art has Zinger fillets made of 100% Aussie chicken that holds together two pieces of cheese, bacon and supercharged sauce. This offer is not everywhere and not forever.

So what’s the calorie damage for one of these things? A single KFC Double packs in 2281kJ of energy, 53.3g of protein, 35.6g of fat, 19.3g of carbohydrates, 3.8g sugars and 2170mg of sodium. The Original Double is slightly less indulgent, at 1977kJ energy, 22.9g fat, 17.3g carbs, 5.5g sugar and 1807mg sodium.

Interestingly, the 2011 version of the Double contained 2515kJ of energy – which means KFC has either tweaked the cooking method or decreased the overall size of the product. Hmm.

Without further ado, lets find out how the real KFC Zinger Double stacks up to the advert. In the image below, we compare the Zinger Double as it appears on KFC’s website to the product we got served at a KFC outlet in Emu Plains, NSW.

As you can see, our Zinger Double wasn’t elegantly furled in a paper serviette like the advert. Instead, we got a much larger wrapper covered in ‘Zinger Double’ branding. We’re not sure if that constitutes false advertising but if you’re into posh food wrapping for some reason, take note. The cheese is also messier and paler.

Otherwise, this isn’t a terrible effort – we guess there’s not much that can go wrong when you’re just slapping two deep-fried chicken patties together. The batter isn’t quite as crisp looking but the colour and texture is faithful. Not bad at all.

Truth Verdict: 7/10


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