How To Order Freshly Fried KFC Chicken Every Time, According To Reddit

If you've ever had KFC (fka Kentucky Fried Chicken), you probably know the chicken is at its best when it's fresh out of the fryer. The longer it sits out after being cooked, the more that delicious oil will congeal into a soggy, disgusting mess. Frankly, if you've only ever tried old and cold KFC you'd be forgiven for writing off the fast food chain for good. Food waste ethics aside, nobody wants to eat old KFC, so you're better off vying for a fresh bucket.

Unfortunately, getting fresh chicken at KFC isn't quite as easy as simply asking for it at the drive thru. Although fried chicken has become practically synonymous with fast food in the 21st century, the two really aren't very good bedfellows. Fried chicken takes a long time to cook properly. It was a real innovation in the 1950s when pressure fryers were invented, as they reduced the cook time dramatically. Even with the use of industrial pressure fryers, KFC employees say it can take upwards of 30 minutes for a fresh batch of chicken to finish.

The way KFC gets you your food faster than that is by keeping cooked chicken on hand and simply rotating through it, but that's exactly why more often than not KFC chicken isn't fresh (which helps explain why KFC ranks so low on the fast food chicken chain). To ensure you get fresh food at KFC, Redditors say you can either go at peak hours when food is rotating out the door quickly or call ahead and ask when the next batch will be made. "Your best bet is go right at opening," one Redditor advised. "Sometimes right before supper because a rush is coming and they'll have new chicken."

For better or worse, there aren't set times throughout the day when KFC employees are dropping chicken in the fryer, which means you can't really make a habit of going at the same time every day expecting the food to be piping hot. The exception to this would be peak hours; namely, lunch (11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) and dinner (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.). If you eat at KFC during peak hours, more customers will be purchasing food, which means the food you order is less likely to have sat there waiting.

The other option is to call the store ahead of time and ask when the next batch of chicken will be done. As long as you aren't rude about it, the info should be easy enough for the staff to gather so long as they aren't busy with customers. "If you call ahead and request the chicken to be fresh, there's a 9/10 they'll actually do it," an employee on Reddit said. "At my restaurant we do it, and it usually takes 30 minutes to an hour (depending if you want extra crispy or original) to make."

Armed with this insider info, you can plan to arrive when the food is fresh while also avoiding long lines. If you're a regular there, there's a good chance you'll be able to simply call and tell them you're on your way and ask for a fresh batch to be dropped. It may feel quirky and a bit needy, but the staff works with the food all day — they know why fresh is better. They also know which KFC items to avoid.