KFC Takes Chicken and Doughnuts Nationwide

Forget Disneyland, Disney World, or any other park where you might run into a cartoon mouse the size of an adult man: some of the real happiest places on earth are the restaurants that serve both fried chicken and doughnuts or—even better—the ones that combine the two of them into a single menu item.

The closest I have ever come to having a religious experience was at Astro Doughnuts in Washington, D.C., a white tiled cathedral where crispy pieces of hot sauced and honey buttered fried chicken are lovingly placed on savory donut buns.

Anyway, for those of you who started reading a little more closely after seeing the words "fried chicken" and "doughnuts" in the same sentence, KFC has just announced that its own version of that sacred combo will be available at its restaurants for a limited time.

Starting on Monday, February 24, KFC customers can order an Extra Crispy fried chicken and doughnut sandwich, or a basket of either Extra Crispy chicken tenders or bone-in chicken that will be served with either one or two doughnuts, depending on the size of the meal. The doughnuts are "glazed to order," which means that they're baked off-site, but will be fried and covered with sweet vanilla icing just before they're handed across the counter to each customer.

"Chicken & Donuts is the newest fried chicken trend we're bringing to all of America," Andrea Zahumensky, the chief marketing officer for KFC U.S., said in a statement. "But not just any donut would do. Only a donut that's glazed-to-order and served piping hot every single time can stand next to our hand-breaded fried chicken. It's a finger lickin' good dish filled with glaze and glory."

These limited-time menu items will be available at participating restaurants until March 16, and the prices range from $5.49 to $7.49. (You can also order doughnuts à la carte, should you want to assemble your own combination of, uh, glaze and glory.)

KFC will also be opening a one-day-only pop-up restaurant, The Colonel's (Chicken &) Donuts Shop at 615 North La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. On Saturday, February 22, it'll serve the new combination from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., and the first 50 customers in line will score a free "Colonel's Dozen," which includes six Extra Crispy chicken tenders and six glazed doughnuts.

Last fall, KFC tested its chicken-and-doughnut menu items at 40 stores in Pittsburgh, Norfolk, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia, and apparently the customer feedback was positive enough that the chain decided to go national with them.

At least there's a reason to look forward to a Monday.