✔ Updated · new lost menu collection
These are the 9 forgotten KFC menu items people still miss, from Popcorn Chicken and Potato Wedges to the bunless Double Down.
Discontinued KFC items people still miss include Popcorn Chicken, Potato Wedges, the Twister, the Double Down, Chicken Littles, Hot & Spicy Wings, the Snacker, the Fish Snacker and Kentucky Grilled Chicken. Popcorn Chicken, the wedges, the Twister and the spicy wings have all come back for limited runs, so check your local KFC before you get your hopes up.
A few have popped back for limited runs, and every one comes with my recipe or a quick make-it-at-home trick.
The Comebacks Everyone Talks About
These four have full copycat recipes on my site, and I make them more often than I would like to admit.
1. Popcorn Chicken
Bite-size, crunchy, salty little nuggets of joy that arrived in the early 1990s. Bigger Popcorn Nuggets replaced them around 2015, they left menus in 2023, and after about three years away they came back for a limited run because fans simply would not stop asking.
Back for limited runs, check your local KFC
2. Potato Wedges
Thick, skin-on wedges in a peppery coating that showed up in the mid-1990s. KFC swapped them for Secret Recipe Fries in 2020 and fans were furious. After a two-week test in Tampa in March 2025, they came back nationwide for a limited time from August 18, 2025, while supplies lasted.
Back for limited runs, check your local KFC
3. Twister
Crispy chicken strips, lettuce, tomato and peppery mayo rolled up in a soft tortilla. It left US menus in 2014, fans petitioned for it in 2019, KFC tested a new Twister in Nashville in April 2024, and it later came back for a limited run.
Back for limited runs, check your local KFC
4. Double Down
No bun at all: two fried chicken fillets were the bun, with bacon, cheese and sauce in between. It launched in the US in April 2010 and sold more than ten million in its first month, as reported at the time, then came back in spring 2014 and again for four weeks in March 2023.
Back for short runs
The Deep Cuts
No full recipe for these yet, but each one is easy to rebuild with things you probably already make.
5. Chicken Littles
A small chicken sandwich with pickles and mayo on a soft bun that arrived in 1987. It vanished for about two decades, came back in 2012 as a new version with an Extra Crispy strip on a sweet bun, then came and went again, with a short comeback in 2018 and a 2 for $3 deal in 2019.
Make it at home: Fry a batch of the strips from my KFC Twister recipe, then tuck one into a soft, sweet slider bun with a swipe of mayo and three pickle chips. Make extra, because nobody stops at one.
Came and went several times
6. Hot & Spicy Wings
Crunchy fried wings with a peppery coating and real heat behind it. They left the menu around 2023, then came back for a limited time alongside the potato wedges.
Make it at home: Start with my KFC chicken wings and stir an extra teaspoon of cayenne and a big pinch of black pepper into the flour. Fry until the thickest wing reads 165°F and keep a cold drink close.
Back for limited runs, check your local KFC
7. Snacker
Built to be cheap and quick: one crispy chicken strip, lettuce and pepper mayo on a small sesame bun. It debuted nationally in March 2005 and slipped off most menus in the mid-2010s.
Make it at home: Split a small sesame bun, add one hot, crispy chicken strip, a handful of shredded lettuce and a spoonful of the peppery mayo from my Twister recipe. It takes two minutes once the strips are fried.
Slipped off most menus
8. Fish Snacker
The Snacker's seafood sibling: a small fried fish fillet on a little bun. Here is my favorite bit of KFC trivia: in 2007, ahead of Lent, KFC asked the Pope to bless its new fish sandwich.
Make it at home: Fry a small breaded white fish fillet until golden and flaky (145°F in the middle), then pile it on a soft slider bun with shredded lettuce and a big spoonful of tartar sauce. A squeeze of lemon is my non-negotiable.
Check your local KFC
9. Kentucky Grilled Chicken
KFC's grilled chicken launched in 2009. In May 2009 a free two-piece coupon promoted on Oprah Winfrey's show drew so much demand that KFC stopped honoring it within days and offered rain checks instead. It relaunched in 2011, then quietly faded from most US menus.
Make it at home: Rub bone-in chicken pieces with oil and a spoonful of my copycat KFC seasoning, then grill over medium heat, turning often, until the thickest piece reads 165°F. Let it rest 5 minutes so the juices stay put.
Faded from most US menus
Why Does KFC Keep Bringing Items Back?
Fans ask loudly. Petitions, social posts and years of comments helped bring back the wedges, the Twister and Popcorn Chicken, and each return has been a limited run rather than a promise.
So if one of these is on your local menu when you read this, go and get it. If it is not, my kitchen is open, and the homemade versions come out hot, fresh and every bit as crispy as you remember.
Still on the Menu, and on Our Site
The classics never left, and they are all on my regular rotation:
Original Recipe-Style Fried Chicken
Bone-in pieces in a peppery, herby flour coating, fried until shatteringly crisp.
More Lost Menus
This page is part of my lost menu series. See the full list of discontinued fast food items from every chain, the discontinued Taco Bell items and discontinued McDonald's items we still miss, and all of my KFC copycat recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did KFC discontinue potato wedges?
Yes. In 2020 KFC replaced its potato wedges with Secret Recipe Fries, and fans were not happy. After a short test in Tampa, the wedges came back nationwide for a limited time from August 18, 2025, while supplies lasted. Check your local KFC, or make my copycat wedges at home.
What happened to KFC popcorn chicken?
Popcorn Chicken arrived in the early 1990s, was replaced by bigger Popcorn Nuggets around 2015 and left menus in 2023. After about three years away it came back for a limited run because fans kept asking. If your local KFC is out, my homemade version fries in 3 to 4 minutes.
Is the Double Down coming back?
It has come back before. After its US launch in April 2010, the Double Down returned in spring 2014 and again for four weeks in March 2023. KFC has not promised another run, so watch your local menu, or make my copycat with two crispy fillets, bacon and cheese.
Is the KFC Twister coming back?
It already did, for a limited run. The Twister left US menus in 2014, fans petitioned for it, KFC tested a new version in Nashville in April 2024, and it later came back for a limited time. Limited items come and go, so check your local KFC.
What were KFC Chicken Littles?
Chicken Littles were small chicken sandwiches with pickles and mayo on a soft bun. They arrived in 1987, disappeared for about two decades, came back in 2012 as an Extra Crispy strip on a sweet bun, and came and went again in 2018 and 2019.
What was the KFC Snacker?
The Snacker was a small, budget-friendly sandwich that debuted nationally in March 2005: a chicken strip, lettuce and pepper mayo on a small sesame bun. It slipped off most menus in the mid-2010s, and I still rebuild it at home with my Twister strips.
