Many fast-food menu items have cult-like followings, but few are as celebrated as KFC's extra-meaty, cheese-draped Double Down fried chicken sandwich.
Fast-food fanatics pining for the return of the bread-free sandwich can now relish in gluttonous glory because, for the first time in nearly a decade, the colonel is bringing back the Double Down starting March 6 — but for only four weeks.
Most bunless sandwiches seek to offer consumers a healthier option, like Jimmy John's lettuce wraps, but KFC's take on the concept is anything but. The Double Down is packed with two slices of cheese, two slices of hickory-smoked bacon, and mayonnaise or spicy sauce between two fried chicken breast filets — not a vegetable in sight.
@smanders901 #greenscreen End The Suffering Already🥲#fyp #kentuckyfriedchicken#kfc #kfcwraps #kfcnuggets #kfcdoubledown #kfcwedges #damnyou#colonelsanders #roadto10k ♬ Made You Look - Meghan Trainor
When the menu item debuted in 2010, it drew a flurry of media attention — owed in part to its eye-popping nutritional stats. It packs 40 grams of fat, 62% of the recommended daily intake for a diet of 2,000 calories a day, and also contains 45% of the recommended amount of fat, 50% of cholesterol, and 64% of sodium.
Still, since making its last appearance nine years ago, fried-food fanatics have been yearning for the Double Down's comeback.
The Double Down joins other limited-time fast-food favorites that have recently made a return, including Taco Bell's Mexican pizza and McDonald's McRib sandwich.
For those who prefer a sandwich with a bun, KFC is introducing a bacon and cheese sandwich, also starting March 6. The limited-time offering features a white meat chicken filet, cheese, bacon, mayo, and pickles on a toasted brioche bun.
KFC fans eager to wrap their hands around a Double Down can sign up for a shot to get one a daily early — on March 5 — by signing up online March 2-4. But act fast, KFC is limiting the number of day-early purchases to just 2,014, a nod to the year when Double Down was last offered on KFC menus.
The Double Down's return may excite some KFC fans, but we're holding off high-fiving Colonel Sanders until he rightfully restores potato wedges as a side dish to the menu.