Food & Relationships
by Jenna Bergen, Food & Relationships

Someone must have clued in the Colonel that his crispy chicken wasn’t the most calorie-conscious item on fast-food menus.

Though it seems a little late to jump on the better-for-you bandwagon — how many BBQs did KFC’s cooks have to attend before this light bulb went off? — they’re finally offering health-conscious consumers a new option: Kentucky GRILLED chicken.

And that stats aren’t bad.

A regular fried chicken breast will set you back 370 calories and 21 grams of fat. A breast of the new grilled chicken only has 180 calories and 4 grams of fat — that’s a 190-calorie difference, and 17 less grams of fat!

(Which happily means if you cave and have a buttery biscuit, 180 calories and 8 grams of fat, you’ll still be ahead! Of course, the green beans and other veggies are your best bet for sides, both carb- and fat-wise, ranging from 25 calories to 70 calories.)

However, KFC’s grilled chicken breast is not better than if you ate an original piece sans skin and breading, which would run 140 calories and 2 grams of fat.

FINAL WEIGH IN: Although nothing beats cooking a meal at home, if you’re in a pinch and you’re about to run through the drive-thru, KFC’s grilled chicken is a pretty good choice — especially when paired with two sides of veggies and if buying the regular fried chicken is too tempting (a.k.a. you end up eating the breading and skin even though you swore you wouldn’t!). But now, even if your guy refuses to give up his Original, at least you no longer need to worry about eating a greasy meal you’ll regret. The next time he decides to bring home a bucket, just ask him to toss a few piece of grilled in there as well!

YOUR TAKE: Of course, that leaves us with one major thing left to discuss: taste! Has anyone tried KFC’s Grilled Chicken? If so, what did you think? Would you give up crispy for grilled? And if you used to avoid KFC’s fatty foods, will this make you reconsider the Colonel? Let me know!

A spinning instructor and yoga addict, Jenna is the author of Your Big Fat Boyfriend: How to Stay Thin When Dating a Diet Disaster. She has written articles for SELF, Women’s Health and Men’s Health, and is the health and wellness expert for Philadelphia magazine. To read more from Jenna, check out her blog, YourBigFatBoyfriend.com