Just The Specials: ‘Supergirl’ X KFC Themed Menu
by Anton Kromoff
Welcome to the table,
Just the Specials is where your old pal Anton sits down with all the new, weird, and often wild menu items, food offerings, and branded collaborations that find their way onto the plate in front of him. While I have not seen as much of this collab as I was expecting to see, the Supergirl X KFC menu collaboration has some standout bits to it, so it’s time for me to tuck in and let you know exactly what I think. Let’s get into it.
The Supergirl X KFC menu is split into four meals and an individual drink offering. You can purchase the Supergirl Tenders or Nuggets meal, both with a biscuit, side, the new Supergirl’s Kryptonian Kooler, and three new Supergirl-themed dipping sauces. There are Ultimate versions of these meals that are said to come with a “mystery collectible,” but unfortunately, our mystery collectible has remained a mystery to us at this time, as they were not delivered, seemingly going rogue between our local KFC and the office.
The tender meal contains 3 chicken tenders, while the nugget meal offers eight nuggets. Each arrives in a really nice Supergirl-themed KFC box. The cross-branding iconography works incredibly well here. I’m a bit impressed from a packaging design perspective, as I spent many years in that field, and this is simple and at the same time an incredibly effective way to blend the two brands together and make this collaboration feel more than just something slapped on something else and presented to the general public. Top marks for the design team who helmed this one.
Eight nuggets along with the side and biscuit is a solid amount of food for the money you get, and the nuggets were hot and flavorful, as expected from KFC.
The fries were the universal side, as we wanted a look at the packaging for them, and the packaging did not disappoint. It’s nice to see representation of the titular character, in this case, Milly Alcock, who plays Supergirl, on the branding collab in some form.
The meal also comes with a collection of sauces featuring other members of the cast. Lobo’s Wild Ranch shows Jason Momoa as the cigar-smoking, interstellar bounty hunter on the packaging. The ranch itself was a bit thicker than expected and had some peppery notes to it. It was not a standout but not a failure on the flavor, just a basic middle-of-the-road sauce that I think those who really love ranch sauces will be just fine with.
Ruthye’s Sweet Chili Revenge features Eve Ridley as Ruthye, Supergirl’s adventure companion in the upcoming film. There was a nice finish to this sauce, presented with a bright chili note originally and then ending with just a bit of heat on the end. It paired really well with the nuggets and salty fries. I would gravitate towards this for fries on the regular and thought it was a very successful offering.
The big standout in the sauces space is Supergirl’s Solar Honey Mustard. Featuring Milly Alcock as Supergirl, this hot mustard blend is a big win for KFC. This is there was not really any notes of sweetness to it, but that is totally fine from my perspective, as this felt like an elevated version of the hot mustard packets from my favorite 3 AM after-bar Asian resturants. I love the hot mustard offerings, and to have it presented alongside the KFC chicken worked in a way I had not considered and was not expecting. This is a 10/10 sauce, and I wanted more of it later in the day with other things that found their way onto my plate.
The star of this menu, and the only single menu item currently available in this collaboration, is Supergirl’s Kryptonian Kooler. The beverage is a blend of Starry and a blue raspberry syrup that works so surprisingly well, I think the folks over at Starry need to be bottling this and selling it in a variety of sizes wherever your favorite sodas are sold. I’m not much of a soda drinker, only really enjoying them for the purposes of food reviews, and I found myself saying multiple times, “I would buy this to keep in the fridge at home.”
The Kryptonian Kooler also contains some of those popping boba that are said to be strawberry flavored, mine only had maybe ten of those inside, and I have seen other branded cups including more. I can’t speak to how successful those actually are in the drink, but they were not missed in my drink. It was really a solid example of how a simple addition to something already on menu can elevate it to new heights.
All in all, even without our mystery collectibles, this was a really successful collab, and worth your time if you are a fan of tasty dipping sauces or 11 herbs and spices.
Until next time, if you have acquired any of the mystery collectibles, let us know in the comments. We are curious to see what is out there.
