Nothing will up the calorie count on an already-indulgent dish quite like macaroni and cheese — the trend of adding it, fried, on top of everything from burgers to pizza began when Jack in the Box (JACK) launched deep-fried mac-and-cheese bites in 2008.
Since then, we've seen everything from Burger King's (QSR) Mac-'N-Cheetos (PEP) to the McDonald's (MCD) Mac-And-Cheese Burger in Korea.
The items are usually presented as a "this has how many calories?!" or "they did what?!" product for the brand.
Mac-and-Cheese, Tacos and Chicken (All at Once)
A Yum (YUM) brand, KFC, recently launched the Mac 'N Cheese Kentaco: a fried chicken breast is shaped into a taco, filled with the brand's macaroni and cheese and sprinkled with mozzarella and cheddar cheese for good measure.
American fans of such a fried food are out of luck, however, as the dish is available only at KFC Singapore. KFC's Asian franchise first launched the Kentaco in 2020 as a fried-chicken taco shell filled with lettuce and tomatoes for a somewhat more balanced treat.
"For a limited time only, indulge in the new KFC Mac 'N Cheese Kentaco - an all-chicken taco shell filled with creamy Mac 'N Cheese," KFC Singapore wrote in a release.
The Mac 'N Cheese Kentaco costs $6.95 in Singapore dollars or roughly US$4.99. KFC Singapore timed it with the release of the KFC Golden Cheddar Wedges for $4.95 SGD (roughly US$3.59).
The closest American alternative is the Double Down sandwich, a cult-favorite bacon sandwich in which the bread has been replaced by two pieces of fried chicken filet.
It was launched in certain American cities in 2010 and, after reappearing in 2014, was finally discontinued in the U.S. Some other countries, including Canada, still have it on their menus.
Why Do Chains Build Up the Calories?
Global franchises of popular chains often release items that can almost be seen as a parody of how the world views American food — Burger King Japan recently had a four-patty and six-cheese-slice thing called the King Yeti Super One Pound Beef Burger.
But even back home, many a chain has released an artery-clogging item as a marketing strategy. In an illustration of the "no bad publicity" saying, dishes that combine the uncombinable or that shock purely by their size and calorie content often go viral on social media.
This had already happened with KFC’s Fried Chicken and Donuts Sandwich and Domino's' DPZ pasta carbonara in a dessert-style pastry bowl.
Most recently, Krispy Kreme DNUT partnered with General Mills GIS Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal for a donut while Heinz (KHC) released a sauce specifically for dipping a burger.
The latter two also tap into a second trend, one in which fast-food companies partner with popular snack-food brands for products that combine the best (or, depending on how you look at things, most-out-there indulgent) items from each brand.
The most obvious examples are Burger King's Mac-'N-Cheetos and Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos.
"These are part of a long tradition of companies creating new, slightly outrageous, fast-food and snack-food combinations – more cheese, more meat, more layers, adding sauces, [or] Cheetos, for crunch and a pop of flavor," food historian Ashley Rose Young told the BBC in 2019.
