KFC and Quorn are set to grow their partnership and bring more vegan chicken to the UK and the rest of Europe.

Back in 2020, KFC teamed up with Quorn—which makes meatless products with mycoprotein—to launch its new Vegan Burger. The menu item featured a Quorn chicken-free patty, coated with the fast-food giant’s signature blend of herbs and spices.

At the time, KFC’s innovation director Ira Dubinsky said: “We’ve worked hard to perfect the flavor and make a Vegan Burger the Colonel would be proud of. It’s the flavor of KFC, just with zero chicken.”

The Vegan Burger was an immediate hit, with one million sold in just one month. 

KFC’s vegan expansion

Quorn has now created a meatless version of the KFC Original Recipe Tender, which will launch in the UK first.

KFC and Quorn are also intending to bring their hit vegan options to Europe, beginning in Germany. Per Food Navigator, vegan chicken buckets and veggie wraps are on the cards.

“The main product we have been working on with KFC is the Original Recipe Tender (known as the Mini Fillet in some markets),” said Quorn’s chief commercial officer Peter Harrison. “They were extremely well received, hence the roll-out of products to new markets.”

He continued: “Ensuring there are delicious meat-free food choices for consumers, wherever and whenever they make food decisions, is key to our mission of providing healthy food for people and planet.”

KFC is one of the world’s biggest fried chicken chains. But in the last few years, it has focused on bringing more vegan options to consumers. In the US, it recently rolled out Beyond Fried Chicken (made with Beyond Meat) to all of its stores.

In 2021, the chain’s US president Kevin Hochman told Bloomberg: “We don’t think that plant-based is a fad. We think it’s something that’s going to continue to grow over time.”