We discover that it is possible to order thighs, breasts, or whatever piece of chicken you want in your bucket of Original Recipe KFC, but there are rules.

Did you know that 21 November is Kentucky Fried Chicken Day in Japan?

No? Well, don’t worry. You’re not alone, along with those who don’t know this day is also Fried Oyster Day, Nintendo Day, and Rickson Gracie’s Birthday. Needless to say, Japan really enjoys commemorating things on certain days.

But it was on this day that KFC opened their first store in Japan, and it was a move that would firmly entrench the brand, oddly enough, as a popular Christmas food in Japan.

So in honor of Kentucky Fried Chicken Day this year we decided to look into an urban legend that has been circulating for quite some time: Is it possible to customize your bucket of original recipe with the fried chicken cut of your choosing?

Chicken parts that can be found in a Japanese KFC bucket

1 Breast: Low in bones for a tender treat and the cartilage is superb if you’re into that sort of thing.

2 Drumstick: Juicy and with a sweet, fattier taste, these legs have a convenient bone structure for eating.

3 Wing: Some people say it’s the best meat because it moves the most while on the bird.

4 Thigh: When you want the meatiest of pieces, guess what? Chicken butt!

5 Ribs: A lot of bones but good meat in between.

Each part has its own faction of fans who prefer a fried chicken experience tailored to suit them. But what unites us is our desire to have more of the same kinds of our favorite pieces.

So, we marched straight into a local KFC and flat-out asked the staff: “Look buddy, quit jerking us around. Can we really choose which pieces we want when we order?”

Well, that first part wasn’t spoken out loud, but anyway, they replied “yes.” However, there are some conditions…

“Sure you can. We actually have quite a few customers who request certain parts. However, although it is possible,  you can only get one piece of thigh per order because it is the most popular. And there are restrictions on the number of pieces other than thighs. You can only get three pieces of each one; three drums, three breasts, and so on.”

That seemed reasonable; if everyone came in ordering buckets full of only thighs, they would have a huge inventory problem. Or they would have to seriously look into some kind of genetically modified spider-chicken to keep up with demand. We’ll investigate the pros and cons of that production method next Kentucky Fried Chicken Day.

So to recap:

  • You can customize your bucket of chicken
  • There is a cap of three for each piece
  • Except for the thigh which you can only request one of per order

For example, if you ordered a nine-piece bucket, you could request one thigh, three breasts, three drums, and two wings. On the other hand, you couldn’t request two thighs and seven breasts, because that would exceed the limits for each piece.

Also, they said that this was “basically a nationwide rule” but certain franchises may follow their own protocol, so be sure to ask if it’s okay first. As for outside Japan, we don’t know, but it never hurts to ask there either.

So take this little tip to help make your KFC dining more enjoyable and have a merry Kentucky Fried Chicken Day and a happy Rickson Gracie’s Birthday! Ho ho ho!!!

Original article by P.K. Sanjun
Photos: RocketNews24