Lunch with the Press: KFC

By KIM POINDEXTER

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS July 16, 2008 09:49 am

— When I was a child, I almost met with a terrible accident at the KFC in Muskogee. My mother left me and my two siblings in our ‘63 Comet when she ran inside to grab a bucket of chicken. One of us kids (probably me) knocked the car out of gear, and it began rolling backward toward the street. But what really freaked us out was the strange man who wound up in the car – a “Good Samaritan” who saw what was happening and jumped inside to apply the brake before the car backed into the stream of traffic on Eastside Boulevard.
The incident wasn’t traumatic enough to put me off the chicken, however. A bucket from the Colonel was a fast-food treat back in the 1960s, and it remains so today – with a few modern twists, of course.
But my husband, son and I are picky: We only like dark meat. Until recently, that sometimes posed a problem, because while most KFC counter employees will sell you an all-white bucket (for an extra charge), they are often stumped by an all-dark request. Lately, though, they seem to have come to the realization that some folks snub the drier breast meat in favor of the juicier thighs and drumsticks. The local restaurant even offered a recent “dark only” special.
KFC coupons are often distributed through our newspaper or the mail, and that’s a good time to “go for the bird.” In such cases, you can get chicken and side items for less than you can make them at home, and you can save yourself the trouble in the kitchen. (Cooking is no sweat; it’s cleanup that drags me down.)
I prefer Extra Crispy chicken, but my husband likes Original Recipe, so we mix our fare, and the local KFC usually obliges (unless it’s near closing time and they’re running low on something). This time, we tried the chipotle chicken, and it had quite a bite to it! We also got a small order of sauceless hot wings. They were good, but I have to say I prefer my own homemade buffalo wings with blue cheese sauce.
For real aficionados, the sides get co-billing with the chicken. My husband swears KFC coleslaw is the best in the world, and I wouldn’t argue. The homestyle biscuits are also sumptuous, especially when they’re split and drizzled with honey sauce. My son has wolfed down a few of the Mashed Potato Bowls, and he says they’re pretty tasty.
As far as fast-food restaurants go, the local KFC is one of the best-managed in Tahlequah, thanks to the savvy of longtime manager Gayla Wright. Employees are friendly and helpful, and I’ve rarely experienced a mistake in an order. You can get in and out quickly, and especially with a coupon, the price – for the amount of food you get – is hard to beat.