Why is KFC wooing protein snackers with a veggie burger?

Kentucky Fried Chicken is no mere fast-food chain. It is the mothership of bird-slinging quick service restaurants, a global institution that doesn’t just sell chicken, it bends cultures to its will.

Consider Japan, where Christmas dinners are deemed incomplete without a bucket of KFC on the table, and families place their orders a full two months in advance. And then, having conquered palates and holidays alike, this chicken behemoth turns to woo India’s protein-loving snackers with… a veggie burger.

India’s appetite for protein is at an all-time high. Market research firm Mordor Intelligence pegs the country’s protein market at 1.52 billion USD in 2025, projected to climb to 2.08 billion USD by 2030. Today, brands hawk protein in every guise imaginable — lassi, chips, bhel, biscuits, bars, cookies, even water.

The puzzling part is KFC’s answer: a chana patty burger, dressed with crunchy onions, a creamy tangy sauce, eggless mayonnaise, and a seeded bun. Chickpeas may technically qualify as protein, but they are hardly going to stand toe-to-toe with chicken, especially when you’re the house that fried it to glory.

Oh, KFC knows exactly what it’s doing. “We know ‘Veg at KFC’ sounds almost unbelievable, but one bite of the bold Chatpata Chana burger and you’ll see why it deserves a spot on our menu,” says CMO Aparna Bhawal, adding that “the Chatpata Chana burger has a protein patty, is deliciously crunchy, and guaranteed to floor even the most hardcore chicken loyalists.”

It’s safe to say the chicken faithful will cling to their birds rather than pledge allegiance to chickpeas. In a country where vegetarianism is worn as both virtue and identity, walking into a fried chicken sanctum for a protein fix borders on heresy. For many, the very smell of meat is reason enough to stay away.

And yet, India’s relationship with food is rarely straightforward. Millions call themselves vegetarian in public while sneaking their butter chicken in private. But even then, it’s hard to imagine them seeking absolution in a KFC chana patty.

Which makes KFC’s play all the more puzzling.

Perhaps the brand isn’t only courting the veggie crowd but casting a longer glance at another overlooked tribe. The lactose-intolerant, protein-hungry snackers who can’t lean on their paneer or glass of milk for a fix might see the chickpea patty less as heresy and more as an invitation.

Mordor Intelligence notes that the rise of veganism and concerns over animal cruelty have only fueled India’s appetite for plant-based products. In 2024, plant proteins made up over 82% of all protein foods and beverages consumed and commanded roughly 65% of the total market value.

Well, KFC has priced its chana burger at Rs 69, while rival McDonald’s, which launched a vegetarian protein patty earlier this year, charges just Rs 25. Affordability, then, is another carrot being dangled to lure the snackers. Whether they actually bite is another matter entirely.

Until then, it’s back to my leftover soya biryani, and yes, it delivers the protein punch KFC promises but in far less dramatic packaging.