Copycat KFC Famous Bowl Recipe

Delicious Copycat KFC Famous Bowl is so easy to make at home! The perfect comfort food dinner that takes minutes to prepare. How can you go wrong with mashed potatoes topped with sweet corn, popcorn chicken, homestyle gravy, and cheese?

Copycat KFC Famous Bowl Recipe

This KFC bowl is my husband's favorite comfort food dinner right now. A few months ago, he drove through KFC, had a KFC Bowl, and decided it was the best thing in the world.

I decided to start making these bowls at home to save money and have leftovers so John could enjoy them over the next few days.

I will admit that I make this with multiple easy ingredients instead of making them from scratch. You can make these ingredients from scratch if you have the time or prefer the flavor. This recipe is one of those recipes you can adapt based on how much time you have and how you feel.

We have made this as quick and easy as possible to save time and energy. This summer feels like it is flying by, and we are running all over the place, including testing many new recipes. We even made a pumpkin pie in July. LOL!

Yes, we are already testing holiday recipes and seeing what we want to share in a few months.

I must tell you this KFC Famous Bowl was loved by all who tried it, and it did not last long. It was an eerily quiet dinner as they inhaled the KFC Chicken Bowls. They looked up, told me it was terrific, and then proceeded to get every drop of gravy out of the bowl.

KFC describes their Famous Bowl as creamy mashed potatoes, sweet corn, and bite-sized chunks of crispy chicken layered together, then drizzled with home-style gravy and topped with a perfect blend of three shredded cheeses. You can choose between a regular Famous Bowl or one with their signature Nashville Hot sauce.

Make Colonel Sanders happy and enjoy a delicious KFC fast food inspired meal at home.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients needed to make an epic KFC Famous Bowl! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.

• Popcorn Chicken
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Corn
• Beef Brown Gravy
• Cheddar Cheese 
• Salt and Black pepper (to taste)

Popcorn Chicken - You could also use chicken nuggets or chicken tenders

Mashed Potatoes - We used instant mashed potatoes but you can use frozen mashed potatoes or make them from scratch.

Sweet Corn - We used canned corn but you can easily use frozen corn or fresh corn.

Beef Brown gravy - We used canned gravy to save time but you can easily make this from scratch or use a gravy packet.

 

Equipment Needed

• Air Fryer: We make Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken to top this epic Kentucky Fried Chicken Bowl. It is quick and easy to make, and the popcorn chicken can cook while you prepare the mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn.
• Large Serving Bowl or Individual Bowls: Whether you want to serve this on a big platter or in separate bowls is up to you.

 

How to make KFC Famous Bowls

The hardest part of this recipe is cooking multiple ingredients simultaneously and keeping them all hot and ready to go.

I start with the air fryer popcorn chicken, which takes 10 minutes to cook. I then begin the instant mashed potatoes to soak them and get them nice and fluffy.

Up next is heating the gravy and then the corn. We heat these in the microwave to make the process quick and easy.

Layer 1 - Mashed Potatoes

We use instant mashed potatoes to save time but you could easily make slow cooker mashed potatoes or your favorite family recipe.

Layer 2 - Corn

Spread hot corn over the top of the mashed potatoes

Layer 3 - Popcorn Chicken

We used air fryer popcorn chicken to get it nice and crispy on top of the corn.

Layer 4 - Gravy

I am going to admit to using canned beef gravy for this recipe to save time. You can definitely make homemade gravy for this recipe.

Layer 5 - Cheddar Cheese

Sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese and enjoy! You can use any shredded cheese for this recipe we like to use Cheddar. KFC uses a blend of three shredded cheeses.

Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

Preparation and Storage

Make Ahead: This dish comes together so quickly that we recommend making it to order. We recommend cooking the popcorn chicken first, which takes about ten minutes.

Storage: You can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for three to four days in the fridge.

Freezing/How to Freeze: For quality and food safety reasons, it is best not to refreeze any frozen food you have cooked. This KFC Famous Bowl tastes best fresh since it uses frozen popcorn chicken.

How to Reheat: Leftovers reheat well in the microwave.

 

Recipe Variations

Substitutions:

We used instant potatoes, but you can use frozen mashed potatoes or make them from scratch using the slow cooker or your favorite family recipe. Add in garlic powder, onion powder if desired. 

We used canned corn, but you can easily use frozen or fresh corn.

We used canned gravy to save time, but you can easily make this from scratch or use a gravy packet.

You can use any shredded cheese for this recipe. We like to use cheddar. KFC uses a blend of three shredded cheeses.

Vegetarian Option: Make this recipe vegetarian by replacing the popcorn chicken and beef gravy with meatless alternatives.

Vegan Option: In addition to the guidance for vegetarians, vegans should replace the shredded cheddar cheese with a plant-based alternative.

Gluten-Free: Look for gluten-free labels on the instant mashed potatoes, popcorn chicken, corn, and beef gravy to avoid cross-contamination and make this recipe safe for a gluten-free diet.

Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe makes five servings and scales easily to your desired yield.

Make It Spicy: Add Nashville hot sauce to turn your bowl into a Spicy Famous Bowl.

Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 7 grams of sugar per serving. Each ingredient includes a small amount, so look for sugar-free or low-sugar alternatives to lower the sugar content.

 

Tips for the Best KFC Famous Bowl

• We like to set out all the ingredients in order and let everyone dish up their KFC Chicken Bowls. This way, everyone can customize how much they want of each layer.
• If you don't have popcorn chicken, you can replace this ingredient with chicken strips, fried chicken, or crispy chicken tenders cut into pieces. 

What to Serve with KFC Famous Bowl

Pair this KFC Famous Bowl with other copycat favorites for a complete fast-food experience from home! Here are some menu planning suggestions.

Sides: Cracker Barrel Carrots, Texas Roadhouse Loaded Sweet Potato, Chili's Salsa, Cracker Barrel Green Beans, Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole, CrockPot Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Olive Garden Breadsticks

Main Dishes: Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheddar Chicken, Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings, Guy's Burger Joint Pig Patty Burger, McDonald's Egg McMuffins

Desserts: Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding, Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake, Carnival Cruise Chocolate Melting Cake, Carl's Jr. Pop Tart Ice Cream Sandwich, Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes, Homemade Twinkies

Drinks: Chick-fil-A Frosted Coffee, Red Robin Freckled Lemonade, Chick-fil-A Frosted Lemonade, Chick-fil-A Lemonade, Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade, McDonald's Shamrock Shake, Sonic Ocean Water, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, McDonald's Sweet Tea

When to Serve

• Lunch
• Dinner
• Potlucks
• Family and Friends Gatherings 

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