‘Kentucky Chicken Rice’ from KFC Japan puts the Double Down to shame

When you think of Japanese cuisine, it’s likely that images of light and tasty cucumber sushi rolls and fat free wakame seaweed salads dance through your head. Yes, Japanese cuisine can be very diet-friendly. At least it was, until KFC got it’s greasy paws on it.

Introducing the “Kentucky Chicken Rice”, a KFC specialty available only in Japan that is pretty much a heavier, more extreme version of the infamous Double Down, reports the Huffington Post.

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You remember the Double Down, a heart attack special composed of bacon, melted cheese and the colonel’s secret sauce (mostly mayo) sandwiched between two pieces of deeply fried chicken instead of bread. But hey — less carbs.

The dare food made headlines when it debuted in Canada back in 2010, raising the eyebrows of many a nutritionist for its 540 calories and 1,740 milligrams of salt. Even the sandwich’s makers warned the public about the terrifying snack food.

"We wouldn't recommend consumers eat this all the time," Dan Howe, the chief marketing officer of KFC operators Yum! Restaurants Canada, tells the Globe and Mail.

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Well, the Kentucky Fried Rice scoffs at the intensity of the Double Down. This sandwich steps it up by adding a thick fried rice patty in the middle because, uh, it’s Japanese.

This basically ruins the no carbs thing, so anyone on The Zone Diet, beware. The whole mess is glued together with ketchup and mayo. It's one saving grace: There is no sinful bacon in this sandwich.

Just remember that after you scarf one of these bad boys down, it’s best to stick to veggie maki and miso soup for a few weeks, if you want to avoid a coronary.