New York (CNN Business) – Yum Brands said Wednesday that its KFC chicken sandwich — which is made with an extra crispy chicken filet on a buttered brioche bun with pickles and spicy or classic mayonnaise — has been a success so far.

“Our sandwich is performing at more than twice the volumes of our prior US sandwich launches,” Yum (YUM) CEO David Gibbs said during an analyst call discussing earnings.

“Customers are loving the product and coming back more frequently for it.” [Well some are anyway; see reports below from people who say they’re never going back to KFC. – Ed.]

Sales at US KFC restaurants open more than a year grew 11% in the first quarter compared to the same period two years ago, thanks in part to the new item, he said.

Interest in the product, along with tight chicken supply, has made keeping up with demand “our main challenge” as KFC enters the 2nd quarter, Gibbs said. Fans of the sandwich can breathe easy, though. KFC says it’s not running out of chicken… click here to read more. 

• Our take: Avoid all fast-food franchises, which often have a record of employing low-wage workers with insufficient food safety training. Paying a few dollars more to eat at a higher quality restaurant should – on average – result in lower food poisoning risk. Still, the final inspector of what you eat is you, so look before you bite. – HH 
• Below: some common consequences of fast-food chicken, plus how to spot undercooked chicken before it makes you sick

“I thought it was a little moist” – telltale signs of undercooked chicken

Crowd-sourced food poisoning reports on KFC

iwaspoisoned.com

KFC, Frederick, MD, USA | April 22, 2021 5:16 PM
Symptoms: Nausea Diarrhea Vomiting Stomach Pain
“I ate the new Nashville hot tenders. I had 3 of them and a side of mash potatoes. I also had their sauce! My stomach started to hurt later in the day but i went to sleep thinking it was my period.

“When i woke up my stomach was hurting so bad. When i arrived at work i started throwing up and couldn’t leave the toilet. I took a tums to try to help but it only made me burp that NASTY BURP THAT MAKES U WANNA THROW Up. I will not be eating there no more … I’m in pain right now typing this ”

“Cooked chicken should be white, with no pink pieces of flesh. Pink flesh is a sign of undercooked chicken.” – Healthline

KFC, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA | April 13, 2021 9:39 PM
Symptoms: Diarrhea Nausea Vomiting
“Ur food 5 people and a baby, started feeling sick by throwing up and having diarrhea. The day after we bought almost $60 worth of food we all had symptoms.
Last night and this morning all day ”

KFC, Altoona, Eau Claire, WI, USA | April 13, 2021 7:55 PM
Symptoms: Nausea Vomiting Diarrhea
“I ate there yesterday. 4 hours later I have horrible diarrhea, cannot stop puking! The chicken I got was chicken breast it was supposed to be white meat! It looked like dark meat! Everything was disgusting I have been sick all day. My boyfriend and 2 children got sick as well. We will never have it ever again ”

KFC, Des Moines, IA, USA | April 12, 2021 11:41 AM
Symptoms: Diarrhea Nausea Chills Vomiting
“Bad chicken Just me about 5 hours. Ate it for dinner was up at 12:30 am. Puking and having severe diarrhea, plus chills and nausea. Which I still have today ”

“I thought it was a little moist” – iwaspoisoined.com user

KFC, York, Nebraska, USA | April 11, 2021 4:10 PM
Symptoms: Nausea Diarrhea Vomiting Other Diarrhea Nausea Fever Body Ache
“I went there on April 10th. My partner got 2 bean burritos and I decided I wanted to try the chicken sandwich. The lady said the chicken sandwich would take a little bit because they were still cooking the chicken fillets and I said that would be fine. We waited for our food and the sandwich was good but I thought it was a little moist. I didn’t pay any mind to it though and went back home after making some more stops in York.

“That night I started feeling nauseous and started to have bad diarrhea. Further into the night at around 9 pm I started getting a fever and fell asleep for a bit over 12 hours minus the times getting up to use the restroom. It is currently the 11th of April and my fever isn’t as bad as it was last night but I still have nausea, diarrhea, and aches all around my body with the fever only coming back every so often.” SOURCE 

3 ways to make sure the chicken you’re about to eat is cooked just right 

Based on a post at Quora.com

1. Check the juice that runs out of the meat. If the juice is clear, then the meat is fully cooked. If it is slightly pink, DO NOT EAT.
2. Cooked chicken meat is all white, while raw has a slightly pink color on the inside of the meat.
3. Check if the meat is firm. It should not be jiggly (undercooked) or feel like rubber (overcooked).

Raw or undercooked chicken meat may contain bacteria that can make you ill. These bacteria can cause infection to your intestinal tract and lead to more serious complications. Salmonella is the bacteria most commonly found on raw chicken. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, headache, and stomach pains.

Easiest indicator of food and service quality – Online reviews

How to replicate this search in your area: 

Go to Yelp.com or a similar online review site and search for locations near you of the fast-food chain you are considering – in this case, KFC. Note the number of stars and number of reviews for each location. Then repeat the search replacing the brand name with the name of the menu item – in our example, chicken sandwiches. Compare the numbers of stars and reviews. Be prepared to pay a few dollars more for higher ranked restaurants; quality food and service come at a price, but it’s well worth it if it helps you avoid a bout of food poisoning.

Pro tip: Add the Yelp app to your phone. You can also let your digital assistant do the work, with voice commands such as:

• • “Hey Siri, KFC near me.”

versus

• • “Hey Siri, chicken sandwich near me.”