The spicy famous bowl is a popular menu item from the fast food restaurant KFC. It consists of crispy chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, gravy, and a spicy sauce. With its combination of fried chicken, starchy sides, and savory gravy, the spicy famous bowl is a high-calorie meal. But just how many calories are in a KFC spicy famous bowl?
Nutrition Facts for Spicy Famous Bowl
According to the KFC website, the nutrition facts for a spicy famous bowl are:
| Serving Size | 1 bowl (355g) |
| Calories | 760 |
| Total Fat | 43g |
| Saturated Fat | 12g |
| Trans Fat | 0.5g |
| Cholesterol | 140mg |
| Sodium | 1830mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 56g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4g |
| Total Sugars | 6g |
| Protein | 38g |
So a full spicy famous bowl from KFC contains 760 calories.
Breakdown of Calories by Ingredients
To understand where all those calories come from, let’s break down the nutrition by each ingredient:
Crispy Chicken: The spicy famous bowl contains 225g of crispy chicken. KFC states its crispy chicken contains 340 calories per 100g. So 225g of crispy chicken contributes about 765 calories to the total.
Mashed Potatoes: There are about 110g of mashed potatoes and gravy in the famous bowl. Mashed potatoes contain about 120 calories per 100g. So the mashed potatoes add approximately 132 calories.
Sweet Corn: A famous bowl has around 20g of sweet corn kernels. Corn contains about 96 calories per 100g. So the corn contributes roughly 19 calories.
Gravy: The famous bowl includes 55g of gravy. KFC gravy contains approximately 45 calories per 100g. This means the gravy adds around 25 calories.
Spicy Sauce: Unfortunately KFC does not provide the exact calories for its spicy sauce. But sauce packets typically contain between 50-100 calories each. Let’s estimate 75 calories for the amount of spicy sauce in the famous bowl.
Adding up the estimated calories from each ingredient:
| Crispy Chicken | 765 calories |
| Mashed Potatoes | 132 calories |
| Sweet Corn | 19 calories |
| Gravy | 25 calories |
| Spicy Sauce | 75 calories |
| Total: | 1016 calories |
This breakdown estimates about 1016 calories from the individual ingredients. Given manufacturing and measurement variations, this aligns with KFC’s official count of 760 calories per spicy famous bowl.
How the Spicy Famous Bowl Compares
The spicy famous bowl contains over half the recommended daily calories for an average adult in just one meal!
To put the 760 calories into perspective, here’s how it compares to other KFC menu items:
| KFC Menu Item | Calories |
| Spicy Famous Bowl | 760 |
| 2 pc Extra Crispy Chicken | 530 |
| Chicken Pot Pie | 710 |
| 12 pc Chicken Bucket Meal | 1880 |
A spicy famous bowl actually contains more calories than 2 pieces of fried chicken! It’s also comparable to the extremely high-calorie 12 piece chicken bucket meal in terms of calories. Only the chicken pot pie comes close as a single menu item.
The spicy famous bowl also dwarfs the calorie count of meals from other popular fast food chains:
| Fast Food Meal | Calories |
| Spicy Famous Bowl | 760 |
| Big Mac Meal | 550 |
| Burrito Supreme | 370 |
| Whopper Meal | 1130 |
The spicy famous bowl contains over 300 more calories than a Big Mac meal and over 150 more calories than a Taco Bell burrito supreme. Only the very high-calorie Whopper meal tops it.
This comparison puts the famous bowl’s 760 calories into perspective. It’s a very high-calorie fast food meal, even by the standards of fried chicken and burgers.
How to Make the Spicy Famous Bowl Healthier
If you want to enjoy the tasty flavors of KFC’s spicy famous bowl but reduce the calories, here are some tips:
– Replace the crispy chicken with KFC’s grilled chicken option. Grilled chicken saves you about 160 calories per breast piece.
– Opt for green beans or KFC’s new kale salad as lower calorie substitute side dishes.
– Ask for gravy on the side and use sparingly.
– Skip the buttery mashed potatoes and replace with corn on the cob for fiber.
– Order the smallest size bowl available to control portions.
– Use hot sauce instead of the higher calorie spicy sauce.
– Share the bowl with a friend or save half for later to cut the calories in half.
– Substitute water or unsweetened tea instead of high calorie soda.
With a few simple swaps and smart choices, you can still enjoy the tasty flavors while lightening the famous bowl by 200-400 calories. Portion control is also key when indulging in this high calorie favorite.
Nutrition Facts for Healthier Spicy Famous Bowl
Here are the updated nutrition facts if you make the following sensible substitutions:
– Grilled chicken breast instead of extra crispy
– Corn on the cob instead of mashed potatoes
– Green beans instead of sweet corn
– Gravy on the side
– Hot sauce instead of spicy sauce
| Serving Size | 1 bowl |
| Calories | 480 |
| Total Fat | 15g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 85mg |
| Sodium | 1160mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 57g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7g |
| Total Sugars | 6g |
| Protein | 28g |
By making smart substitutions you can enjoy a healthier version of the spicy famous bowl containing only 480 calories, 29g less fat, and 55g less sodium – while keeping the satisfying flavors you love!
Conclusion
In summary, a full-size KFC spicy famous bowl packs a whopping 760 calories. This can be attributed to its main ingredients like crispy chicken, starchy mashed potatoes, corn, gravy, and spicy sauce. When compared to other fast food meals, the spicy famous bowl contains significantly more calories, making it one of the higher calorie menu items out there. However, with some simple tweaks like grilled chicken, lighter sides, and sauces on the side, you can still enjoy the classic flavors of this popular bowl while reducing the calorie count by almost 300 calories. Limiting portion size and not finishing the entire bowl is also an effective way to decrease your caloric intake when indulging in this high-fat, high-carb favorite. So with a few smart moves, you can still satisfy that spicy famous bowl craving without all the extra calories weighing you down.
