I loved KFC in Pakistan, especially their Zinger Burger! Ever since coming to the US, in about 5 years, we only had it once from a halal KFC in Chicago. But when living in Dallas, we heard from a friend who played cricket with the Pakistani owner of a KFC near our house, that he had found an approved halal supplier and was getting halal chicken for select items! Namely, Fried Chicken Original Recipe and Extra Crispy.

I think that very night, we rushed over there and my husband, habit bound, asked the person behind the counter if they had zabiha/halal chicken. After asking my husband to repeat what he had said a couple of times, he looked behind him and said, “It’s not on the menu…” with a very confused look on his face.

Halal KFC

Anyhow, the news spread in the concerned circles, and desis and hijabis started to flock to that branch. Every time we went there, (and we went a lot- making up for lost years) we started seeing at least one, then two, then a number of desi families. From the ‘usual’ crowd, one or two adults eating alone, or an adult with a child after a soccer game, we started seeing large, noisy, desi families coming in for a dinner out.

And that’s not all.

From having no idea what in the world a zabiha/halal is, the white employees started smiling at every desi with a “Yes sir, we have halal chicken…” This was followed by him calling out, “And make that a white gravy!” Later we found out that while we usually never order gravy, the white gravy is kosher, so all halal orders got white gravy by default! They got some good training! Not only that, but they always had at least one desi guy behind the counter, who was happy to help the customers in Urdu if need be!

Halal KFC

And that’s not even the best part!!!

We stopped at KFC to pick up dinner on our way back home from a trip to San Antonio. I took my toddler to the restroom there while we waited for our food and what did I see? A very pretty, flower-decorated, teapot shaped…lota! A lota! In KFC! I never thought I would see the day!

Halal KFC

And what makes it all even more enjoyable is that the KFC was in a nice neighborhood, not a desi neighborhood (yes- mutually exclusive), and through the entire halal-ification and beyond, it did not lose its standard in terms of maintenance and cleanliness. It was not your typical, run down, littered neighborhood over flowing with desis. That is why all this seemed so funny and out of place. But I loved it and I hope to see more of it!

Halal KFC- Extra Crispy Fried Chicken

As for the food, what can I say- we loved the Extra Crispy Fried Chicken and the Spicy Grilled Chicken. The Original Fried Chicken seemed like it had way too much salt. The Spicy Grilled Chicken was a limited item, I believe it is not available anymore.

Halal KFC- Spicy Grilled Chicken

Last I heard, there were 5 halal KFC’s in Dallas. Hopefully, they will keep growing, as they are now catering to a whole new and I think quite a large customer base. Enjoy the crunch! We sure miss it!

5 Halal KFC Locations in the Dallas Metro Area

6301 Coit Road                    1776 E Belt Line Rd                        4117 North Josey Lane
Plano, TX 75024                Richardson, TX 75081                  Carrollton, TX 75007
(972)769-0664                    (972)907-1074                                (972)939-0705

3040 Old Denton Rd
Carrollton, TX 75007
(972)242-7418

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