Josh Jenkins, who bought the budget chicken meal from the fast food giant’s Triangle branch on March 3, came across the stomach-churning sight while finishing the meal off the following day.The 19-year-old, from Christchurch, said his grisly find had put him off eating food from KFC, but the firm has claimed the mystery meat is actually a chicken kidney.
“I was on a night out and I decided to buy a bargain bucket to use for snacks over the next couple of days,” said Mr Jenkins.
“Next evening I was eating a couple of pieces, and I pulled the skin off one and that was when I saw it. It looked just like a brain, all white and wrinkled.
“I was really shocked at the time, it is one of these things you hear about people finding but you never expect to see it on your plate.
“I thought it was absolutely disgusting, it made me feel queasy.”
The student then found another piece of mysterious organ in a separate piece of chicken, leading him to fear he had already accidentally eaten some of it.
He added: “It has really put me off eating at KFC, or eating any fried chicken like that.
“I have shown a picture of it to my friends and a lot of them have been put off as well. It’s vile.”
Mr Jenkins, who is studying hospitality at Bournemouth and Poole College, rang KFC who told him to send the offensive organ to them in a special container for testing.
He said by the time the container arrived the fowl sample had turned black and shrunk, and no longer resembled a brain.
“They have offered me some sort of goodwill gift but I don’t think that is really acceptable, since I don’t want to eat there again,” he said.
“It’s vile even if it isn’t brain and it has put me off eating chicken.”
KFC has claimed the organ is a kidney and poses no threat to human health, but the firm has acknowledged it is unsightly.
A spokesman for the franchisee that operates the Triangle branch said: "We're really sorry for Mr Jenkins' experience.
"We sell 200 million pieces of chicken every year and always try to ensure the highest standards in every restaurant.
"However, because all our chicken on the bone is freshly prepared by hand, unfortunately on rare occasions, human error can mean that a giblet is not removed in the preparation process.
"After a thorough investigation we can confirm that this was the case.
"We have apologised to Mr Jenkins and will be providing him with a gesture of goodwill, and are retraining our cooks in the restaurant to ensure this doesn't happen again."
