KFC Gets Attention Using Chicken for Bread in 'Double Down'

(MoneyWatch)  Can this sandwich possibly have fewer than 600 calories? According to KFC, it does. The new Double Down, which KFC is testing in Rhode Island and Nebraska, uses two pieces of fried chicken instead of bread, with bacon and cheese in between them.

I'm not sure how well the product is selling, but it's certainly getting attention. An ad on YouTube received close to 200,000 hits, and a Harvard Business School writer said the Double Down might wind up having "the mother of all viral campaigns."

Some initially thought the product was a hoax, but KFC has confirmed that the sandwich is real. The company has also gone out of its way to dispute some outside calorie estimates. The Vancouver Sun analyzed the sandwich and concluded it should have about 1228 calories, but KFC said its own estimate puts the calorie count at only 590.

Even so, the Double Down is now featured on the website "This is why you're fat."