KFC partners with Russian bioprinting company to create 3D-printed chicken nuggets

SAN FRANCISCO -- KFC believes it will soon hold the recipe to the "meat of the future," but it would be more like printing instructions.

The fast food chain has partnered with Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions to develop a way to print lab-grown materials to make chicken meat for its nuggets.

KFC says it has plans to use chicken cells and plant-based material, as well as provide the bioprinting firm with its breading and spices for the signature KFC taste, according to the chain's press release.

KFC's use of chicken cells would mean that the 3D-printed chicken nuggets are not vegetarian, but the company was the first major U.S. chain to offer a plant-based chicken product through Beyond Meat. However, KFC argues this 3D-printed method of making its chicken nuggets would be a more sustainable method.

KFC says its bioprinted nuggets will be available for final testing in Russia this fall. There's no word on when the product might start to be sampled at U.S. locations.

This is not the first time KFC has turned heads for its seemingly crazy menu concoctions. Earlier this year, it devised something you might see at a state fair, with its fried chicken and donuts sandwich.