SOMETIMES, when you've tried everything, it is best to go back to the original.

And that is exactly what KFC is doing.

It is taking another look at the original recipe chicken to give customers what they love - juicy, tasty chicken.

For that, it sent its 500 cooks from its 75 restaurants back to class for a refresher course.

The new way of doing it is to marinate the chicken pieces to let the flavours penetrate the meat.

When KFC opened the door to its latest restaurant at the former Big Splash (now called Playground@Big splash), I tasted the new-and-improved Original Recipe chicken.

I've been a fan of KFC for a long while (I indulge in a three-piece dinner set once a month) and the new version tastes just as good.

The chicken was tender and the skin was both crisp and juicy.

I ate so many pieces that day that I won't be able to head back to another KFC restaurant until May!

Now, that's a pity because KFC has a new promotion.

For $5, the Real Deal Meal consists of two pieces of chicken, a regular whipped potato and a regular Pepsi (usual price $8.20).

The promotion ends on 25 Mar.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Mar 5, 2008.