Confession: I’ve never been all that big on chicken. As a kid, I’d usually eat “the crispy part” and leave the rest largely untouched.  Clearly, I wasn’t focused on healthy eating at that stage of the game.

Even as an adult, I’d opt for cow or pig before chicken.  Except when I was pregnant with my daughter. Suddenly, I was craving fried chicken salads, even though I’d never before had one.  After that, I gradually expanded my carnivorous horizons to include an occasional chicken caesar salad, maybe even an actual chicken breast, provided it was properly adorned with wine, cheese, and mushrooms or some other tasty accoutrements.  Never got into wings, though. And for fast food, the choice was most always some sort of burger or roast beef — maybe Taco Bell to spice things up.

Lately, though, I’ve developed a thing for KFC’s popcorn nuggets.  (Probably because they’re more batter than actual chicken.)  Some nuggets and mashed potatoes and gravy have been my go-to comfort food after a long day — had some just the other night, in fact.

Still, I’ve shied away from their chicken sandwiches.  Just…too much chicken for my tastes.  Now, though, KFC is introducing its new “Zinger” sandwich — it’s spicy and made by hand, and they’ve reportedly spent $80 million developing it and upgrading equipment.  To roll it out, they’ve hired a somewhat unlikely new Colonel Sanders:  Rob Lowe

I was 14 the first time I encountered Rob Lowe – He played the ailing Sam Alden, a boy in need of a heart transplant, in the TV movie “Thursday’s Child.” I’ll freely admit I was smitten, and have remained a fan through his turns as Soda Pop Curtis, Dean Youngblood, Sam Seaborn, and even Number 2! To this day, “About Last Night” remains one of my favorite movies, and “Danny” is no doubt a big part of that.

So I congratulate both KFC and Rob Lowe on their new joint venture.  This chicken skeptic may just have to give the Zinger a try.