June 22--A now-viral photo of a piece of KFC chicken that resembled a crispy, fried rat drew skeptics and shocked others on social media.
Many wondered if it was a golden piece of chicken or a fried rat, as Los Angeles resident Devorise Dixon claimed.
The photo showed a large rat-shaped piece of chicken attached to a longer string of fried breading, appearing to be a tail.
Now the results are in.
A third-party independent lab tested the suspicious meal and determined it was undoubtedly a piece of hand-breaded chicken -- an assertion KFC stood firm on.
KFC is now sorta asking for an apology.
"The right thing for this customer to do is to apologize and cease making false claims about the KFC brand," KFC said.
It's unclear whether Dixon will apologize or move forward with any legal action. Dixon retained an attorney, who agreed to turn over the piece of chicken to the lab, KFC said.
Dixon, they said, has refused to communicate directly with KFC officials.
On June 12, Dixon posted the photo on Facebook, and within hours an investigation was launched.
Dixon claimed to have purchased the meal at a KFC at Wilmington Avenue and 120th Street, but the restaurant owner said security video doesn't show him as an actual customer.
From the beginning, KFC said Dixon's claim was a hoax.
On Wednesday, the company released a photograph showing various angles of the chicken. It appears a bite was taken from the rat-shaped piece, exposing white meat.
But Dixon said last week he knows what he bit into.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter what others think I know what I bit into and what it looks like never in life have .. seen a chicken strip with a long tail," he wrote.
