​The much-touted KFC Double Down Chicken Sandwich finally arrives. 
 
 Cradled in your hand, it seems a rather paltry thing; indeed, the entire sandwich in its tiny paper chemise can barely fill the small cardboard hamburger box it comes in. 
 
 ​Compare the sandwich calling to you from the window with the actual sandwich. 
 
 Lift up the top breast piece -- which surely must be a half-breast cut latitudinally, and find two very thick slices of gummy white cheese (though pleasantly flecked with jalapenos that have some heat), and two picayune slices of bacon -- and not bacon of the thick, heavily smoked sort, either. 
 
 Indeed, the sandwich is an almost total dud. The chicken itself is stringy and none-too-tender, the taste of the cheese pointedly interferes with the mild chicken flavor, and the bacon is indiscernible if you bite down on the whole thing at once. 
 
 We worried that our Fork in the Road version of the sandwich would be inferior, but it turns out we had nothing to worry about. We pretty much nailed the sauce, too: a ketchup, mustard, mayo hybrid of no distinction. One thing, though: The sandwich by itself is so filling, you won't need any sides. It's probably not the worst $5 meal in town. 
 
 But the sandwich cries out for carbs! 
 
 ​A peek under the top "bun" reveals hella-small slices of bacon, and acres of white cheese. Cheese must be much cheaper than chicken. 
 
 Rating: 2 (out of 5) blechs ||||| Rachel Been, AOL 
 
 PRODUCTION PLAYER! DO NOT DELETE. 
 
 The day has finally come for KFC's gluttonous Double Down sandwich to premier, and we were among the first in line to test it this morning (yes, we were eating this sandwich at 10:45 a.m.). The Double Down (also available with grilled chicken) consists of two boneless Original Recipe Filets, two strips of bacon, two slices of Monterey Jack and pepperjack cheese and a special Colonel's Sauce.The complete review after the jump.Grade: BNutritional Info: 540 calories, 32 grams fat,1380 mgs sodiumThis sandwich isn't for the faint of heart. The sodium intake alone will knock you off your feet: Our testers determined the salty culprit seemed to be the breading on the chicken, though it was pleasingly crispy and the meat itself was quite moist. The bacon was legit -- it didn't have the usual weirdly chewy, artificial bacon-bit taste -- but it was essentially lost, both physically and flavor-wise (along with the cheese), between the two behemoth chicken filets. And there was a lot of discussion around whether the cheese was really a cheese spread, or if it had just melded with the special sauce.with a complete bite of chicken, cheese, bacon and sauce, this sandwich really isn't bad. While we probably wouldn't order another (unless you're really jonesing for a salt fix), we happily finished off the one we bought. We can foresee this becoming the new "hangover food" of choice.Related: KFC Double Down Chicken Sandwich Loses the Bun
– Congratulations, KFC, your Double Down stunt has gotten more publicity than a Nazi-themed romp with Jesse James. So here's a little more, in the form of what the reviewers are saying: The Double Down "arrives at a new low," writes Sam Sifton of the New York Times. Even the chain's signature chicken is "a slimy and unnaturally moist thing, with flavor ginned up in a lab. It is, in all, a disgusting meal, a must-to-avoid." The sandwich, which "cries out for carbs," is "an almost total dud," writes Robert Sietsema for the Village Voice, noting that "a peek under the top 'bun' reveals hella-small slices of bacon and acres of white cheese." Over at Slashfood, however, the concoction rated a "B"—though admittedly the salt was "not for the faint of heart." And perhaps it has a higher calling than mere lunch: "We can foresee this becoming the new 'hangover food' of choice."