Image from Flickr.

Despite the mayhem that occurred in some areas the last time KFC gave out free chicken, the fast-food vendor is going for it again. If you sign up for the Colonel’s E-mail Club, you can print a coupon for a free piece of KFC grilled chicken.

Previously, KFC gave out full grilled chicken meals for free. In that case customers also needed a coupon that could be printed from the web site. Also, Oprah promoted the giveaway on her show and her site, adding a whole new level of hype to the phrase “KFC free chicken.”

Boston Market meals for $1

It’s a good day for chicken lovers, as Boston Market is running a special on chicken meals through Nov. 1. Customers who print out the online coupon can get a Boston Market meal for only $1. So if you were thinking of getting payday cash advance loans to pay for groceries this week, you might want to hold off.

Boston Market meals are pretty hearty. The $1 meals include a quarter of a chicken, cornbread and mashed potatoes. That is a whole lot of food for $1. Boston Market probably figured out that in order to compete with the ever-more-popular Dollar Menus popping up at every fast food place, they’d have to run this promotion to get people hooked. The strategy seems to be working, as the page that allegedly contains the Boston Market coupon (www.bostonmarket.com/restaurant?page=coupons) won’t even load right now, probably because of too much web traffic.

More free stuff

Taco Bell also is participating in a giveaway this week. Taco Bell says it will give a free Black Jack Taco to customers after dark on Halloween, which is Saturday. The only difference between a Black Jack Taco and a regular taco from Taco Bell appears to be the “zesty pepperjack sauce.”

Of course, the color of the shell is different, too, but that’s not really an ingredient. Black Jack Tacos are normally 89 cents, but you can try one for free on Halloween. In case I don’t make it to Taco Bell on Saturday, let me know if the Black Jack Taco lives up to all the hype. As far as I can tell, you don’t need a coupon to get a free taco.