The trickster twins of free food and Internet coupons struck again this week. Well, nearly free food. Boston Market restaurants are experiencing chicken shortages after their coupon offering customers on their mailing list a full chicken meal for $1. The coupon went viral on deal sites, and we even included it in our Morning Deals on Tuesday. And as more people than planned took advantage of the deal, lines ran long and supplies ran low.

OutKastz in Orlando snapped this picture at a local Boston Market:

Do they mean they don’t have any of the chicken that goes with the $1 meals left, or they don’t have any chicken at all? The latter would be a pretty serious problem for a restaurant that primarily sells chicken.

Boston Market has since taken the coupon down from their site, but Buxr has an uploaded version available. The chain is still running their Kids Eat Free (two free children’s meals with one adult meal purchase) promotion. As Chicago Now’s Frugalista points out, if you have kids, the free meals deal may work out almost as well as the $1 coupon. The kids’ meal promotion ends today, and the $1 coupon expires on Sunday.

Ironically, this promotion was timed to compete with Monday’s grilled chicken giveaway at KFC. Because we all know how well KFC’s original grilled chicken giveaway went.

Speaking of free food, you can get a free Blackjack Taco at Taco Bell tonight after dark.

More cheap chicken: $1 Boston Market meals [Baltimore Sun]
Deal Report: $1 Meals at Boston Market [Frugalista]
Boston Market: $1 Real Chicken Meal [Buxr]

(Photo: RBerteig) [If you liked this picture, check out the Cats in Hats You Bought at Target group on Flickr.]

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