The ongoing popularity of boneless chicken calls for a constant stream of fresh menu ideas. Distributors can help by bringing forward labor-saving prebreaded chicken chunks. Several products available from Perdue Foodservice help operators streamline kitchen operations while catering to guests who prefer their chicken boneless.
On Trend & Versatile
Boneless chicken wings are all the rage. A recent survey from Datassential found that 49% of Gen Z consumers say they love them.2
Boneless chicken breast chunks lend themselves to endless variations and on-trend formats. For example, chicken bowls have increased 51% on menus over the past four years.1 Operators can tailor them to specific diets, and in fast-casual fashion, guests can customize chicken bowls with preferred ingredients.
Beyond bowls and wings, boneless chicken chunks are showing up in unexpected places on the menu. Pizza chain Jet’s Pizza currently features four Popcorn Chicken Pizza versions as fall and winter LTOs: Popcorn Aloha BBQ Chicken Pizza, Popcorn BBQ Chicken Pizza, Popcorn Buffalo Ranch Chicken Pizza, and Popcorn Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza.3
Whether they are referred to as wings, popcorn, poppers or nuggets, they provide the coveted protein crunch in salads, wraps, ramen and more. Perdue Foodservice makes it easy for operators to get in the boneless chicken game across the menu with its new PERDUE® No Antibiotics Ever Homestyle Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks. With minimal preparation, they can go from the box to the table in minutes. The homestyle breading with visible pepper flakes delivers a crunchy savory bite. The breast meat chunks are individually frozen for ease of use and for portion control.
Spice is nice
If operators are looking to spice things up, Perdue Foodservice also offers a spicy version of their boneless chicken breast chunks: PERDUE® No Antibiotics Ever Spicy Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks. The breading is seasoned with just the right amount of spice that customers crave.
Fast food chain Shake Shack recently launched a new “Hot Menu” that features spicy fries, a spicy burger and a spicy chicken sandwich.4 Meanwhile, KFC started an extra crispy Hot & Spicy Wings LTO in early September 2023.5
Stand-out attributes
Distributors support operators by offering prebreaded chicken chunks with the advantage claims that consumers care about. According to a survey of 1,000 consumers, 29% typically choose chicken/turkey with premium qualities/benefits and are willing to pay more for them.6
Consumers’ top five most important poultry claims are Clean Label (53%), No Antibiotics Ever (50%), Humanely Raised (40%), Raised in the USA (40%) and Organic (38%). These claims are important enough that 84% of survey respondents would return to a location they have avoided if premium poultry claims were added to the menu.6
PERDUE® No Antibiotics Ever Homestyle Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks and PERDUE® No Antibiotics Ever Spicy Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks offer operators the claims consumers want, including no antibiotics ever and 100% vegetarian fed with no animal by-products. Identify these qualities in the specs in order to help operators stand out among the competition.
Stay on trend and help operators distinguish their menus with Perdue’s labor-saving breaded breast meat homestyle and spicy chunks that offer consistency, ease of use and premium qualities.
Sources
- “Chicken Bowls: the Staple is Increasing on Menus,” Nation’s Restaurant News, July 17, 2023, https://www.nrn.com/chef-insights/chicken-bowl-staple-increasing-menus
- Thorn, Bret, “Boneless Chicken Surges on Restaurant Menus,” Nation’s Restaurant News, Sept. 11, 2023, https://www.nrn.com/chef-insights/boneless-chicken-surges-restaurant-menus
- Thorn, Bret, “New Items From Arby’s KFC, and Taco Bell,” Nation’s Restaurant News, Sept. 8, 2023, https://www.nrn.com/menu/menu-tracker-new-items-arby-s-kfc-and-taco-bell/gallery?curr=25&slide=20
- Hauari, Gabe, “Shake Shack Launches New ‘Hot Menu’ Featuring Hot Chicken Sandwich, Spicy Burger,” USA TODAY, Sept. 5, 2023, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2023/09/05/shake-shack-new-menu-items/70708452007/
- Thorn, Bret, “New Items From Arby’s KFC, and Taco Bell,” Nation’s Restaurant News, Sept. 8, 2023, https://www.nrn.com/menu/menu-tracker-new-items-arby-s-kfc-and-taco-bell/gallery?curr=25&slide=25
- Perdue Proprietary Research May 2022