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Discover the Secret Spicy Weapon in Creating Winning Chicken Sandwiches.
Published: May 11, 2023
Ahh, the beloved and in-demand chicken sandwich...
Patrons look for them on the menu. Operators want to serve them up as crispy and juicy as they can be. And now we're pleased to let you in on a new secret weapon—one that can not only win with guests on the chicken sandwich scene, but also spice up your menu while helping you save you time and labor costs. So, get ready. We’re going to show you just how easy it is to create winning chicken sandwiches without having to battle hand-breading back of house.
The top three
concerns operators are facing today are food costs, customer satisfaction, and managing labor costs.1
Go From Freezer to Fryer to Satisfy Customers Fast, Without Extra Costs.
The top three concerns operators are facing today are food costs, customer satisfaction, and managing labor costs1. Tyson Red Label® Authentically Crispy Spicy Filets give patrons a premium quality, thick-cut whole muscle eating experience without extra food costs. They deliver the savory, juicy, flavorful chicken your patrons crave “with the top sensory notes of the best QSR restaurants out there,” says Kelsey Bre Ann Carlson, Sr. Food Scientist Research and Development, National Accounts at Tyson Foods.
They also cook from frozen to fryer to help shorten prep time and reduce food safety concerns while supporting an extended shelf life. And since speed of visit is important to 85% of consumers when dining out at Limited Service Restaurants (82% at Fast Service Restaurants)2, the breaded chicken breasts can be prepared in advance to speed up serving time. “You can cook some ahead of time and have them hold in a non-steam environment,” says Carlson. “The product holds very well for up to an hour.”
With 90% of operators still expecting labor shortages to persist throughout 20233, our crispy spicy filets can help you solve for these challenges and more.
“This product is direct from freezer to fryer and we’ve formulated it to emulate that back-of-house batter-breading process.”
Kelsey Bre Ann Carlson
Senior Food Scientist
Tyson Foods
Win the Battle Against Hand-Breading Prep Time
A lot of operators are using the hand-breaded method back of house to get the crispy, crunchy texture patrons expect on chicken sandwiches. But hand-breading is time intensive, labor intensive and ultimately messy. There’s also the food safety element.
Our crispy spicy chicken breast filets give you a new way to menu a spicy chicken sandwich that solves for that authentic, hand-breaded appearance and taste-with a lot less time and effort.
“Why it’s going to help operators is that a lot of QSR restaurants are doing batter-breading back of house, but not everybody has the space, time or food safety protocols to do that,” says Carlson. “This product is direct from freezer to fryer and we’ve formulated it to emulate that back-of-house batter-breading process.”
Discover the Difference With Multi-dimensional Flavor
It’s no surprise that “spicy” is found on 70% of U.S. restaurant menus4 and is second-most commonly paired with chicken in menu descriptions5. To stay on trend with customer demand, we built on the momentum of our original line of Tyson Red Label® Authentically Crispy Chicken Breast Filets and brought everything customers love about the product to create yet another way to up your chicken game.
Like our original Authentically Crispy chicken, our spicy filets provide flavor that will wow patrons, and gives you a menu option that is very competitive against other chicken sandwich products out there.
“Multidimensional flavor is what differentiates this product from other spicy items,” says Carlson. “It’s not just spicy. It’s savory. It’s got umami. It’s got garlic notes. And in that first bite, there are nodules of breading that allow for a crisp impact, but there’s also contrast. Once you get into the meat, it’s really juicy and really flavorful. Overall, it’s an amazing experience.”
"It performed very well against competitor products."
Kelsey Bre Ann Carlson
Senior Food Scientist
Tyson Foods
Wow Patrons with the Perfect Spicy Chicken Product
As part of our advanced research and development process, our Tyson Red Label® Authentically Crispy Spicy Filets went through rigorous sensory testing to ensure top performance and customer satisfaction, as well as meeting our high Tyson Foods standards.
“We actually did a big market research of all the chicken sandwiches that are out there,” says Carlson. “We tried them all and incorporated the best elements of the QSR winners. We spent months on formulations and ended up with 25 iterations before we landed on our perfect formula. We had a lot of work with chefs outside of Tyson Foods, and we had support within our own culinary team.
We also had culinary support with our ingredient suppliers to help provide their level of expertise on what makes the best spicy chicken sandwich.”
When put in front of consumers for sensory testing, “it performed very well against competitor products,” says Carlson.
Fried chicken sandwiches
ARE A MEGA TREND,
giving operators a hot opportunity to innovate with builds, sauces, spice levels and more5.
Make More Creative Chicken Sandwiches, from Simple to Sophisticated
When asked about the best way to serve our crispy spicy filets, Carlson remarked that she likes it simple. “Freshly fried, brioche bun, a good dill pickle and mayo on the heel and crown of your bun,” says Carlson. “It’s a simple build but it performs very well in that style of build.”
But while already in the ubiquity stage of the menu adoption cycle, fried chicken sandwiches are a MEGA TREND, giving operators a hot opportunity to innovate with builds, sauces, spice levels and more5.
More foodservice operators are also experimenting with the fastest-growing carriers, like Italian Bread (+31%), Brioche (+17%), French Roll (+16%), Flatbread (+11%) and Croissant (+9%), and that can give your operation a competitive edge for menuing fried chicken sandwiches6.
In addition, carefully selecting top seasonal fruits and vegetables as fried chicken sandwich toppers, like zucchini in the spring, grilled corn in the summer, Granny Smith apple in the fall, and sprouts in the winter can keep your customers coming back time and time again.
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Spice Up Your Menu Across Dayparts
After you’ve won with awesome chicken sandwiches and the lunch day part in their most literal sense, there’s plenty of opportunity to innovate and create with our spicy crispy breaded chicken breasts across your menu. From breakfast to dinner, here are a couple of ideas to get you started.
Spicy Breakfast Chicken Sandwich
Surprise and delight patrons at breakfast: This Spicy Breakfast Chicken Sandwich will provide a delicious wake-up call for customers, and add a culinary flair to your morning meals.
Spice up your pasta dishes: Your customers will love our Cheesy Chicken and Shells dish that serves up a spicy twist on this comfort food classic.
"Any way we can help our operators be the best that they can be and create a simplistic process for back of house, the better,” says Carlson. “We truly understand the importance of operator ease—how putting something directly from freezer to fryer and getting a high-quality product is super important."
Ready to Unleash Your Secret Spicy Weapon in Creating Winning Chicken Sandwiches?
*Tyson Red Label® products score well on aroma, flavor and juiciness. Tyson Foods Primary Consumer Research, 2023.
Sources
1 Datassential, Pulse Industry Overview, 2022
2 Technomic Ignite, State of the Restaurant Guest, April 2023
3 Datassential, Pulse, Labor Deep-Dive, January 2023
4 Datassential, The World of Spicy Flavors, May 2023
5 Datassential, Snap Food Profile, May 2023
6 Datassential, Menu Trends, March 2023
