What is in this article?:
This article is part of the 2012: Year in Review series from Nation's Restaurant News, which recaps notable news from the restaurant industry over the past year. This article can also be found in the Dec. 17 issue of Nation's Restaurant News. Subscribe here.
Choosing chicken
It was a big year for chicken generally, particularly chicken breast as wing prices skyrocketed and the cost of beef also rose.
McDonald’s introduced miniature Chicken McBites. Sonic debuted popcorn chicken in the summer, and later it introduced two chicken breast sandwiches, available either fried or grilled: a classic build and an Asiago Caesar version.
KFC launched an array of snack products, including Original Recipe Bites, extra crispy chicken tenders rebranded as Dip’ems and served with dipping sauces, and sliders called Chicken Littles.
Smashburger in October began offering a Spinach & Goat Cheese Chicken Sandwich and a Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.
Culver’s featured crispy chicken tenders in its new Asian Crunch Salad this fall, and Pei Wei made use of the popularity of a Thai hot sauce with its Sriracha Chicken.
Red Robin also added Sriracha to its menu with a spicy burger called The Cry Baby.
Casual-dining motor sports themed chain Quaker Steak & Lube added several chicken items, including a Greek feta chicken, buffalo chicken mac ’n’ cheese, and a Baja chicken wrap.
