Compete on Quality

Organic, natural, and free-range producers can now lay claim to some of the most flavorful chicken on the market, and as their numbers grow, it’s becoming easier to find chicken that tastes more like chicken did 30 or 40 years ago. A chain such as Chick-fil-A, for instance, could work wonders and charge a premium for a superior-cut, free-range grilled chicken sandwich or salad. It might even look to producers to provide new (read, heritage!) breeds of birds that provide more intense flavors. Consumers who experience the taste of premium, natural chicken would soon find themselves hard pressed to settle for anything else.

Do an Ethnic Twist

Hamburger chains that serve a lot of chicken could also look to a cooking technique called sous-vide (in French, “under vacuum”) to infuse flavor into the chicken they use in their salads or sandwiches while delivering a product that’s pleasingly moist, tender, and a breed apart from the rest.

Chicken cooked in specially formulated plastic bags under vacuum and at a low temperature produces superior-tasting meat. And because sauces and seasonings are typically sealed into the cooking pouches as the meat simmers, quick-serves could experiment with any number of exotic and exciting flavors: South American chimichurri, Mexican tequila lime, or Asian sesame ginger. Once added to their menu, these succulent chicken pieces would prove a decisive favorite among chicken connoisseurs and casual consumers alike.