Chicken remains a powerful draw for full-service restaurants, but executing it well poses a large strain on an operation. Datassential reports that fried chicken sandwiches appear on 12.3 percent of menus, reflecting 30 percent growth over the past four years. At the same time, consumer demand is nearly universal, with 95 percent awareness and 86 percent trial.
On top of this, operators face ongoing back-of-house challenges with chicken, from labor and consistency to speed of prep. For operators, skipping fried chicken altogether isn’t a great option, because keeping it off the menu can mean missing out on a major trend that guests actively seek out. That’s where FLASH 180™ Battered Sous Vide Chicken can make a difference, delivering a high-quality, ready-to-finish protein that helps kitchens keep up with demand while maintaining consistency and efficiency.
Blake Flores, director of marketing at Hormel Foodservice, has helped lead the innovation team through multiple successful product launches by keeping a sharp focus on what operators actually need. “Our deep understanding of operators’ pain points and needs helps us dial in our innovative efforts,” Flores says. “And our direct sales team is our biggest advantage out there when it comes to new ideas. They relay boots-on-the-ground data and experiences that a data report can’t replicate.”
That operator-first mindset has been especially valuable as Hormel Foodservice expands further into chicken. In fact, Flores says not having a long history in traditional fried chicken production became a strategic advantage. “We didn’t have decades of prefried and frozen chicken breast manufacturing weighing down our decision making,” he says. “We were free to solve the current challenges of the fried chicken breast process.”
The FLASH 180™ Battered Sous Vide Chicken Breast and Tender options are designed for operators who want fried chicken that delivers scratch-like quality without scratch-level workload. The chicken is coated in a homestyle wet batter and cooked sous vide, so operators just have to thaw then crisp up the batter in the fryer for 2–3 minutes.
That reduces cook time by more than half compared to raw or traditional breaded options, while still delivering the texture guests want—a crisp, crunchy bite on the outside with juicy chicken inside. The end result is a chicken breast or tender that can go from fryer to plate in under three minutes.
According to Flores, the product was built specifically to solve the real-world challenges operators face when trying to run chicken constantly. Raw chicken can require heavy labor and strict food-safety protocols. “We asked, ‘What if the chicken is sous vide cooked while submersed in the wet batter?’,” Flores says. “The sous vide process could cook the chicken, but not activate the leavening agents of the batter. The result is a juicy, delicious, fully cooked chicken breast that is covered in batter and ready for the fryer. It has all the customization advantages of scratch prep, without the stress and time.”
FLASH 180™ Battered Sous Vide Chicken is built for customization, thanks to its light, wet batter and neutral flavor profile. This gives operators a blank canvas to create any on-trend chicken experiences their guests are looking for.
Chefs can coat it with their own seasoned flour blends, breadcrumbs or panko before or finishing spices after frying to dial in a distinctive texture and taste. As Flores puts it, “You’re using your own recipe,” Flores says. “It’s a speed-scratch product you can take credit for.”
Grandma’s Saloon & Grill Restaurant has been serving classic American cooking for 50 years. While striving to always make and serve delicious foods, Grandma’s Restaurant turned to Hormel Foodservice. “We feel the price we’re paying is a fair one,” says Mike Melby, vice president of purchasing for Grandma’s Restaurant. “The savings in the fry time alone is paying for any increase in product cost. And it’s really not a price increase at all, because otherwise you’d be paying it in labor and dissatisfied customers.”
Grandma’s Restaurant director of operations, Tony Boen, notes that the Hormel Foodservice sous vide chicken is a game changer. “We’ve been streamlining our menus to get good food out with less labor,” he says. “I’ve been looking for a chicken that I can serve our guests and be proud of for the last 15 years, without overbearing my fryers and overworking my staff.”
Most importantly, though, is customer satisfaction. During the trial run, Boen says, “Every customer walked out the door with a smile on their face after eating the chicken sandwich. And that’s the value. It’s saving me labor, it’s saving me time and it’s giving me a happy customer.”
With demand for fried chicken still going strong, Hormel Foodservice is continuing to build out the FLASH 180™ Brand lineup to fit a range of full-service menu needs. Today, the portfolio includes FLASH 180™ Battered Sous Vide Chicken Breasts in both 5 oz. and 3 oz. potions, plus the most recent launch: the FLASH 180™ Battered Sous Vide Chicken Tender (1.75 oz.). The full portfolio gives operators multiple options to bring craveable chicken to the menu in the format that works best for their concept.
While making great fried chicken will always be an art—dialing in the batter, building the perfect breading and frying it to a golden-brown crunch—the right tools can make it easier for more operators to deliver that craveable experience every time. “Success comes when we solve operator pain points,” Flores says. “Seeing them thrive thanks to our work is when I feel a true sense of accomplishment.”
Explore the full FLASH 180™ Brand portfolio and learn more at the Hormel Foodservice website.
By Abby Winterburn
