School menu trends: Chicken is K-12’s MVP

As the kids say, “no cap” (no lie), chicken is pretty much their favorite school menu item. Just ask the school food professionals who participated in FoodService Director’s latest annual State of K-12 report. In the long-form, written responses to questions about “can’t take it off the menu” items and “surprise hit” items, chicken came up again and again.

One operator’s answer sums it up nicely: “Anything chicken.” At another school district, Chicken Mondays can never come off the calendar since students love them so much.  

But it’s not just the predictable chicken nuggets that are flying high in K-12 foodservice. Global flavors, especially Asian, are trending big time. And bold, spicy flavors continue to make the grade with students. Zesty orange chicken with brown rice, chicken tinga with cilantro-lime rice, Buffalo wings, chicken and waffles, nachos with boneless wings, chicken teriyaki potstickers, glazed chicken wings, chicken alfredo cowboy nachos and chicken tikka masala all made appearances on the survey.

“Our students look forward to Mandarin orange chicken and would like to have it more often,” according to Food Service Supervisor Marilyn Enyart of Bloom Carroll Schools in Ohio. “We serve it over rice and have broccoli and Mandarin oranges as sides.”

Chef Jeffrey Quasha’s Latin Chicken Soup looks ideal for early fall menus. Get the recipe  | Photograph courtesy of Campbell’s Soup

Down-home American chicken menu items are also big hits: Classic fried chicken (or a baked-but-still-crunchy version), grilled chicken burgers, chicken alfredo, breaded chicken patty sandwich on a bun, chicken carbonara, grilled chicken sandwich with avocado and pepper jack cheese, chicken and noodles, popcorn chicken-mashed potato bowls, Buffalo mac ‘n cheese, cheesy chicken and rice casserole, chicken spaghetti, chicken tetrazzini and yes, plenty of chicken tenders and chicken nuggets.

This recipe for chicken Bolognese is a bake-ahead comfort masterpiece. Get the recipe  | Photo courtesy of Barilla

In that down-home, classic category, chicken tetrazzini is a dish that really encapsulates the comfort-food feeling that kids totally crave.

At Newton-Conover City Schools in North Carolina, an average of 200 to 275 servings of chicken tetrazzini are served each time the old-school casserole is menued. “This is a dish we prepare in our braising pan,” School Nutrition Director Nancy Price said in the survey. “This dish starts out with broth, turkey or chicken, butter, parsley and onions brought to a medium boil.”

As the comforting broth simmers away, spaghetti noodles are added and cooked until al dente and most of the broth has been absorbed. Cheese and a cream soup base thicken up the mixture, which then goes into 24-serving pans before being placed in holding cabinets until service. “It is a delicious, hearty comfort food,” Price said. “We serve ours with a choice of green beans or baby carrots.”

This barbecue chicken sammie gets a cool new flavor with mango. Get the recipe | Photo courtesy of National Mango Board