Meet the Chicken Leg That Works for Every Menu

Chicken innovation typically starts with value-added processing—cooking methods, marinades, batters and seasonings—before chefs elevate the protein with creative culinary execution. Butchery is not an area where many foodservice operators expect to see transformative processes. Until now.

Enter the Mountaire^® Black Label Chicken Chop™, a premium, whole boneless leg cut newly available to U.S. foodservice operators. Rich in flavor and versatility, this distinctive cut reimagines how chefs work with chicken. “Most of us in foodservice have grown up with eight cuts of chicken,” says Daniel Ernce, corporate chef, Austin Amplifies, and a consultant for Mountaire Farms. “I’ve spent countless hours deboning chicken legs and thighs to keep the skin on and the muscle intact, so it’s really nice to have a ninth cut—particularly one that is so versatile and solves for so many back-of-house issues. I can only imagine the cost and labor I could have saved in the past had this product been available.”

Mountaire^® applies a Japanese technique for deboning chicken, one that separates the meat from the bone while preserving the integrity of the shape and skin of the meat block. The Mountaire^® Chicken Chop™ is an entrée-size piece of meat, available skin-on and skinless. Its roughly square shape makes it easy for chefs to break it down further for specific dishes. Unlike breast meat, which helps to amplify other flavors in a dish, the profile of the leg meat is more distinctively flavor forward.

“I’m so impressed by the quality and consistency of the Mountaire^® Chicken Chop™,” says Ernce, extending particularly high praise for its versatility. “I believe the product could take the place of several different SKUs in a foodservice operation, leading to less shrinkage, waste, inventory and overall cost. It works for everything from fried chicken appetizers to center-of-the plate entrées, whether in fast-casual concepts or fine dining.”

3 Ways to Shake a Leg

In addition to the two menu inspirations pictured here, Chef Daniel Ernce suggests three culinary directions to take with Mountaire^® Black Label Chicken Chop™. Consider these thought starters to spur your own menu mastery.

1. “I love Taiwanese popcorn chicken with this product. You get two slightly different textures between the thigh and the drum meat, and I think having both those muscle groups in the same bite is really fun.”
2. “Fried chicken seems like low-hanging fruit, but the size of the Mountaire^® Chicken Chop™ nicely lends itself to this application. I like to lightly pound the muscle, bread and fry it and then use the dinner plate-sized chop as the vehicle for other accompaniments: Caesar salad, roasted vegetables, potato salad, whatever.”
3. “This may sound odd at first, but I think this product—particularly the skin-on variety—is well-suited for grinding. The skin creates terrific fat content in the grind. Whether you’re making sausages, meatballs or larb, ground Mountaire^® Chicken Chop™ has maximum flavor and functionality.”

Visit mountaireblacklabel.com to download a menu profit worksheet and discover the full profit potential of the new Mountaire^® Black Label Chicken Chop™.