Have you noticed that one of the pizza meat toppings we deliver to your door often is chicken? (This month it comes to you in our Zesty Chicken Gourmet Pizza.) In light of a recent article regarding chickens and how the meat is used, we want to assure you that the only chicken meat you’ll ever find on one of our pizzas is pure chicken breast. Having said that, it IS interesting to learn just who, what and where American-grown chicken parts are used. Read on, if you dare!
Because of our love for chicken white meat, the largest percentage of chicken breasts are consumed here at home. (Would you believe many other cultures find the taste bland? Obviously they never tasted our pizza!) The rest of the chicken pieces are sold on international markets. The demand grew from 6% in 1990 to better than 20% at the present time.
Where do the chickens go when “they go to pieces”? China is the top importer of wings, favoring the wing tips. That’s a good thing, because due to our love for buffalo wings, we keep a lot of them for ourselves!
When people in the Soviet Union faced food shortages in the 1990’s, we donated chicken legs. The Russians dubbed them Nozhki Busha, Russian for Bush’s legs. (Bush was our president at the time.) The food shortage is long over, but their passion for chicken dark meat remains, being our top importer of chicken legs. South Africa purchases more than 49,000 tons of chicken viscera (innards), used mostly to make pet food and fertilizers. Chicken feet (known as paws in the industry), are useless to us, but put to good use in the Asian markets for ethnic dishes.
Lastly, of the more than 1.6 million tons of feathers plucked annually here in the U.S., the plucky Indonesians purchase tons, grinding them to make feather meal, used as animal feed and to strengthen the plastics they manufacture. Here at home, it’s all about pillows and cuddly comfort!
Take a Close Look at this Month’s Chicago Deep Pan Crust Pizza Selections from your Favorite Pizza of the Month Club
#1 ITALIAN BEEF GOURMET PIZZA
What do you get when you combine spiced Italian beef, Hot Giardiniera and Mozzarella? You get a flavorful pizza that’s made even better when it’s covered with our signature tomato-based pizza sauce. What’s in it? tomatoes, onions, salt, spices, garlic, Romano, oils, and Chabli wine, that’s what!
#2 ZESTY CHICKEN GOURMET PIZZA
I promised you the good stuff, and here it is! Tender spiced lemon pepper chicken breast strips and mozzarella cheese are crowned with a small flood of garlic sauce made with olive and corn oils, both garlic salt and powder, cayenne pepper, and spicy Romano cheese.
#3 POPEYE’S SPECIAL GOURMET PIZZA
I’m going to start with the sauce, because it’s extraordinary! Our Basil Olive Oil sauce has (you guessed it), olive oil, Romano cheese and fresh basil. And it snuggles atop fresh spinach, sliced fresh mushrooms, and Gorgonzola cheese for one outstanding pizza experience.
