Get All Access for $5/mo

Long Seen as Boring, Chicken Is Becoming a Buzz Item for Restaurants With a new chicken dish that can be topped like a pizza, Domino's joins the ranks of restaurants that are winging it with chicken.

By Kate Taylor

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Fast-food franchises are playing a game of chicken. Literally.

What used to be considered a boring staple has now become a buzz item for many big players in the food world, including Domino's, which is about to introduce a chicken dish that can be topped like a pizza.

Yep – that means you can have your extra cheese with peppers and pineapple not on dough, but on breaded, boneless chicken. Domino's 'Specialty Chicken' will launch nationwide on April 14 in several varieties: Crispy Bacon and Tomato, Spicy Jalapeno and Pineapple, Classic Hot Buffalo and Sweet BBQ Bacon.

The pizza chain's move to swap out pizza crust for chicken is a play to take a bigger serving of the booming chicken market. The company, which already sells wings and boneless chicken, says chicken has become a "big part of what we do." "We are proud that pizza is what we are known for, but introducing Specialty Chicken shows that we are certainly a pretty legitimate player in the chicken business as well," says Domino's spokesperson Chris Brandon.

Related: Chick-fil-A Tries to Appeal to New Yorkers By Updating Image

Domino's isn't the only franchise eager to expand its chicken dishes. Most major pizza chains now offer wings, with Pizza Hut recently generating buzz by offering free wings nationwide if a team with a winged mascot won the NCAA basketball title. Yum Brands has been exploring a chicken sandwich concept in Dallas called Super Chix and Umami Burger founder Adam Fleischman is opening his first ChocoChicken location in Los Angeles next month. Meanwhile, existing players are expanding, with Chick-fil-A pushing to open locations outside the south and in urban markets, including New York City.

However, Domino's is confident that their pizza-influenced take on chicken will set it apart from the competition.

"Specialty Chicken is unlike anything else that customers can get on the market today," says Brandon. "With four unique flavor combinations and a very clever mix of toppings, we think customers will taste Specialty Chicken and know it was made by pizza chefs."

Related: Umami Burger Founder's Latest Dish? Chocolate Fried Chicken

Kate Taylor

Reporter

Kate Taylor is a reporter at Business Insider. She was previously a reporter at Entrepreneur. Get in touch with tips and feedback on Twitter at @Kate_H_Taylor. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'Let It Go': A Couple Has Spent $400K Suing Disney After Being Banned From the Park's Exclusive 33 Club. Social Media Reactions Have Not Been G-Rated.

After getting banned from the exclusive members-only club for alleged bad behavior, a California couple has spent a fortune trying to get back to paling around with Mickey.

Side Hustle

How a History Student Turned Her Side Hustle Into a Startup That's Raised $7 Million: "People Always Tell Me, 'I Thought I Had to Major In Computer Science to Be an Entrepreneur'"

Audrey Wisch never imagined she'd be one of those kids who dropped out of college to grow her side hustle into a startup. But with the help of AI, her "human-centric" service is scaling up.

Science & Technology

The 7-Step ChatGPT Formula for Peak Productivity and Profit

With this powerful solution, you can take your productivity and profitability to new heights with ease.

Franchise

Taco Bell's New Mountain Dew Baja Blast Gelato Is Causing a Frenzy — But Fans Have One Big Complaint

The company released the dessert to mark the 20th anniversary of the iconic Mountain Dew Baja Blast, which has garnered a cult-like following since its debut in 2004.

Marketing

5 Strategies That Helped Me Achieve 10x Returns on My Marketing Efforts

These five marketing tactics have delivered remarkable returns for my business.