Johnsonville Enters Chicken Category

Johnsonville is ready to launch one of its largest new product innovations in the company’s 71-year history – not with new sausage varieties – but chicken.

Rolling out to grocery stores nationwide throughout the spring are Johnsonville’s new Flame Grilled Chicken Breasts featuring natural ingredients and available in five varieties: Garlic & Herb, Teriyaki, Black Pepper & Sea Salt, Southwestern and Honey Mustard.

The new Flame-Grilled Chicken is packaged in three, 3-ounce portions; each individually seared and sealed in the marinade for heating convenience and freshness. Retailers will feature the new products in the refrigerated meat sections, priced at $5.99.

“Consumers are hungry for convenient and high quality protein options and currently there are limited options that deliver. We’re very proud of the Johnsonville team who really hit the target on this one and created a product that raises the bar,” said Andria Long, Johnsonville’s vice president of innovation. “Our consumer testing tells us that this new Flame Grilled Chicken will be an early hit in the fully cooked meat category that hasn’t seen much change. This product hits three priorities for consumers: convenience, lean protein and unmatched flavor.”

About Johnsonville’s Flame-Grilled Chicken:

• Free of: fillers, MSG, artificial preservatives, flavors and colors

• Fully cooked, whole-muscle, chicken breast (no rib meat)

• Seasoned with dry rubs

• Each portion is flame-grilled over open flame to sear the meat

• Individually wrapped portions (3 ounces) ensure freshness and offer convenient preparation (requires less than two minutes in the microwave)

• Each chicken breast is 80-130 calories and offers 18 grams or more of protein Perfect for use as a main dish, wraps, salads and soups

• Chicken is sourced from U.S.-based poultry farms with the product manufactured in the Midwest

• Available in five varieties: Garlic & Herb, Teriyaki, Black Pepper & Sea Salt, Southwestern and Honey Mustard

Johnsonville Sr. Product Development Scientist Steve Pylypiw, who worked on this first large-scale chicken launch, said the bar was set high to deliver a quality, flavorful chicken product after excelling for seven decades in sausage. “Just as we do with our sausage products, a million details go into what we produce for our consumers, so we weren’t willing to go to market with this unless we could get it just right,” he said.