1) Fried chicken. It SLAPS. Across nations globally, versions of deep-fried or even shallow-fried chicken, breaded with some sort of granulated carbohydrate, can be found. Especially in Asian and American dishes. Americans love fried chicken. This is why at basically any restaurant, whether it be fast food or high-end dining, features a dish with some aspect of fried chicken on it. The problem then, arises as time passes.
Let me explain:
2) What makes fried chicken so much better than baked chicken? We all know it. It's the crunch. The greasy, crispy texture that compliments the soft chewiness of the chicken itself. This makes the difference between flat, boring grilled chicken and a vibrant, texturally satisfying fried chicken. But this is only temporary.
As the chicken sits, the juices start to flood into that crunchy membrane. What was once a crispy paradise is now turning into a cold, flat piece of meat with a mushy membrane surrounding it. This defeats the purpose of fried chicken. THIS is the reason your co-workers try to set up a whole deep-fryer setup just to have crispy wings at the work party. THIS is the reason your orange chicken always seems to fall flat and lifeless by the time you get it home from the Chinese restaurant.
Let me explain:
2) What makes fried chicken so much better than baked chicken? We all know it. It's the crunch. The greasy, crispy texture that compliments the soft chewiness of the chicken itself. This makes the difference between flat, boring grilled chicken and a vibrant, texturally satisfying fried chicken. But this is only temporary.
As the chicken sits, the juices start to flood into that crunchy membrane. What was once a crispy paradise is now turning into a cold, flat piece of meat with a mushy membrane surrounding it. This defeats the purpose of fried chicken. THIS is the reason your co-workers try to set up a whole deep-fryer setup just to have crispy wings at the work party. THIS is the reason your orange chicken always seems to fall flat and lifeless by the time you get it home from the Chinese restaurant.
- Unmet need - A product used to maintain the fresh crisp texture of fried chicken.
- Who has the need? - Home cooks, restaurants, anyone that makes or consumes fried chicken.
- This need has existed as long as fried chicken has been around.
- At the moment, many restaurants use some sort of corn starch to maintain the crisp. This works okay, but eventually it still falls to the mush.
Interview #1: Subject is a 21-year-old male who plans to attend culinary school. He regularly cooks advanced meals at home and has friends over to eat. Subject regularly has issues with chicken dishes. He claims to enjoy cooking fried chicken, but does not like how soggy some of them get. He has tried methods to maintain the crispiness such as corn starch, and has had some success with it. As long as he has made fried chicken, he has been aware that this is something he needs. He states that he is very upset when he makes chicken and it does not maintain its texture throughout the process.
Interview #2: Subject is a 19-year-old female who regularly consumes fried chicken dishes, specifically Asian dishes such as orange chicken, General Tso chicken, and sesame chicken.
She states that sometimes, she orders dishes like honey chicken and asks to have the sauce on the side. This is specifically to prevent the soggy texture of the chicken as the sauce sets in. However, she also contests that she isn't extremely bothered when the sauce does soak into the chicken. It is not something she is willing to pay extra for, and when it comes down to it she says she will still eat the chicken.
She states that sometimes, she orders dishes like honey chicken and asks to have the sauce on the side. This is specifically to prevent the soggy texture of the chicken as the sauce sets in. However, she also contests that she isn't extremely bothered when the sauce does soak into the chicken. It is not something she is willing to pay extra for, and when it comes down to it she says she will still eat the chicken.
Interview #3: Subject works at a Gainesville Publix, where they regularly cook fried chicken as well as chicken tender sandwiches. He says that while their traditional fried chicken normally stays crispy under the heat lamps for as long as it sits out, the refrigerated fried chicken tends to get softer. This includes the prepackaged chicken tenders. From a sales perspective, it turns out Publix fried chicken is not an especially large source of profit margin as much as it is an enticement to buy other products in the store. They are not particularly affected by non-crispy fried chicken. They receive complaints of chicken being under and overcooked, but most customers understand that fried chicken will not be fresh and crisp forever.
7) My summarization of the experiences today suggest that this problem may be a more consumer-affected problem than a supplier-affected problem. Restaurants make their chicken fresh, and people tend to expect the deterioration of texture. I believe this may shift my focus to home cooks - people making chicken for cookouts and parties. These are the people that tend to be the most upset about their hard work not reflecting in the dish itself. After all, when you eat a soggy piece of Publix chicken, you know what the original would have tasted like. Tasting a co-worker's soggy chicken, you would have no idea it was any other way. This showcases how important it is for an entrepreneur to shift their perspective. It is fully possible that no restaurants would want to purchase this product.
7) My summarization of the experiences today suggest that this problem may be a more consumer-affected problem than a supplier-affected problem. Restaurants make their chicken fresh, and people tend to expect the deterioration of texture. I believe this may shift my focus to home cooks - people making chicken for cookouts and parties. These are the people that tend to be the most upset about their hard work not reflecting in the dish itself. After all, when you eat a soggy piece of Publix chicken, you know what the original would have tasted like. Tasting a co-worker's soggy chicken, you would have no idea it was any other way. This showcases how important it is for an entrepreneur to shift their perspective. It is fully possible that no restaurants would want to purchase this product.
Hi Heather,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job on this post. While I was reading through it, I found myself nodding my head in approval of all of the points that you were making. Fried chicken is one of my favorite foods, and the issue that you mentioned is a prevalent one. I never recognized that there is an unmet need in maintaining the crisp aspect of chicken, but you have opened my eyes. For future posts, I recommend that you utilize numbers more effectively, as you went from 2.) to 7.).
Hi Heather, I was hungry anyway so our post really caught my eye. I agree completely that this is the problem with fried chicken, timing is so important to the quality of the product. Would this be a challenge for a food chemist? How, to preserve the texture without sacrificing that fresh from stove experience? You were spot on with your questions, your shift in target audience would not've happened if you were simply attached to an assumption that all preparers of fried chicken would need a solution to the sogginess problem.
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