Enjoy a flavorful twist on a classic comfort dish at home, in 25 minutes or less.
While many of our familiar routines remain in flux, there’s one constant question we can count on: “What’s for dinner?”
With individuals facing more time at home and in the kitchen, Chick-fil-A is adding a new offering to the dinnertime rotation: A Chicken Parmesan Meal Kit.
Available at participating restaurants nationwide beginning May 4, each meal kit features pre-measured and ready-to-heat ingredients with a six-step recipe card. The end result: a homemade meal in 25 minutes or less for two (very hungry) adults.
Chef Stuart Tracy, also known as Chick-fil-A’s senior culinary lead developer, describes the recipe as one that “delivers huge on flavor.”
A similar recipe was a crowd favorite among the five Meal Kits tested with Atlanta guests in 2018. Tracy points to guests’ “understanding and familiarity with Chicken Parmesan,” yet recognizes it’s a dish that may feel like too much work to figure out on their own. “We’ve developed a great way to tie it together and make it easy for people to do,” says Tracy.
Cooking at home made easy
The concept of a “Meal Kit” was already in the works when Tracy arrived to Chick-fil-A in 2017 following nearly two decades as a chef in the boutique restaurant business in Charleston and Atlanta. Burnt out from long hours, it was fitting that his job was to define the recipes that would save customers time without compromising flavor.
As Chick-fil-A considered services that extend outside the restaurant, like mobile ordering, delivery and catering, the company also explored more cooking at home options.
“When developing meal kits, we considered the landscape of food and what it will look like in the next 10 to 20 years,” said Tracy.
‘Ride the wave’
The original goal of making guests’ lives easier now carries even more weight with customers limiting their trips out.
“The idea is that it saves you a trip to the grocery store, saving time and worry about finding substitutions for ingredients since everything is already pre-measured and ready to heat,” says Tracy.
And if you’re already swinging by Chick-fil-A to pick up lunch in the drive-thru, it’s an easy add-on to knock out dinner while you’re there.
For Tracy these days, his at-home kitchen is quite a different scene than the Chick-fil-A Test Kitchen. His weekly grocery store visits allow him to stock up on an array of staple pantry items, from tomato sauce and pasta to coconut milk and dried nuts and fruit.
“It’s given me flexibility to shoot from the hip a bit more. I’m trying to embrace the fluidity of the situation and ride the wave,” he says, even with a three-year-old in tow.
But for those of us, who may be, [ahem], less creative in the kitchen, your secret ingredient has arrived in the form of a Chicken Parmesan Meal Kit.
The Chicken Parmesan Meal Kit is available starting at $14.99 at participating Chick-fil-A restaurants through the drive-thru, Chick-fil-A App or one of Chick-fil-A’s delivery partners, including DoorDash, Uber Eats and GrubHub. Check the Chick-fil-A App or call your local Chick-fil-A restaurant to confirm availability.
Each kit* includes:
- Two seasoned, breaded and pressure-cooked Original Chick-fil-A Chicken filets**
- Marinara sauce
- Italian-style cheeses
- Creamy garlic and lemon pasta ingredients including spaghetti pasta, garlic alfredo sauce, kale, lemon and grape tomatoes
* Use immediately or refrigerate and enjoy within 5 days of the “packed with care” date on the kit.
**Customers can substitute Grilled or Spicy Chicken filets upon request.
