Fast-food chains are feeling peckish

Chick-fil-A isn’t the only major chain pushing for consumers to eat mor chikin.

McDonald’s this month announced the imminent release of McCrispy Strips, its first permanent menu item in four years, amid a broader push towards chicken products within the fast-food industry.

Other chains—also crying fowl

Mickey D’s isn’t the only restaurant ramping up its chicken offerings in response to high consumer demand.

• Last Monday, Wendy’s released a new Cajun Crunch Chicken Sandwich as part of a plan to expand within the chicken category.
• Also last week: Taco Bell added chicken nuggets to its menu as a permanent item, following a successful trial period back in December. Overall, T-Bell says 95% of innovations at its test-kitchen spotlight chicken.

Driving the trend: Chicken products have become more frequent on US fast food menus as the cost of beef continues to rise. The average price of a fresh, whole chicken was $2.06/lb in March, while ground beef stood at a record $6.14/lb.

Zoom out: In 1970, the average American ate ~50 lbs of chicken/year. That number has since more than doubled to reach ~102 lbs/year.