Global flavors are trending in restaurants, and for K-12 foodservice, the push to expand the menu to include some of these flavors is big. But, as many foodservice operators know, younger diners may not be as adventurous as adults, so it’s important to balance exciting new flavors with familiarity to ensure kids buy in—and actually eat their meals.
One of the easiest ways to do this is by using ingredients kids already know and love. Foods such as breaded chicken strips, grilled fajita chicken strips and grilled burger patties provide a tasty, approachable base for an array of global flavors—but because kids already know they like chicken and burgers, they won’t hesitate to dig in.
Need some recipe inspiration to get going? Try these options:
- Asian flavors: Offer up Sweet Thai-Style Chicken Tacos—featuring crispy corn taco shells stuffed with sweet Thai sauced Fajita Chicken strips, topped with a Thai-style sun butter sauce and a sweet and spicy Thai slaw. Or, offer an Asian Style Burger, topped with creamy cheese sauce and a teriyaki Asian-style slaw of cabbage, carrots and tomatoes—all on a whole-grain bun.
- Hawaiian eats: A Crispy Hawaiian Chicken Katsu Wrap is sure to be a crowd pleaser, with Crispy Chicken tossed in a Katsu sauce and wrapped in a whole grain flour tortilla with romaine lettuce and fire-roasted pineapple salsa.
- Mexican-inspired: The Ultimate Chicken Queso Wrap, featuring Tyson® Dark Meat Chicken with Grill Strips, plus bell peppers, roasted corn, onion and Land O Lakes® Ultimate White Cheese Sauce, is a comforting, familiar way for operators to introduce Mexican flavors. Need another option? Try the Ultimate Southwest Rice Bowl, with cheese sauce, chicken, brown rice, black beans, tomatoes and more.
- Italian taste: Try a Tuscan Chicken Salad Wrap, made with Italian-seasoned pulled chicken salad and roasted tomatoes, wrapped in a sundried tomato basil tortilla wrap.
Tyson K-12 is proud to offer an array of ingredients, including high-quality proteins, to create all of these dishes and more. To learn more, and to get more recipe inspiration for adding global flavors to the K-12 menu, click here.
This post is sponsored by Tyson K-12