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A first for plant-based chicken thighs
THIS Isn’t Chicken Thighs will join the ranks of the plant-based food company’s growing portfolio, set to be available at Tesco nationwide from 13 May.
The plant-based thighs are made of soya and fava bean protein, and come in packs of four, weighing in at 220g at retailing for £3.80.
The launch follows several recent new product additions, including its alternative versions of chicken shawarma, chicken wings, chicken breast and frozen beef mince, alongside growing success for the brand.
For example, the IRI Temple Total Grocery (Chilled Meat Free - 52 w/e 17.03.24) showed it as the fastest growing brand in the category.
Moreover, within its THIS ‘chicken’ product range and based on total category and in the L4 weeks up to 24/12, THIS Isn't Roast Chicken & Stuffing was the best performing line in the entire category last year. It also had a value rate of sale (unweighted being value/store/week) of 75.1 with the next best competitor scoring 45.1.
The plant-based chicken thighs are designed to replicate its meat counterpart and can be pan fried or oven cooked. They can be kept whole and used in dishes like traybakes and chicken thigh burgers, or diced up for a curry dish, for example.
When it comes to creating whole cut animal meat products, such as chicken thighs, wings and legs, they have a complex three-dimensional architecture, in which protein fibres are bound together by a network of connective tissue and intramuscular fat. This structure provides juiciness and mouthfeel that so many enjoy – traits which THIS says it mimics in its latest thigh products as a result of in-depth research and three patent-pending technologies.
The soy and fava protein bundles creates a similar texture to traditional chicken thighs, binded together with an olive oil based fat. The thighs are then coated in a seaweed layer to replicate the unique structure and texture of chicken skin.
Mark Cuddigan, CEO of THIS said: "We're reinventing the way people experience plant-based dining and we’re incredibly excited to share our latest product launch, THIS Isn't Chicken Thighs. We’re on a mission to lead a revolution to change what people eat, to protect animals and the environment – and with our ridiculously delicious and nutritious plant-based food we’ve got you covered with the ultimate plant-based chicken thigh.”
