Bold Builds Start Here

With its adaptable flavor and broad menu appeal, chicken is the perfect protein partner for bold ideas, allowing chefs the culinary freedom to explore new techniques, creative builds and global influences.

At this year’s Flavor Experience, Mountaire Farms will showcase the remarkable versatility of its Mountaire Black Label Chicken line through a half-dozen menu bites developed by its chef consultants Ian Clark and Daniel Ernce. Ideating concepts together for their third Flavor Experience, the chefs chose to elevate traditional Mexican flavors and concepts, putting their hero ingredient front and center with crave-forward creativity. Here, they reflect on the development process of three dishes that will be served up at this year’s event.

Chicken “Tostada” Huevos Rancheros

Mountaire Black Label boneless, skinless chicken breasts are sliced thin and breaded with masa and spices before being deep fried until crispy and golden brown. This chicken “tostada” is then topped with black bean refritos, salsa ranchera, avocado, shaved red cabbage, Cotija and an egg yolk jam drizzle.

“We wanted to create something people would want to sink their teeth into for breakfast. Using fried chicken as our vehicle offers sustenance and innovation,” says Ernce. He and Clark selected the breast to demonstrate its fabrication capability, getting maximized servings from each primal. Deep frying the meat protects the lean muscle from drying out. With the masa breading, the chicken has a corn tortilla flavor, but doesn’t fall apart when you bite into it, notes Clark. Traditional toppings help the concept to still read as huevos rancheros, but the egg yolk jam is a modern touch that further lifts the dish beyond convention.

Chicken Drumsticks in Mole Negro

Mountaire Black Label Chicken Drumsticks are butterflied and seasoned with pasilla negra chiles, garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano and salt. They’re grilled over charcoal and covered in a rich mole negro, topped with pepitas, sesame, pickled red onions and grated queso fresco.

The chefs sought to showcase the largely untapped culinary versatility of the drumstick. This under-appreciated cut is ripe for innovation, says Ernce. Butterflying the meat produces unexpected plate coverage, and the “wow” presentation is further enhanced by the “uber complex sauce,” adds Clark. “It’s savory, sweet and smoky, balancing the tender drumstick meat.” The juxtaposition of the meat and mole negro “creates a fun high-low feel,” notes Ernce. “We’re serving a simple preparation alongside one with a lot more depth.”

Mountaire^® Chicken Chop^® Al Pastor Tacos

Mountaire^® Black Label Chicken Chop^®, a whole, boneless leg, is marinated and then cooked on a trompo until caramelized. The meat is shaved thin and served street style on corn tortillas with chopped onion, cilantro, Cotija and fermented pineapple-serrano hot sauce. “Al pastor isn’t going out of style anytime soon. It’s universally loved,” notes Ernce. But preparing this dish with chicken rather than the classic pork requires a cut that has as much fat as possible. “The Mountaire^® Chicken Chop^® was perfect for this,” says Clark. “We kept the dish close to the original version you’d find in street stalls all over Mexico.”

The premium recipe-ready, primal chicken cuts in the Mountaire Black Label portfolio allow chefs and their culinary teams to do what they do best: build deep flavors and innovate while using the best ingredients available.