From: Katie McKenzie
To: All Locations
Date: July 13, 2022

It has come to our attention that some locations have been ordering and using frozen 4 oz chicken breasts rather than the Fresh 4 oz chicken breasts per the specifications in our recipes.

Let’s review the importance of why this practice must stop immediately and why we specified the Fresh Chicken Breasts in the first place.

What is “Pump”? (also can be referred to as ‘plumping’, injecting’, or ‘enhancing’).
It is a mixture of Water, Soy Protein, Salt and other additives that are used in the
manufacturing process to increase water and fat retention and act as a carrier of
seasoning (i.e. SALT). The sodium content on frozen chicken is 10 times that of
fresh chicken.

Sodium Content comparison per 100 grams:
Frozen Chicken Breast 380 mg (16% of daily value)| Fresh Chicken Breast 35 mg (1% of daily value)
Due to the additives, frozen chicken has a meat protein content of 15-17%. Fresh chicken has a
meat protein content of 22%. Soy is a declared allergen which we must make our guests aware of. When we are
using unapproved ingredients, we may not have this reference on our allergy guide.

What happens when you thaw frozen chicken?
Much of the pump (added volume) is lost. You will see this in the vessel you are thawing the chicken – there will
be a lot of sitting water (will have a pink tinge).

What happens when you cook frozen chicken (even after thawing)?
Even more moisture (or yield as we call it) is lost, producing a much smaller portion than ideal.

What does the cooked frozen chicken taste like?
Given the amount of added sodium, it is quite salty. It is also a tougher meat due to the loss of moisture and the
additives, so not as enjoyable an eating experience.


Frozen Chicken is PUMPED.
Fresh Chicken is NOT.


Our Homestyle Crispy Chicken Sandwich, our Crispy Chicken and our two offerings of chicken ‘bites’,
Chipotle Lime Chicken Bites and Sweet Thai Chili Chicken: These recipes follow the same process of using a fresh
chicken breast and a buttermilk marinade. The importance of using a fresh chicken breast cannot be overstated.
The buttermilk marinade is also very important as this step gently tenderizes the meat with the low acidity,
creating an even juicier chicken.

Our culinary team works very hard to develop recipes that are delicious, simple to execute, and consistent. Our
guests deserve to have an amazing experience with every bite, every time. When we deviate from process, we risk
disappointing our guests.

All our new recipes contain GFS Item codes for the approved products to use. Our expectation is that these are
the only items that will be used in these recipes. We will be following up on this to ensure all locations are using
only the approved items. We have also added additional steps for safe freezing methods to assist with managing
par levels. Following the freezing methods outlined in the BSM will allow for product integrity to be maintained.
If any of your kitchen managers or team members would benefit from additional training, we are happy to
arrange this. Please reach out with questions at any time. We encourage open dialogue and communication and
if there are recipe ideas, suggestions, or feedback, we always welcome and encourage them. We respectfully ask
that changes are not made without head office approval to maintain brand standards.
Below is an image of the result of using frozen chicken breasts for our Homestyle Crispy Chicken. What the image
cannot show is the impact to taste and texture. The added sodium in frozen chicken significantly changes the
flavour which, when adding the seasoned batter, creates an overly salty finished product. The texture is tough and
rather chewy from the fat residual. Not enjoyable at all.