“You could call it the ‘roasting’ of pepperoni. When it comes to pizza toppings, it seems chicken has a leg up on the long time standby and has become the most popular protein ingredient listed on restaurant menus. That’s according to the findings of a market research report by Technomic which revealed last week that chicken has become the most-listed protein topping in full-service restaurants in the US.”

“In the fast food or limited service segment, however, chicken falls third, topping mostly barbecue and Buffalo chicken style pizzas. Other chicken applications include Thai, Southwest, curry, chicken parmesan, chicken Caesar and gyro pizzas. Meanwhile, analysts also found that pizza consumption in the US is on the rise, with 41 percent of consumers polled saying they eat pizza once a week compared to 26 percent two years ago. One of the big reasons? Gourmet ingredients, and innovative, specialty pizzas.”