Chad Smith, NAFB News Service

Over the past year, as Americans cooked more food in their homes than they had before, chicken has become the top choice for a healthy and convenient protein that the entire family can enjoy. Approximately 75 percent of Americans who eat chicken say they make it at home at least once a week. During the past nine months of COVID-19, retail chicken sales have increased $1.3 billion, up over 19 percent from the same period in 2019. The National Chicken Council unveiled the findings of a new survey on better understanding chicken consumption patterns and preferences in the U.S. The survey includes insight into the impact of the pandemic on chicken consumption habits, showing that half of Americans who eat chicken say they have eaten it more than any other protein during COVID-19. The survey found that chicken has been popular because it’s easy to prepare and a versatile protein. With COVID-19 shifting some holiday plans, chicken might help make it a happy holiday as 50 percent of Americans who eat chicken say they’d prefer it to ham or turkey at a holiday meal. 52 percent of Americans prefer grilled chicken, while 48 percent prefer fried chicken.