Plant-based Crazy Crispy Chick'n line now sold in metro Detroit has Michigan roots
A new line of products with Detroit roots that serves as a plant-based alternative to chicken is now widely available at several area stores.
Crazy Crispy Chick’n, sold as breasts, nuggets, patties and tenders, was created by Birmingham-based Skinny Butcher. You can now find the products at Costco, Gordon Foods and corporate SpartanNash stores. Lipari Foods, based in Warren, also distributes the products.
What's unique about this pea protein-based chicken product, said Dave Zilko, CEO of Skinny Butcher and one of its founders, is its proprietary double-breaded process and its spice blend. The breading on its products is meant to have the likes of fast-casual crispy chicken sandwiches. It's also soy free and palm-oil-free.
“Our exclusive double breading process packs a crunch consumers won’t experience with any other breaded chicken or plant-based chicken product," Zilko said.
The company was formed by Zilko, Mike Griffin and the late Jack Aronson. Aronson’s wife, Annette, remains active with the company.
All are former executives of the popular Garden Fresh Gourmet salsa company, founded by Aronson and his wife Annette. The Ferndale-based famous salsa company is an American success story, getting its humbled start in 1998, with the Aronsons making salsa in 5-gallon buckets in the back of their struggling Ferndale restaurant. Garden Fresh Gourmet grew to become the No. 1 selling fresh salsa in the country. Its other products also included tortilla chips and hummus. In 2015, Campbell Soup bought Garden Fresh Gourmet in a $231-million deal.
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Skinny Butcher’s Crazy Crispy Chick’n is blended with a vegetable fiber strain Aronson discovered in Italy, according to a news release.
Crazy Crispy Chick’n debuted last May through July, distributed at Walmart stores and tied to Netflix's Stranger Things series. In the month of June during that promotion, Zilko said, the product was Walmart's "No. 1 selling plant-based item."
“Skinny Butcher’s successful debut on the national plant-powered protein stage has been exhilarating, but nothing tops the feeling of bringing our delicious, best-in-class line to market at home,” Zilko said in a statement. “It meant everything to us that Garden Fresh was based in Michigan and succeeded on our unwavering commitment to having the best products, using the best ingredients, and creating a brand profile that resonated with consumers in a fun, authentic way. That same dedication drives us daily at Skinny Butcher.”
The Crazy Crispy Chick'n product line includes chicken breasts, nuggets, patties and tenders. Package sizes range from 8- to 9-ounces for $4.99-$5.99 each. At Costco, its club format package of eight Crazy Crispy Chick'n breasts is $13.99.
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Zilko said Skinny Butcher formed about three years ago when Aronson, who died in 2021, became vegan after a cancer diagnosis.
"I liked what was going in the plant-protein space and with Jack going vegan, I said 'Jack, why don't we do this again with another brand?' " Zilko said. "He loved the idea and we were off to the races."
One of the ideas behind the product, Zilko said, was making a plant-based product that was restaurant quality.
"The hottest thing going on in the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) space right now is all these southern fried chicken sandwiches," Zilko said. "There's a war going on out there, everyone's got one."
Zilko said they approached the building of the concept using a pea protein and fiber blend with an emphasis not only on flavor but fun branding.
The Skinny Butcher logo features a winking retro butcher and cleaver.
“We’ve strategically differentiated ourselves with shoppers in an instantly iconic way with our butcher who winks at them and communicates playful information inside clever thought bubbles,” added Mike Griffin, Skinny Butcher's chief creative officer. “Consumers are in on the fun together, and truly, fun and togetherness are the two ingredients that make family meals memorable and special.”
The packaging also includes Skinny Butcher's environment message of its "skinnier carbon footprint" and sustainability factors.
While Skinny Butcher is metro Detroit-based, Crazy Crispy Chick'n is manufactured in California by equity partner Golden West Food Group based in Los Angeles.
Later this year, Zilko said, they expect to come out with Skinny Butcher brands of plant-based turkey and fish products as well as spicy items. For more information, go to skinnybutcher.com.
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: New plant-based Crazy Crispy Chick'n now sold in metro Detroit
