Chicken continues to be a rising star in the fast-food industry, with chicken QSR chains growing 8.9% year over year in 2024, while burger company sales grew 1.4%, reported the Wall Street Journal. Chicken now delivers “more than $53 billion in annual sales for U.S. fast-food restaurants that specialize in poultry,” WSJ wrote. Meanwhile, “tightening cattle supplies have helped lift beef prices to record levels, making chicken a more profitable option for restaurants and meat companies alike.”

More QSRs are now focusing on their chicken products, WSJ wrote. Taco Bell is developing a whole menu of crispy chicken tacos, burritos and nuggets; Wendy’s is launching new tenders later this year; and McDonald’s rolled out its own chicken tenders in May and added chicken Snack Wraps back to its menu in July.

Chicken-focused chain Raising Cane’s aims to add 100 locations this year after opening 118 restaurants last year.

Retail ground-beef prices in July were 11.5% higher than in the same month last year, federal data showed, while chicken prices rose 3.3%. Shake Shack and other beef-focused chains have said recently they expect rising cattle costs to take a toll on their profits this year.

Yet, beef remains the highest seller in fast-food overall, with burger QSRs doing roughly double the business of chicken-centric rivals last year, Technomic said. As QSRs are cashing in on chicken, around 93% of operators include chicken on their menus, compared with 90% for beef, per Technomic.

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