TREND BITES:
Honey
"Honey is the bee's knees for 2025," according to this year's National Restaurant Association "What's Hot" list, where honey tops the "Ingredients" category. This natural sweetener lends its sticky decadence to popular "Sweet and Spicy" and "Sweet and Savory" trends while also bringing along health benefits that consumers are extremely on board for with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Honey allows sweet treats to be viewed almost as health foods instead of as something to be avoided, so don't hesitate to use honey to add sweetness to the savory and spicy options you're serving!
How is Honey Healthy?
Honey can't tout high protein or vitamin rich qualities like many health foods, yet it's universally known for being healthy and natural as much as for being sticky and sweet. Healthline explains, "Honey is essentially pure sugar, with no fat and only trace amounts of protein and fiber." But, what honey does have is antioxidants, which are literally "anti" the bad oxidation buildups in our bodies which cause things like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and premature aging. Health-conscious guests may know that honey is most beneficial in its raw or minimally processed form, so if you can serve raw honey, make sure to mention it on your menu!
Try these chicken and honey recipes!
Honey is the extra touch that brings these applications to the next level. Honey + Chicken = comforting, nostalgic, sweet and savory goodness.
Honey on Foodservice Menus
When looking at today's foodservice menus, it seems like honey usage is all about the ✨drizzle✨. Starting with the basics, operators from schools to c-stores can drizzle honey on fried chicken to combine sweet with savory and sticky with crunchy, like in this easy Hot Honey Tenders and Waffles recipe. Use honey to finish off bowls, plated entrees, or even tacos and burritos. On large foods like pizzas, add visual appeal with a spiral drizzle like our culinary team did on this Honey BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Buzzworthy Honey Combos
While hot honey—with its 374% increase in Google searches over the past five years—is definitely the most popular honey combination, honey goes well with so much more than spice. "Honey Flavors" is one of Granularity's "25 Food Trends for 2025" because it pairs with food ranging from fried chicken to chili sauce to mustard and even lavender. We chose to try out honey BBQ with our Flame-Seared Pulled Chicken for this Honey BBQ Chicken Pizza and hot honey mustard with our Grilled Breast Cutlets in this Hot Honey Mustard Chicken Skillet.
Tasty Chicken to Pair with Honey:
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