FAQ

Pilgrim's branded chicken is available in a wide variety of national supermarket chains, regional stores, and clubs. Look for our distinctive chicken logo in the fresh meat case and frozen section.

Information on retail products we sell are available on this website.  Within each category of products, we provide a description, nutritional information, and picture of the product to help you recognize it in the store.

Click on the category of chicken to get information on specific products:

• Fresh chicken
• Fully cooked chicken
• Ready to cook chicken
• Individually frozen chicken

Our products section lists nutritional information for each retail product:

• Fresh chicken
• Fully cooked chicken
• Ready to cook chicken
• Individually frozen chicken

For commercial foodservice products, visit our Pierce Chicken website, poultry.com.

Yes. All of our products come from chicken that are hatched, raised and harvested in the United States. Additionally, we do export our products to other countries outside of the US to be sold within that country. We do have 6 plants in Mexico – the chickens produced in Mexico are only sold in Mexico or exported to other countries. COOL labeling was established in 2002 requiring retailers to notify their customers the country of origin on the label of the Pilgrim’s product.

Check out our FreshTrace page to find out where each package of chicken originated.

Pilgrim’s strongly supports the humane treatment of animals. Our company maintains a strict animal welfare program that utilizes guidelines established by the National Chicken Council. The goal of our program is to avoid unnecessary suffering, prevent destructive behavior, provide proper nutrition and implement health programs through grow out and processing. These guidelines ensure that birds raised are taken care of with the highest standards starting at hatch. Humane treatment is practiced during the processing of the bird as well.

Our fresh, non-marinated, products do not contain gluten because they do not contain wheat.  To be labeled or marketed as “Gluten Free”, Pilgrim’s would have to test the product for gluten.   Our prepared food items (such as breaded items) would have any declared allergens listed on the package (e.g. such as wheat).  If the products have been tested and verified as “gluten free”, they will be labeled as such.  

Please reference the Recipes page on this website. This will offer you multiple delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner that allow you to utilize our products.  This tab will also provide you with cooking and prepping instructions for various Pilgrims Pride products. You can also visit our Pilgrims Pride Facebook page or search for Pilgrims Recipes on Pinterest.  

We suggest you only keep a fresh product in the refrigerator no longer than 48 hours. Fresh products are good in the freezer for 1 year after the ‘Best By’ date if product is frozen within 48 hours of purchase and temperatures are maintained at least 0° F or below.

For best results, bake a whole chicken at 350° F in a conventional oven. Cook chicken for approximately 20 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 165° F. For best quality, bone in chicken (such as whole chicken) should be cooked to an internal temperature of 185 degrees F to set the bone marrow.  Be sure to take the temperature in the thickest part of the meat. Please refer to Safe Cooking recommendations from USDA at www.usda.gov.

Pilgrim’s flocks are fed a wholesome mixture of grains as well as vitamins and minerals.   Corn and soybean meal are the main ingredients in our feed formulas.  As with most commercially available corn and soybeans in the US, these items are considered genetically modified organism (GMO).  In fact, no significant amount of chicken can be produced with non-GMO corn and soybean meal. In addition, all of these major ingredients are from natural sources and are approved for animal use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In the refrigerator, the chicken salad can be kept for up to 16 weeks unopened from the date of manufacture or for 7 days after being opened. In the freezer, the chicken salad can be kept for 3 months regardless of whether it has been opened or not. Keeping chicken salad in the freezer may change the flavor and consistency. 

The specification of this product allows for a range of different sized wings. Like people, chickens vary quite a bit in size and many factors contribute to this. Since Pilgrims uses broiler chickens, they are significantly larger because of the breed. We do carry a product called Blazin Chunks; this is the same product, just smaller, bite-sized boneless breast meat.

This pad is called the soaker pad. This soaker pads purpose is to absorb excess moisture from the chicken that weeps after being packaged. The soaker pad and its contents are not for consumption; however, it is deemed safe and not a health safety concern by FDA if accidently consumed or cooked with the chicken.

In October of 2008, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) eliminated the wet tare method used for determining net weight of poultry and meat products purchased by consumers. The wet tare method for determining net weight of poultry and meat products does not include liquids absorbed into packaging materials or free-flowing in the package as part of the net weight of the product. USDA now mandates the use of dry tare procedures. This means that the net weight of the product includes all fluid absorbed into the packaging and any free-flowing fluid in the package. Pilgrim’s plants are in compliance with USDA procedures and product is inspected onsite by USDA staff. Additional information on this policy can be found on the USDA website at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FRPubs/2008-0015.htm.

Additionally, our plants use water during processing to cool the chicken. This will cause some natural pick up of moisture during this process. As chicken ages in the store and nears its expiration date, the product will lose moisture, thus being absorbed by the soaker pad in the packaging. 

Unfortunately, at this moment we do not have a consumer coupon offer. Please continue to check back for the latest offers and promotions. We work with our retailers to provide the best valued prices everyday. 

Our nutritionists develop a wholesome mixture of corn and soybean meal that are used as the main ingredients in our feed formulas. Ingredients for our feed are selected to provide a balanced diet and promote overall animal health.

Pilgrim’s flocks are raised in large poultry barns that protect them from environmental extremes and migratory birds which can transmit disease. These barns allow for our farmers to regulate their air flow and ensure they are receiving adequate food and water. Though they are not considered free range, which would allow them to roam freely outside, they are given plenty of space to move freely inside of the barn. Many barns are up to 600 feet long which is equivalent to the length of two football fields.

Pilgrim’s offers a selection of Halal certified products. These are generally sent for export outside of the U.S. All of our Halal products have clearly marked labels indicating so. Contact our sales department for availability.

If chicken product is labeled Halal you will see this  Halal USDA bug.  

We use antibiotics only as instructed by our veterinarians, all of whom are board-certified by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians, to treat or prevent disease. The antibiotics are used in strict accordance with FDA and USDA guidelines, leaving our products free of harmful residue. This is verified on-site by USDA sampling. Some of our birds are raised antibiotic free and those products are clearly labeled as such. If our birds receive any sort of antibiotic treatment, the product would not be qualified or labeled as "antibiotic free".

No. Our chickens do not receive growth hormones or steroids in any way. In fact, the use of hormones has been illegal in poultry since 1952.