Developing a High-Quality IQF and Cooked Chicken Line: From Industry Disappointment to Consumer Delight

By Eben van Tonder, 4 June 2025

Table of Contents

Introduction

It all started when I became deeply disappointed by the general practices I encountered in the frozen chicken industry. What struck me most was the widespread manipulation of water content, achieved through methods such as injection, tumbling, and even cavity filling in whole birds. I documented these findings in an investigative exposé titled The Hidden Water: Injection, Tumble and Cavity Filling in Whole Frozen Poultry – A Consumer Exposé with Scientific Commentary.

Determined to do better, I began by asking a very basic question: what is the correct way to thaw meat? That simple question led me down a path of fascinating research, culminating in another key publication: Chicken Thawing and Drip Loss in Poultry Processing: Optimising Techniques and Understanding the Siphon Effect.

By combining the lessons from these two articles, I developed a 360-degree understanding of what causes meat to dry out, both during cooking and during chilling. It became clear to me that this loss of succulence is avoidable. I was ready to act. My goal was simple: to create juicy, delicious chicken portions that would be affordable, protein-rich and bursting with flavour from carefully selected spices.

From this vision, two distinct products were born. First, a ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken portion, smoked and fully cooked to 72 degrees Celsius, then lightly grilled at 210 degrees for a few minutes to bring out surface aroma and colour. Second, an IQF (individually quick frozen) raw chicken product for the home cook — not packed in bulk bags as is usually done, but instead portioned into small, convenient vacuum packs. This allows a family to take out just what they need for a single meal without handling an entire frozen block.

Armed with experience, determination, and clarity about what the consumer deserves, not brine-soaked deception, but protein-rich quality, I was ready to design a product range that would restore dignity to the humble chicken portion.

1. Raw IQF Chicken Line – Injected and Frozen

Objective

To deliver a high-value, flavour-rich, injected raw chicken product that cooks up juicy and succulent, with no brine purge and excellent freezer stability.

Procedure

Step 1: Injection
A protein-based brine is injected at 30 percent of raw weight using a multi-needle injector. After injection, the product may be rested briefly overnight to allow the brine to stabilise (20 to 30 minutes is sufficient).

Step 2: Cooling Before Freezing
The injected chicken is placed in open baskets or plastic trays and chilled at 0 to 4 degrees Celsius for four to six hours. To avoid drying during this phase, baskets are loosely wrapped with baking paper, which shields the surface from direct airflow while still allowing cooling.

Why this chilling step is essential
Chilling before freezing plays a crucial role. It ensures:

Equalisation of internal temperature, preventing thermal shock
Faster and more uniform freezing, with smaller ice crystals that preserve meat texture
Stabilisation of the brine within the muscle
Improved energy efficiency, avoiding overloading the freezer with warm products

Is a closed meat bag sufficient during chilling?
Placing product in closed plastic meat bags offers some protection against airflow but limits cooling efficiency. This method can trap residual heat and moisture, potentially slowing down the chilling process. For better results, products should be spread in single layers inside shallow trays lined with plastic and loosely covered with baking paper.

Step 3: Light Vacuum Packaging
Once chilled, the chicken is portioned into vacuum bags for the consumer market. Suggested pack sizes include two or four laps or backs per bag, and six or nine thighs per bag. A light vacuum protects the shape and prevents purge without compressing the meat.

Step 4: Freezing
The vacuum-packed portions are arranged in a single layer and frozen in a modified freezer operating at minus 30 degrees Celsius with increased airspeed. They should freeze solid within eight to ten hours. Once frozen, they can be transferred to bulk storage at minus 18 degrees or colder.

2. Smoked and Cooked RTE Chicken Line

Objective

To produce a premium, ready-to-eat chicken product that is fully cooked, attractively smoked, and vacuum-packed for freshness and convenience.

Procedure

Step 1: Injection
The same high-quality protein brine is used as in the IQF product. The target injection remains at 30 percent. Future development will include a second-stage fat injection to improve richness and mouthfeel.

Step 2: Smoking and Cooking
Chicken portions are smoked and then steam-cooked to an internal temperature of 72 degrees Celsius. Care is taken to avoid surface drying and to achieve the desired smoked colour and aroma.

Step 3: Post-Cooking Chill
Once cooking is complete, the hot chicken pieces are placed into plastic baskets and loosely covered with baking or parchment paper to protect them from direct airflow in the chiller. They are chilled for six hours until internal temperature drops below 4 degrees Celsius. This method preserves juiciness while preparing the product for final packaging.

Step 4: Final Packaging and Vacuum
After chilling, the chicken is vacuum-sealed in its final consumer-ready packaging. Vacuum sealing is never done while the product is hot, to avoid condensation and compromised seals. Vacuum-packed products are held overnight in the chiller before freezing or distribution.

3. Packaging Considerations

During chilling: Use baking paper loosely draped over baskets to shield products from airflow and reduce surface drying.
For IQF freezing: Use vacuum bags with a light vacuum to retain brine and prevent freezer burn.
For RTE final packaging: Vacuum-pack directly into final packaging for improved shelf life, structure, and presentation.

4. Freezer Configuration and Improvements

The current setup involves a standard freezer converted to operate at minus 30 degrees Celsius with increased airflow. Products are frozen in single layers on racks or trays to ensure quick and uniform freezing. They are only stacked once completely frozen. In future, we plan to construct movable screens using plastic mesh in metal frames to shield products from direct air blast, improving airflow distribution and reducing surface dehydration.

5. Product Development Roadmap

Achieved: Stable 30 percent protein-brine injection in IQF chicken portions
Current Trial: Fully cooked RTE product with yield confirmation pending
Next Development: Fat injection to enhance richness and flavour
Future Concept: Dual-stage injection (protein followed by fat), light tumbling and smoking

Conclusion

This journey began with disappointment but evolved into determination. From exposing the hidden practices of the poultry industry to investigating the finer details of thawing and drip loss, each step added clarity to the mission. With every injected batch, every carefully cooled portion, and every vacuum-packed meal-ready unit, a new standard is being established — one that favours transparency over manipulation, quality over water weight, and care over cutting corners.

These products were born not out of convenience but in conviction. And that conviction continues to guide each new innovation.