Not all kid-created concoctions are James Beard award-worthy. White rice and ketchup, anyone? How about potato chips and whipped cream? Who’s ready for some spaghetti à la barbeque sauce? While we don’t expect to see Barb-a-ghetti on menus anytime soon, there’s no shortage of imagination.

At Tyson, we look at trends and listen to consumers, retailers and restaurants for insights into how people eat and how we can make that experience better. The result? Imaginative foods that surprise and delight, including delicious combinations that can amplify the things that consumers love.

Take our Tyson® Chicken Nuggets. We’ve been witness to the rise of chicken as a topping on pizzas at restaurants, and we know that with our chicken nugget consumers, frozen pizza is one of the fastest growing categories in the store. So, we asked the obvious: can we combine two of America’s favorite foods, nuggets and pizza?

“I’ll be honest. When I first heard the idea of a Pizza Nugget, I was skeptical that we could make it work,” said Shanna Motl, the lead R&D scientist behind the project. “But when we actually made the first couple batches, I couldn’t believe how good it was.” Thanks to some creative work from our breading supplier, and Shanna’s kitchen wizardry, the Pizza Nuggets were a far-away favorite.