Meat alternatives brand This has unveiled several new innovations for Veganuary, including what are claimed to be Europe’s first-ever skin-on vegan chicken wings.

The wings have launched in a foodservice collaboration as part of a limited-edition menu item at UK bar and restaurant chain Brewdog, available for the duration of January in celebration of the Veganuary movement.

Promising consumers an “unparalleled sensory experience,” the wings feature a seaweed-based crispy “skin” designed to mimic the taste and texture of traditional chicken wings.

The plant-based meat is made using soy and pea proteins, with olive oil dispersed throughout to create a juicy and succulent texture. The company’s co-founder, Andy Shovel, described them as its “meatiest product” ever launched.

This said that while most plant-based chicken on the market replicates white meat, it believes its wings are the first to “truly replicate” darker meat cuts like wings and thighs. Dark meat has a different, more succulent texture to white meat and falls apart when eaten.

The wings are served with a buffalo, Korean barbecue or ‘dragon spice’ hot sauce across all BrewDog sites. They are the result of two years of R&D, created using three patent-pending technologies.

Luke Byrne, R&D director at This, commented: “Whole cut animal meat products, such as chicken wings and legs, have a complex three-dimensional architecture in which protein fibres are bound together by a network of connective tissue and intramuscular fat”.

“This structure provides juiciness and incredible texture when eaten – which we’ve now been able to mimic.”

Also launched by the brand in time for Veganuary, as part of its retail line-up, are two new supermarket products: This Isn’t Chicken Breast, exclusive to Tesco, and a frozen This Isn’t Beef Mince into Morrisons.

The chicken breast retails at £3.50 for a 180g pack of two, made using soy and pea proteins and suitable for cooking in the oven of pan-frying. Meanwhile, the frozen mince (£3.00 per 280g pack) is made from soy protein and follows the success of This’ chilled mince format, reformulated to join the existing frozen range including its plant-based chicken pieces, tenders and pork sausages.

#This #meatalternatives #UK #plantbasedchicken #plantbasedbeef #foodservice