Noodles & Company Is Launching A New Plant-Based Chicken

Noodles & Company boasts a delectable spread of 32 dishes. Most, but not all of them, are pasta offerings. These meals encompass innovations like Cauliflower Rigatoni in Roasted Garlic Cream as well as timeless classics like macaroni and cheese, per the Noodles & Company menu. In its endeavors to wow customers, the brand is not blind to the specialized needs of vegetarians or the gluten intolerant, as suggested by no-wheat and plant icons displayed on the respective listings.

"What about the vegans?" you may ask. At a glance, there is only one offering: Japanese pan noodles with tofu, but upon closer scrutiny and with a knowledge of sundry vegan ingredients at your disposal, you'll see that much of the menu has a vegan dimension. Every pasta (barring the egg noodles) is free of animal products, and with a tweak or two — as is permitted by the kitchen — so are certain dishes (like Penne Rosa, Pasta Fresca, and the company's version of spaghetti and meatballs, among others). And per Treehugger, it doesn't end there. Noodles & Company has a penchant for expansion, and its new plant-based chicken is another modish addition to the chain's collection of vegan-adaptable options.

On January 4, 2022, Forbes reported that the fast-casual chain had released a novel protein-rich, carb-light pasta called LEANguini. A key attribute of the health-orientated pasta is that it, like many other options, can be assimilated into any tailor-made pasta dish, per Forbes. Although pasta is Noodles & Company's forté, it is not where the brand's conquests end.

Early in October (per VeggL), the pasta-oriented outlet bravely stepped into what one would think is unfamiliar territory for Noodles & Company. The chain included Impossible Panko Chicken — its first plant-based chicken offering from Impossible Foods — on its menu. This comes after product trials in the first quarter of 2022, per Vegconomist.

Impossible plant-based chicken is now a permanent feature on the company's menu. The imitation chicken completes a duo of signature dishes: the vegan Impossible Orange Chicken Lo Mein and the vegetarian LEANguini Rosa with Impossible Chicken (the latter being a vegetarian dish instead of vegan because of LEANguini's egg content). This brings the official, standardized vegan options on the menu to two, while the menu's customizable possibilities remain bountiful.