For years the chicken bowl has been a staple in the lunch line, but recent feedback reveals that students have mixed thoughts regarding the mealtime option. The previously-loved dish is taking a hit as the students voice their dissatisfaction, with growing criticism leading to many changing their opinion.

“It’s not always the best,” Paiton Doyle (‘25) said. “The mashed potatoes don’t have enough flavor, and I’m not a big fan of gravy. I feel like sometimes the chicken is a little dry.”

In 2021, school lunches became free to support students in need. While this has its benefits for the students, they have been seeing a repetitive issue leading to them not liking the lunch as much.

“It’s gotten worse since my freshman and sophomore years,” Doyle said. “I usually don’t get the full lunch anyway.”

Every day, Chelsea High School offers several food options that students can choose from – many of them including chicken. Lately, the chicken bowl is the chicken-based lunch that students don’t care for. 

“I like when they have the chicken tenders and mac and cheese a lot,” Ashley Sherwood (‘26) said. “I like the General Tso’s chicken or the teriyaki chicken they serve,” Doyle said.

While students have chicken-based lunches they prefer over the chicken bowl, they don’t think the chicken bowl deserves to be retired fully. Instead, they advocate for more diversity with the main school lunches.

“I think they should pick a different lunch and rotate it with the chicken bowl every Friday like they do on Mondays with the Chinese,” Sherwood said.