Ingredient file // Named animal protein
Chicken Flavor
Printed as “Natural Chicken Flavor” on some labels. Same ingredient.
A flavoring derived from chicken, applied to improve taste.
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 32 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
3%
70 of the 2,250 foods we track, from 15 brands. 61 dry dog food, 7 dog food topper, 2 wet dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 9.5. In the top five of 2 foods, so it is usually a supporting ingredient.
0
1st
0
2-3
2
4-5
43
6-10
22
11-20
3
21+
Top five
List position, heaviest first
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Price per lb
Foods with it
$4.28
All foods
$3.24
Median of the cheapest bag price across 51 priced foods, 32% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
23%
of the foods that list it are from Stella & Chewy's. 15 brands use it in total.
What it is
Why it turns up in dog food
- Included to make food more appealing, which helps fussy dogs eat consistently. It contributes flavor rather than measurable nutrition.
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Plus 5 more brands.
Amazon best sellers that list it
- #75 The Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Chicken & Oat Recipe Whole Food Clusters Dry Dog Food
- #97 Orijen Small Breed Dry Dog Food
Rank on Amazon's dog food best seller list, checked October 2026.
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Chicken 66%
- Chicken Fat 61%
- Chicken Meal 56%
- Chicken Liver 43%
- Peas 31%
- Flaxseed 29%
- Lentils 26%
- Tomato Pomace 23%
- Turkey 21%
- Oatmeal 21%
- Barley 20%
- Turkey Meal 19%
On the shelf
Foods that list it
70 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.
Eukanuba Breed Specific Adult German Shepherd Dry Dog Food25.6% proteinZignature Inception Chicken Recipe Food Can Wet Dog Food36.4% protein
Show 59 more
Iams Adult Chicken Chunks IN Gravy Wet Dog Food44.4% proteinThe Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Lamb Clusters Dry Dog Food26.2% proteinThe Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Turkey & Chicken Essential Clusters Dry Dog Food25.0% proteinStella & Chewy’s Wild Red Grain Free : Whole Prey Prairie Poultry Recipe, Raw Coated/Raw Blend Dry Dog Food40.9% proteinOrijen Original Small Breed Puppy With WholePrey Nutrition Dry Dog Food43.2% proteinAbound All Life Stages Chicken & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food28.4% proteinNulo MedalSeries Weight Management Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNulo MedalSeries Senior Chicken & Lentils Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNulo MedalSeries Limited+ MedalSeries Limited Ingredient Diet Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNulo MedalSeries Chicken & Peas Recipe Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinStella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Kibble Wild Red Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Prairie Recipe Dry Dog Food39.8% proteinStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Chicken & Duck : Raw Coated Oven Baked Kibble with Superfoods, Antioxidants & Probiotics Dry Dog Food29.5% proteinStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Raw Blend Puppy Kibble: Chicken, Salmon + Superfoods Dry Dog Food33.0% proteinStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Chicken & Duck : Raw Coated/Raw Blend Oven Baked Kibble with Superfoods, Antioxidants & Probiotics Dry Dog Food30.7% proteinStella & Chewy’s Wild Red Grain Free Puppy Food: Whole Prey Prairie Poultry Recipe, Raw Coated Dry Dog Food40.9% proteinAcana Wholesome Grains, Small Breed Recipe Dry Dog Food30.7% proteinAbound All Life Stages Superfood Blend Salmon, Egg & Pumpkin Dry Dog Food29.5% proteinAbound Grain Free All Life Stages Salmon & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinNulo MedalSeries Puppy Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinStella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Wholesome Grains Chicken Pumpkin & Quinoa Puppy Dry Dog Food33.0% proteinGo! Solutions Skin + Coat Care Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinGo! Solutions Carnivore Grain-Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Senior Recipe Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinEvanger’s Grain-Free Chicken with Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Recipe Dry Dog Food36.3% proteinAcana Highest Protein Meadowland Recipe Dry Dog Food37.5% proteinAcana Wholesome Grains Free-Run Poultry & Grains Recipe Dry Dog Food30.7% proteinAcana Light & Fit Recipe Dry Dog Food37.5% proteinAcana Free-Run Poultry Recipe Dry Dog Food33.0% proteinAcana Puppy Recipe Dry Dog Food35.2% proteinWellness Core RawRev Wholesome Grains Puppy Food Formula + 100% Raw Turkey Dry Dog Food42.2% proteinWellness Core Wholesome Grains Puppy Dry Dog Food40.0% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Flavor Booster Tuna Bisque Dog Food Topper53.8% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Flavor Booster Pork Bisque Dog Food Topper40.0% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Flavor Booster Chicken Bisque Dog Food Topper43.8% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Flavor Booster Beef Bisque Dog Food Topper42.9% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Flavor Booster Salmon Bisque Dog Food Topper40.0% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Flavor Booster Lamb Bisque Dog Food Topper40.0% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Flavor Booster Duck Bisque Dog Food Topper50.0% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites for Puppies Chicken, Peas & Lentils Luau Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Fish Luau Dry Dog Food29.1% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Lamb Luau Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Duck Luau Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinTiki Dog Aloha Petites Chicken Luau Dry Dog Food30.5% proteinStella & Chewy’s Wide Open Prairie Recipe with Cage-Free Chicken Dry Dog Food34.4% proteinStella & Chewy’s Chicken Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog Food31.8% proteinStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Blend Baked Kibble with Grains Dry Dog Food33.0% proteinStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Raw Blend Kibble Dry Dog Food39.8% proteinStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Chicken Raw Coated Kibble Puppy Dry Dog Food40.9% proteinStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Chicken Raw Coated Kibble for Small Breeds Dry Dog Food37.5% proteinStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Chicken Raw Coated Kibble Dry Dog Food37.5% proteinStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Chicken & Ancient Grains Recipe for Small Breed Dogs Dry Dog Food25.9% proteinStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Chicken & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinNutriSource PureVita Chicken & Brown Rice Entree Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinNutriSource Small & Medium Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food35.6% proteinOrijen Senior Dry Dog Food43.2% proteinOrijen Fit & Trim Dry Dog Food47.7% proteinOrijen Small Breed Dry Dog Food43.2% proteinOrijen Puppy Large Dry Dog Food43.2% proteinOrijen Puppy Dry Dog Food43.2% proteinI and Love and You Naked Essentials Grain-Free with Lamb + Bison Dry Dog Food34.1% proteinOn labels as
Other names for this
Manufacturers do not all use the same wording. These all mean the same thing.
An ingredient on its own tells you very little.
What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh
the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down.
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