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Flavors From Around the World Win Top Prizes in the 2011 Winning Taste Recipe Contest(R)

GREELEY, Colo., Jan. 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The top two winners from the 2011 Winning Taste Recipe Contest® feature bold flavors inspired by Korean and Indian cuisines. The grand prize winning recipe, Korean Fried Chicken, was entered by Tracy Smith from Moreno Valley, California.

A retail manager, Smith says she has cooked since she was old enough to stand on a chair by the stove. Although she regularly creates recipes, this is her first cooking contest win – and her winning recipe is a family favorite.

"I cook this dish at home about every two weeks, and my family loves it," Smith said. "In fact, for my vegetarian daughter, I create this sauce and put it on tofu. But the rest of us just love the taste of this dish with chicken."

Smith's prize for her winning recipe is a four-night stay for two at Lake Austin Spa Resort in Austin, Texas. The resort, which features world-class facilities, spa treatments, numerous indoor and outdoor programs, gourmet dining and more, is located in a secluded lakeside area in the Texas Hill Country. The resort also offers The Culinary Experience™, designed to provide guests with a rich and interactive cooking school experience.

The additional winners are:

  First Place, Bombay Curry Chicken and Peanut Soup with Fresh Thai Basil, created by Angela Spengler from Clovis, New Mexico. Angela is a stay-at-home mom and a military wife who has won several cooking contests previously. She created this recipe because she loves both spicy foods and rich, comforting soups.

  Second Place, Chicken Roulades Baked in a Fresh Garden Caponata, entered by Judy Armstrong from Prairieville, Louisiana. Judy is a school principal who enjoys gardening and cooking for her family and friends. The inspiration for her recipe came from the idea of combining fresh vegetables from her garden with chicken.

  Third Place, Country Club Chicken with Deviled Egg Crust, submitted by Gloria Piantek from West Lafayette, Indiana. Gloria is a retired educational consultant who has previously won several cooking and baking contests. She created this recipe in an attempt to combine two favorite flavors: Crunchy chicken and deviled eggs. She says the result was an instant party success.

Cooks from across the country entered their original chicken recipes, and entries were judged on taste, originality, ease of preparation and appearance. The winning recipes and photos are available at http://www.winningtasterecipe.com/.

The Winning Taste Recipe Contest, created to promote and encourage creative cooking with chicken, is the nation's longest-running and most widely recognized chicken-cooking contest. Pilgrim's conducts the contest, which has awarded more than $600,000 in cash and merchandise over more than 20 years to amateur cooks across the nation.

CONTACT: Margaret McDonald JBS USA & Pilgrim's| Communications O: +1 970.347.5487 margaret.mcdonald@jbssa.com-->Pilgrim's Pride Corporation