Ludacris Really, Really Wants You to Cook at Home — and He’s Got a Recipe for You to Try Out

One of America’s most famous seasoning brands is getting a remix. And a beloved celebrity you may know from the Fast & Furious film series is helping out.

Knorr, known for its bouillon, seasonings, and meal mixes, is partnering with rapper and actor Ludacris on a new music video and recipe aimed at encouraging Americans to get excited about cooking their own meals at home. Because what’s better than getting in the kitchen with an easy, delicious, and low-cost recipe — plus a bop?

The 46-year-old rapper remixed hip-hop duo Black Sheep’s 1991 song, “The Choice is Yours,” to rap poetic about his dish of the summer: Lemon Pepper Chicken. “Fast Food Remix feat. Ludacris and Knorr” is a cooking video within a music video, illustrating why whipping up some lemon pepper chicken cutlets is more delicious (and far healthier) than any meal delivered in a paper bag to your door. The beat is so catchy that home cooks may just find themselves rapping, “This food’s never bland, I made it from scratch, I made it by hand,” as they replicate the recipe in their own kitchens. 

“Remix is a play on words, we wanted to make home cooking as craveable as fast food or delivery,” says Gina Kiroff, chief marketing officer at Knorr North America. “It’s a great way to inspire people to remix their favorite combos, but in home-cooked meals.”

The team at Knorr looked at popular fast food trends and pitched a few ideas to Ludacris, who promotes healthy living and nutrition through his philanthropic work with The Ludacris Foundation. “He gravitated to lemon pepper chicken, and the culinary team developed it with his input to make it really easy and super tasty,” says Kiroff.

The requirements for the recipe were fairly simple: The end result had to be as delicious and craveable as anything that can be delivered, could be prepared in under 30 minutes, and meet FDA nutrition standards, including sodium guidelines below the FDA’s recommendation. The key to the dish? Bouillon, of course — plus lemon zest and fresh cracked black pepper for that extra oomph. 

“Anything we can do to enable people to cook more meals at home is great,” says Kiroff. “As a brand, we strive to champion home cooking. And Ludacris is perfect to help us with this campaign because he also shares in this mission.”  

“As someone who’s still mastering how to prepare delicious, nutritious, and convenient meals at home, I’ve learned it’s helpful to have a few staple ingredients always on hand,” Ludacris shared in a statement provided to Food & Wine. “Knorr and I cooked up delicious new beats and a remixed recipe for Lemon Pepper Chicken Cutlets to inspire people to get creative in the kitchen — we can’t wait for everyone to try out my delicious recipe this summer!” 

And there's another bonus for fans in Atlanta: They can get a pre-made taste of the new recipe from Ludacris himself at a Knorr pop-up at Westside Motor Lounge on Tuesday, July 23. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., fans can meet the rapper as he serves the dish out of a special Knorr Fast Food Remix truck while supplies last.