7 Foods Michael Jackson Loved To Eat

No one can deny that the king of pop had an immeasurable impact on culture. His music is inextricably linked to the 20th-century pop zeitgeist, inspiring countless artists spanning generations. But his personal life was riddled with scrutiny and controversy, leading some fans to feel confused about their love for Michael Jackson's musical output. What's more, the man had an almost infamous child-like approach to life and the world, with a diet that almost seems akin to a teenager's. For real die-hard fans or curious readers, it's always fascinating to get a glimpse into the habits of larger-than-life artists, especially when it comes to eating. We love to see just how relatable — or unrelatable — musicians and actors are with their favorite dishes, as it offers a peek behind the curtain of fame. 

Icons' taste in food — like Marilyn Monroe and her obsession with steak or Frank Sinatra's similar love of red meat — always seemed interesting (these two are a stark contrast to Michael Jackson's diet, which was vegetarian at times). While there's nothing overtly exotic about MJ's food preferences, it tends toward comfort and shows he was a being a creature of habit, with some peculiarities. In an interview with People, Mani Niall, an Oakland-based private chef who cooked for Jackson from 1982 to 1985, said Jackson was "a vegetarian who didn't like vegetables," which speaks volumes. Here we dive into some of the star's favorite foods that kept him going during globe-spanning tours and beyond.

Fried chicken is just one of those fast foods that seems to have universal appeal, helped by the fact that it's relatively easy to make. Golden and crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside: What's not to love?  Finding out that Michael Jackson loved fried chicken is almost like finding out that he liked dancing or watching movies; it's just so obvious. And while lots of folks love cooking fried chicken at home (especially when you go the distance with small ingredient hacks to elevate the dish), KFC's ubiquity makes things easy. These fast food restaurants are peppered all over urban centers, allowing for convenient access to the Colonel's finest chicken.

Like so many celebs, having a private chef in tow, whether on a tour or at home, means you can have just about any meal or snack your heart desires. Yet we all appreciate the convenience and comfort of fast food — MJ was no different. His love for KFC made him relatable — sometimes you just crave a bucket of fried chicken. The Indiana-born singer, along with his family — touring as the Jackson 5 — was even said to request fried chicken while touring in New Zealand, to get a small taste of home. His love for crispy, golden fried chicken persisted throughout his life, except for small breaks of vegetarianism.

Mac and cheese could be a strong contender for the king of comfort food, providing a hearty carb boost and cheesy indulgence with each bite. From the most rudimentary versions like boxed grocery store brand options, to seriously chef-y (punched-up mac and cheese with ingredient upgrades), it always hits the spot. Michael Jackson was no stranger to macaroni and cheese's creamy allure, which may have been one of his favorite dishes when he craved a home-cooked meal. In the 2018 book, "The Two Favorite Recipes of Michael Jackson," Parisian author and Chef Stella Lemarque divulges details about what she cooked for the singer. With a background in French food, cooking at the renowned Le Moulin de Mougins, Lemarque had a strong foundation before becoming a chef to the stars. Alongside Stella, her husband and partner, Phillip, worked to keep Jackson fed during the 1980s at his Neverland Ranch.

For five years, the duo cooked whatever Jackson wanted, but also coaxed him towards subtle and new flavors, like local corn. What's more, the pop star actually gave input to the Lemarques, much in the way he would with producer Quincy Jones in the studio, who collaborated with the singer on "Off The Wall", "Thriller", and "Bad". The Lemarque duo's collaborative recipe is affectionately called "Michael's Mac & Cheese." When he first tasted it, Jackson told Stella, "I never had a mac and cheese like this one before. [...] It's the very best I ever had."

Ice cream is yet another no-brainer, easy-to-relate-to, favorite food of Michael Jackson. Sure, there are people out there who dislike the stuff, but perhaps they're just buying the wrong brands. (To take it a step further, you can really get a newfound appreciation for the popular dessert when making it at home, even without a proper ice cream maker.) Either way, Jackson joins a long list of celebrities, including Marlon Brando, who were known to indulge in their fair share of ice cream.

Mani Niall, the aforementioned one-time private chef of MJ, would often serve up honey vanilla ice cream and cookies for dessert at home. Ice cream is easily accessible at every grocery store's freezer aisle, sure, but you're not guaranteed to find the good stuff everywhere you go, especially when on the road. During tours, when Niall was travelling with the pop star, he actually brought his own ice cream machine that used ice and kosher salt to create the right consistency and ensure the pop icon always had access to the dessert, no matter where they were. While Niall was an accomplished chef, baker, and cookbook author, in between dinners and ice cream making, he was known to attempt the moon walk on occasion, garnering laughs from Jackson. Looks like he was an aspiring comedian, too.

In the pantheon of nut cookies, pecan maple might not stick out as a go-to, winding up in a cookie purgatory of under-appreciated but sometimes underwhelming flavor combos. There are just so many more fun nut cookies like white chocolate macadamia, double chocolate macadamia, walnut chocolate chip, or even oatmeal raisin with walnuts, that seem to garner more attention. But with some really fresh pecans and a healthy dose of Vermont's finest, a maple pecan cookie could really hit the spot. 

Michael Jackson's sweet tooth led him having baked goods routinely made for him, and this seemingly niche cookie was often whipped up by his private chef, Mani Niall. He opted to sweeten the cookies with maple syrup over sugar, which begs the question: Was the original recipe simply a pecan cookie? Either way, Niall found a winning recipe — so much so, the cookies wound up on the radar of Jackson's security team, with a bodyguard calling them "ookies." Perhaps you'll think of pecan-maple cookies in a different light now.

The notion that a meal needs meat to be filling or tasty is silly and, really, is a missed opportunity to explore the world of veggies. With the right amount of seasoning and care during preparation, vegetables can actually be the star of the show — something exemplified by New York City's Dirt Candy, serving up vegetarian dishes that are Michelin-starred. It proves you don't need wagyu beef or foie gras to reach culinary Nirvana. Even without any health concerns or food allergies, a flexible approach to diet ideally includes meatless dishes on occasion, especially taking into account the lower carbon footprint of vegetarian diets.

Michael Jackson dabbled in different diets over the years and flirted with full-time vegetarianism, but never truly committed to the lifestyle. Though he was flexible and open-minded and when he sought to up his veggie quotient, he enjoyed delicious vegetarian pizzas. Mani Niall, the private chef for MJ, was sometimes asked to make meatless pizzas with shiitake mushrooms and Japanese eggplant for the singer. Apparently, Jackson wasn't always so fond of eating a ton of veggies, and this type of pizza allowed Niall to disguise seemingly bland or boring vegetables as pizza toppings.

Shish kebabs are incredibly delicious and always fun to eat. They offer the perfect mix of a charred exterior and juicy interior with every bite. Whether made with meat or vegetables, while cooking over charcoal, they get kissed by the smoke, which adds another layer of flavor. Meat on a stick is enjoyed in many cultures, and because of its simplicity and ease of preparation, it's often appreciated by foodies worldwide. While most versions of the Turkish-originated shish kebabs are made with meat, some home cooks and even restaurant owners who are less bound by tradition might choose tofu cubes as the protein. 

Michael Jackson, when he was trying to eat vegetarian, enjoyed grilled tofu as a meat alternative. He often paired his veggie kebabs with couscous and Moroccan-style sauce to add flavor, serving a more modern and inclusive take on the dish. With a really punchy marinade for the tofu, some nice pita, and a banging vegan yogurt garlic sauce, you could have yourself a real thriller of a meatless dinner, too.

Smoky red chili sauce, when drenched over an entree, can really elevate a dish and turn the mundane into something fun and indulgent. The condiment, with roots in Mexican cuisine, is a luscious and complex sauce that plays with a mix of savory, smoky, sweet, and slightly sour tastes. And, like many Mexican flavors out there, it has the potential for a heat and punishing spice levels, or a more round and mild taste profile, depending on the chilis used. While we might not have definitive proof that Michael Jackson was into super spicy Mexican dishes, he was said to appreciate the red chili condiment when made by Mani Niall.

Niall — private chef to Jackson for a brief time — was known to whip up enchiladas, nachos, and even potato skins, which then got slathered in smoky red chill sauce fashioned in the New Mexico style. Having grown up in Indiana, Michael Jackson wouldn't have likely been exposed to the cuisine of the southwest until later in his life, and he took to those bold and assertive flavors, said to be among his faves, according to Chef Niall.