"Chicken Jockey" Is Everywhere These Days, but What Does the Minecraft Reference Mean?

You've probably heard it said in a nasal tone: "Chicken jockey!" Like many meme-worthy A Minecraft Movie references, it has infiltrated pop culture. Especially in families where you have kids under 18 who enjoy gaming and playing the Minecraft game.

Like other Minecraft memes, the "chicken jockey" meme can be somewhat of a mystery if you aren't already plugged into the game's culture. So what does "chicken jockey" mean? Here's what we know about the origins and usage of the phrase, as well as which other Minecraft Movie memes you'll want to keep track of if you want to communicate with gamers these days.

In 2025's A Minecraft Movie, there's an iconic scene that has audiences everywhere literally throwing their popcorn in theaters in celebration.

The scene involves Minecraft Steve, played by Jack Black, and Garrett, played by Jason Momoa.

In the scene, they're thrown into an arena and face down a chicken. A chicken? A chicken.

But then a box lowers over the chicken, releasing what appears to be a baby zombie who lands on the chicken. For a moment, it's adorable. The little chicken jockey, perched on his steed, pets the chicken and smiles lovingly.

Of course, it's a zombie, so things get hairy rather quickly.

However, this is where the phrase originates from in the movie.

In the game, it's similar, although no wrestling arenas are involved.

Chickens and zombies are both plentiful in the world-builder game from which the movie takes its plot. And on very rare occasions, a player might encounter a chicken in the game being ridden by a baby zombie. Aka a "chicken jockey."

While cute, they can also be problematic. A zombie with all the hit power of its parents, and the speed of a chicken, which is considerable? It's bad news bears for players.

As mentioned, the "chicken jockey" scene has turned into a flashpoint for theaters, with audiences gleefully throwing popcorn and drinks when Jack Black utters the famed "chicken jockey!" phrase.

But there are other memes that have emerged from the movie that aren't quite as destructive.

This includes "flint and steel," which also, unsurprisingly, comes from Jack Black, who is a master at turning phrases.

In the movie, Jack's character is showing how to create a portal to the Nether. In order to make the magical portal appear, he grabs a "flint and steel" and excitedly describes the two objects before striking them and creating the portal.

According to USA Today, McDonald's even got in on the merchandising, offering a "Minecraft Movie meal" which fans lovingly dubbed the "flint and meal."

And, USA Today reports in a different article, there's at least two other memes to stay abreast of if you want to know the movie culture. Which can be helpful if you need to talk to a younger person from Gen Z or anyone from Gen Alpha.

This includes, "as a child, I yearned for the mines."

This comes from Steve and Garrett encountering an "absolutely no children allowed" sign on a mine entrance.

And then there's, "Is he some kind of king? No, that's a legend." It refers to a brief view we get of a pig wearing a crown. The crowned pig is a heartfelt nod to one of the most famous Minecraft YouTubers of all time, Technoblade, who died of cancer in 2022.

Overall, the Minecraft Movie is as un-serious and ridiculous as most audiences hoped it would be, although it's not without its critics.

But with the memes in hand, you can be prepared for the next Minecraft Movie conversation, and maybe even apply some memes appropriately to wow the judgmental tweens in your life.