Chick-fil-A is one of the most consistent fast-food restaurants in the game right now. Whether you’re rolling up morning, noon, or night, at the height of rush hour, or those rare moments when the drive-thru is empty, your experience is going to largely be pretty similar. The food is going to be hot and everything is going to be cooked just as it should be. That consistency puts its food more in line with fast food restaurants that focus on just one specialty, like In-N-Out or Raising Cane’s, rather than something like McDonald’s or Wendy’s, which although delicious, can vary wildly in terms of quality.
But unlike Raising Cane’s and Wendy’s, the Chick-fil-A menu is pretty robust. Sandwiches, nuggets, tenders, wraps, salads, a whole damn breakfast menu — there are a lot of different worthwhile combinations here and it’s entirely possible to eat at Chick-fil-A every day for a week without any repeats. So what are the essential menu items? We’re here to break it down by naming the five best foods on the Chick-fil-A Menu.
As we did with McDonald’s and Taco Bell in the past, we’ve tried to filter the full menu down into a single big meal (assuming you’re starving) or something you can mix and match as you see fit. Here are the only five foods you ever need to order at Chick-fil-A for a guaranteed great meal!
Spicy Deluxe
Why It’s Great:
If you’re looking for Chick-fil-A’s absolute best sandwich, look no further than the Spicy Deluxe. This sandwich is near perfect, and until Popeyes entered the scene in 2019 with its infamous chicken sandwich, this was the best your money could buy.
The build is simple — a thick juicy spicy chicken filet on a bed of leafy greens with tomato, pickles, and pepper jack cheese. All of the flavors work in harmony here. The produce is crisp, offering a refreshing infusion of flavor to counter the tang of the briney pickles and the spicy cayenne-heavy kick of the breast filet.
The chicken is incredibly juicy and tender — and while we’d prefer a more crunchy breading — the mix of black pepper and cayenne packs enough flavor that we don’t mind missing out on a big crunch.
The Bottom Line:
Chick-fil-A’s best chicken sandwich and one of the best chicken sandwiches in all of fast food.
Nuggets
Why It’s Great:
Chick-fil-A’s chicken nuggets are a must-order. Recently, we ranked fast-food chicken nuggets and gave these juicy nugs the top spot. Each nugget is marinated in pickle brine which gives the chicken a wonderful depth of flavor that pairs nicely with the mix of onion, garlic powder, black pepper, and earthy floral paprika smokiness of the breading.
The nuggets are whole pieces of white meat chicken — no heavily processed spongey meat here ala McDonald’s McNuggets or Wendy’s — and fried in peanut oil, which enables each nugget to be fried to a golden brown without drying the meat out.
The Bottom Line:
Juicy crispy and flavorful chicken nuggets — these are the best nuggets you’ll find in all of fast food.
Waffle Fries
Why It’s Great:
The Waffle Fries are another must-order at Chick-fil-A. While they aren’t our favorite fries in all of fast food (McDonald’s comes out on top there), we love the salty flavor and crispy texture.
You get a lot of natural potato flavor here. While these are waffle cut, you’ll notice some potato skin on the edges — and with potato skin, a little goes a long way. You get the buttery flavor of potato balanced with the bitter and earthy flavor of the skin. The fries are finished with a light dusting of sea salt. But I think the best way to enjoy them is by sprinkling some black pepper on them to help bring out the more earthy notes.
The Bottom Line:
No Chick-fil-A order is complete without a side of fries.
Chicken Biscuit
Why It’s Great:
Only available at breakfast (before 10:30 AM), the Chicken Biscuit is even better than the OG chicken sandwich. The biscuit is fluffy, a bit salty, and buttered, which interacts with the flavors of the pickle-brine marinated chicken breast filet in a harmonious way which deepens the savory quality and comes across as tastier than the sum of its parts.
Be warned though, this chicken biscuit is a lot smaller in size than the typical sandwich, so if you’re ordering this make sure to add some extras to the order. Pro tip: the entire lunch menu is available at breakfast time.
The Bottom Line:
This is a Chick-fil-A menu experience worth waking up early for.
Peach Milkshake
Why It’s Great:
This one is a summer exclusive, so unfortunately you won’t be able to order this all the time. But when it’s on the menu, it’s a must-pick-up. What makes this milkshake special is that it tastes nothing like any other milkshake in the fast food landscape. It’s unique with a delicate flavor that mixes floral notes and sweetness with a hint of tang.
The milkshake is incredibly thick and luxurious but still travels through the straw easily. So what should you order if you’re showing up to Chick-fil-A during the fall, winter, or spring? We’re going to say the Arnold Palmer, which at Chick-fil-A is called a Sunjoy.
The Sunjoy doesn’t capture the magic of the Peach Milkshake, but it comes close thanks to its mix of sweet and tangy flavors.
The Bottom Line:
This milkshake is reason alone to hit up Chick-fil-A in the summer.
Find your nearest Chick-fil-A here.