Chick-fil-A has just launched a new chicken sandwich! It’s not often that Chick-fil-A adds something truly new to its menu so this is kind of a big deal. Sure, it has seasonal drinks, but drinks are relatively safe and risk-free for both the customer and restaurant. But new food? That’s a risk, and it doesn’t always pay off (just look at the KFC Chizza).
Last year, Chick-fil-A gave us the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich. And while it wasn’t for everyone — Pimento cheese is easily the most divisive cheese — we thought it was pretty tasty.
Now, in 2024, Chick-fil-A has something a bit more exciting in store for us — the Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich. With all due respect to pimento cheese, this sounds a million times better. I mean it has “bacon” in the name and that alone is enough to pique our interest. And it’s grilled, which is exciting because it’s our opinion that we need more good grilled chicken sandwiches out there in the fast food landscape.
So is the Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich any good? Here’s the verdict.
Maple Pepper Bacon Chicken Sandwich
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
The build features grilled chicken breast on a toasted maple-flavored brioche bun, pepper jack cheese, green leaf lettuce, pickles, and bacon that is covered in brown sugar and pepper.
Holy shit is this sandwich good. The flavors work in perfect harmony with one another, the chicken breast is tender with a mix of charred, herbal, and slightly lemon-y flavors with pepper jack cheese bringing some mild heat, and a smokey sweet, fragrant peppery aftertaste courtesy of the maple bacon. The maple bacon is a definite highlight, it’s perfectly rendered with an addictive mix of smokey and sweet flavors. It’s crunchy, yet melts in your mouth.
I’m taken aback by how good this sandwich is. Before I tried it, I thought that on paper it would probably make sense to be made with a spicy fried filet rather than the grilled option because it would be a combination of spicy and sweet but having actually tasted the thing, I have to suggest that you resist the temptation to get the fried chicken.
The bacon already provides all the textural crunch that you need. I’d also like to highlight the brioche bun that this sandwich is served on, it’s light, airy, and buttery. It’s easily the best bun on any Chick-fil-A sandwich, and I hope they swap out the original white bread for brioche on all of their sandwiches.
My only gripe with this sandwich is the pickles. They seem out of place on this sandwich. Don’t get me wrong it didn’t ruin my experience, but there is so much flavor in this sandwich from the bacon and chicken filet alone that you don’t really need that briney-tang the pickles bring.
Still, this is currently my favorite grilled chicken sandwich in all of fast food and if it doesn’t earn permanent menu status then Chick-fil-A is making a huge mistake.
The Bottom Line:
A must-order. This is easily one of Chick-fil-A’s best chicken sandwiches and by far the best grilled chicken sandwich in all of fast food.