People have been sleeping on grilled chicken sandwiches for too long! With all the great fried chicken sandwiches out there, we get it: a sandwich with a grilled piece of meat will always seem boring compared to one that has been deep-fried. But here at Uproxx, we’ve long sung the praises of the grilled chicken sandwich, and while it may seem less appealing initially, some of the sandwiches out there right now are so good that they dunk on their fried counterparts.
Last year we ranked 14 of them, and while there are a lot of great sandwiches on that ranking, when we ranked them we couldn’t help but notice one thing — there is a serious lack of spicy grilled chicken sandwiches. You can call a grilled chicken sandwich “boring,” but when the thing is so spicy that it starts activating your salivary glands and breaking out your brow into a sweat, it’s a little harder to make that argument.
Which is why we’re pretty psyched Chick-fil-A has finally decided to drop a spicy version of its grilled chicken sandwich.
Once known by menu hackers as the “Spicy Char,” a spicy version of Chick-fil-A’s sandwich isn’t exactly a new thing, it’s the stuff of legend, and while some people swear this used to be a thing you could readily order, it hasn’t been available for some time. I know because I’ve tried to order it.
So does the official version live up to the menu hacker hype? We found out by giving the Grilled Spicy Deluxe a thorough taste test. Here are our thoughts.
Grilled Spicy Deluxe
Thoughts & Tasting Notes:
First, let’s talk build. The Grilled Spicy Deluxe features a chicken breast filet tossed in a blend of peppers — I’m tasting a dash of cayenne, smokey paprika, a hint of chili powder, and black pepper — topped with a slice of Colby-Jack cheese, a single leaf of lettuce, and juicy tomato slices on a toasted multigrain brioche bun.
The chicken is tender and leads with an earthy black-pepper flavor that slowly builds up in heat the more you eat. An initial bite will introduce some spice, but you don’t really start to feel the heat until about halfway through the sandwich. But the tomatoes do a lot to ease a lot of that heat, offering a bright umami burst of juicy flavor.
The Colby-Jack cheese brings in some creamy and sweet notes to the sandwich, which pair nicely with the sweetness of the dense multigrain bun. As much as I like this cheese, I would sub it out for pepper jack cheese to up the spice. If you’re not after a “healthy” meal, consider ditching that multigrain bun for the white bun too if you don’t want something so dense.
While the sandwich doesn’t have sauce, it is served alongside a packet of Cilantro Lime Sauce, which is a mayo-based sauce seasoned with cilantro, garlic, and lime. It adds an interesting tart finish that pairs nicely with the season of the chicken filet, but honestly, I’d skip this sauce and use one of your favorite Chick-fil-A dipping sauces instead.
The Bottom Line:
Here is the thing about Chick-fil-A’s Grilled Spicy Deluxe — I think it’s the best grilled chicken sandwich in all of fast food right now. But it’s not perfect.
However, with a few smart tweaks (subbing Colby-Jack for Pepper Jack, subbing out the bun, possibly adding bacon) you can seriously elevate what is already a great chicken sandwich to something truly next level.
Let’s hope Chick-fil-A comes to its senses and realizes that this should be a permanent menu item.