Chick-fil-A brought you the chicken sandwich, then they brought you the Frosted Coffee (genius, BTW), and now we’re bringing you the ultimate list of hacks to get you the most out of your CFA experience. Need more chikin? We got you.
Hacks For When You Want to go Off the Regular Menu:
Starbucks isn’t the only one who has secret menu items up their sleeves. These items take your Chick-fil-A favorites to a whole new level, as well as combine a couple of your favorites into delicious masterpieces. If you ever get tired of your basic Chick-fil-A sandwich or chicken tenders, order these items instead.
Blueberry Cheesecake Milkshake
The seasonal peach milkshake at Chick-fil-A is, of course, your favorite thing about summer, but their secret blueberry cheesecake milkshake is a godsend. It’s rich, creamy, and full of delicious fresh blueberries, then topped with Chick-fil-A’s glorious whipped cream and a cherry.
All you have to do is ask the cashier to blend a piece of blueberry cheesecake in with a vanilla milkshake. Unfortunately, not all Chick-fil-A’s sell cheesecake, but if yours does, you’re one lucky human being.
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
This one is for everyone looking for a little extra something on their Chick-fil-A sandwich. Simply order a spicy chicken sandwich with buffalo sauce on it and you’re left with a zesty sandwich that’s sure to excite your taste buds.
It basically tastes like buffalo chicken wings on a bun. If you can’t take the heat, maybe just stick with your regular sandwich. Or make your own copycat Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich this recipe and add buffalo sauce.
Chicken Quesadilla
This glorious hybrid is more prevalent in the Southwest where they combine char-broiled chicken, peppers, and cheese in between two grilled flour tortillas. It’s something you’d never expect to get at Chick-fil-A, but once you do, you’ll be glad you did.
The chicken quesadilla puts a little Southwestern twist on your typical Chick-fil-A order, leaving you with a lot of cheese and an air of zing. If you don’t live in the Southwest, just ask for a chicken quesadilla anyway and pray that you’ll get what your heart desires.
Root Beer Float
Root beer floats are easy to make at home, but Chick-fil-A’s rich and creamy soft serve ice cream make them so much better. Ask the cashier to put some vanilla ice cream into a cup of root beer, and prepare to sip on one of the best root beer floats that has ever touched your lips. This drink is the perfect sweet addition to take off some of the heat from the extra spicy chicken sandwiches on the secret menu.
Spicy Char
The Spicy Char on Chick-fil-A’s secret menu gives your mouth a little bit of spiciness, while saving some additional calories with char-broiled chicken in place of the traditional breaded and deep-fried style. All you have to do is ask for a spicy char-grilled chicken sandwich. However, if you’re not a chicken when it comes to calories, you could also add a slice of cheese and some bacon to this bad boy. A hefty amount of Chick-fil-A sauce won’t hurt either.
Grilled Cheese
This childhood favorite takes the chicken out of Chick-fil-A, but still tastes just as amazing. They keep the same buttery, grilled bun and layer it with gooey cheese. You can also add veggies, such as tomatoes, lettuce, and the beloved Chick-fil-A pickles. It’s a winner for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
Cookie Milkshake
Chick-fil-A’s cookies and milkshakes are both amazing desserts to accompany your chicken, so why not combine them? If you ask for a cookie to be blended in with your milkshake, and the folks behind the counter are feeling really generous, the result is a creamy shake filled with cookie pieces filling every delectable sip. Because Chick-fil-A’s cookies are soft, they fit right in with a vanilla or chocolate milkshake. If having two desserts in one is the best thing you did all day, you’re doing it right.
Fried Chicken Club
The Chick-fil-A cows would confirm that all chicken sandwiches taste better when made with fried chicken versus regular chicken. This takes the original recipe coating and deep fries it into the chicken, adding a satisfying crunch to every bite you take. It gets even better with the addition of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Ask your cashier if you can swap a regular char-broiled chicken for an original fried chicken piece on your sandwich and you’ll be in pure chickin heaven.
Hacks For When Your Bank Account Balance is Low:
There’s nothing worse than a Chick-fil-A craving that can’t be satisfied because your current budget won’t cover it. You know you’re a college student when you can’t even afford some Chick-fil-A fries.
Lucky for you, however, there are a few ways to still get what you want from your favorite fast food joint – either with less cash or no cash at all. Low-cost Chick-fil-A is the best Chick-fil-A.
A Cheaper Chicken Sandwich
If the regular Chicken Sandwich is your Chick-fil-A go-to, this hack is for you. $3.50 for a sandwich might not seem like much, but if you’re balancing your money for other necessities, it can add up. Save some cash by instead ordering four chicken strips, two buttered buns, and of course, you gotta throw the waffle fries in there too. Layer the chicken strips onto the buns with your favorite sauce (I’m biased for Chick-fil-A sauce) to create a classic chicken sandwich at a lower cost. This rings in at $4.69, while two Chicken Sandwiches would be $6.10. You save about enough for an Ice Dream cone, which you definitely deserve.
Free Ice Cream
The cheapest place to find food on any menu is the kid’s menu. Chick-fil-A’s kid’s menu still has all of your favorites, like chicken strips, nuggets, and waffle fries, just in smaller portions and at lower prices. All kid’s menu items come with a toy, but rumor has it that any toy can be replaced with an ice dream cone or cup. Honestly, what child would prefer a toy to ice cream anyway?
Free Chicken
A former Chick-fil-A employee released a secret, yet spectacular customer service policy. Apparently, it’s a rule that if a customer forgets their wallet or card, the Chick-fil-A workers must give them their food anyway or else the food would just go to waste.
So the next time you go through the Chick-fil-A drive-thru and you just so happen to “forget your card” you’ll still probably get all the chicken you were dying to eat for FREE. However, you might want to do this only once in a while or switch up your locations so you don’t get caught. Keep in mind this isn’t the most ethical hack, so up to you if you want the bad karma.
When a New Chick-fil-A is Opening Near You
First of all, I assume when you hear that a Chick-fil-A is opening near you, you jump for joy and cry tears of happiness. Well, get ready to cry even more happy tears because if you’re one of the first 100 customers at the grand opening, you get a year’s worth of Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich meals. A “years worth” is considered 52 meals, even though I for one could probably smash more than that in a year, but it’s still an amazing deal.
When It’s Cow Appreciation Day
One of the best holidays, other than Christmas, is Cow Appreciation Day, when those who go to Chick-fil-A dressed in a cow costume get a free breakfast, lunch, or dinner entree. It’s also a great day to appreciate all those cows you see on billboards on the side of the road urging you to “eat mor chikin.” Always listen to the cows.
Hacks For When You’re Trying to Eat Healthy:
Sometimes, in the name of health, you have to sacrifice waffle fries for a healthier alternative. I know it’s hard, but luckily Chick-fil-A has some great healthy options that are almost as satisfying as one of their milkshakes. Ugh, that’s probably a stretch, sorry. But they’re all still delicious.
Grilled Chicken Nuggets
Although it’s hard to hear, grilled nuggets are much better for you than fried nuggets. The 8-count of grilled chicken nuggets is only 160 calories, while the 8-count of the original variety is 270 calories. Those 100 extra calories can save you room for some additional dipping sauces, which are essential for nuggets. To keep up the healthy trend, order Chick-fil-A’s Superfood Side instead of waffle fries. It’ll be hard, but I have faith you can do it.
Superfood Side
Waffle fries can never really be replaced in your heart, but this side salad makes a great alternative for when you’re trying to be healthy. The Superfood Side is a blend of chopped broccolini and kale in a maple vinaigrette dressing, topped with dried sour cherries and a roasted nut blend. It’s only 140 calories, while a small order of waffle fries is 310. After you taste the freshness of this salad, you won’t miss the waffle fries. Well, maybe you will a little.
Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap
This wrap contains sliced grilled chicken breast, lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, and a blend of cheeses in a flaxseed flat bread. All these fresh ingredients clock this wrap in at 340 calories without any added dressing. Skip out on the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing, which will add another 310 calories to your meal, and opt for Chili Lime Vinaigrette instead, which is only 60 calories per serving.
Diet Lemonade
We all know and love Chick-fil-A’s signature made-from-scratch lemonade, but a medium-sized drink clocks in at 230 calories. Instead, try the diet variety, which is only 20 calories for a medium. It’s made with the same freshly squeezed lemons, but is sweetened with Splenda instead of regular sugar. The diet lemonade can also be replaced in the Frosted Lemonade. It’s the perfect cool addition to your meal on a hot summer day, without all the extra calories. If they happen to be out of it, you can always try making your own at home.
Hold the butter
The classic Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich is made with buttered buns, however, you can ask your cashier to hold the butter to save some calories and fat from your meal. While Paula Deen might completely disagree with that decision, I’m sure your stomach will thank you for it. Your chicken sandwich will still taste just as good, trust me.
Protein-Style
Working on those gains? Order any sandwich “protein-style,” replacing the buns with green-leaf lettuce. This is a great way to get rid of empty carbs and substituted them with more complex carbohydrates, like whole grains, beans, vegetables, and potatoes (AKA waffle fries) that are way better for you. Don’t worry, lettuce still holds up great with Chick-fil-A sauce.