5 Ordering Tips To Get The Best Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich

Love them or hate them, fast-food secret menus and ordering hacks are here to stay. In fact, some restaurants even embrace the trend in an effort to get customers excited. Take Chick-fil-A, which has an official secret menu replete with mini breakfast sandwiches and tasty desserts. There are plenty of fan-made ordering hacks as well, many of which can elevate the chain's most famous offering: its classic chicken sandwich. We searched through social media and found some truly inventive tips. 

Our list includes methods to customize the flavor of your chicken, including a special Southwestern sandwich that incorporates ingredients from elsewhere on the menu. We have an uncommon topping known for its rich cheesiness, as well as a build-your-own chicken strip sandwich. Keep in mind that almost all of our ordering tips are the DIY variety, so it will be up to you to make them happen. Also, some locations may be unable (or unwilling) to fulfill special ingredient requests. While it's a bummer, take the loss graciously and select something else from the menu.

Chick-fil-A's nifty foil-lined sandwich bag helps keep food warm, but you can use it for another purpose that's far more exciting. In a Reddit discussion centered on ordering hacks, a savvy patron advised, "Take your sandwich out of the little sandwich bag. Dump 2 packets of Buffalo in the empty sandwich bag, then drop the filet in and shake the bag up." The customer also recommended topping the sandwich with ranch as you reassemble it. This provides a nice counterpoint to the heat.

One of the great things about this hack is its adaptability. If you're not a hot sauce fan, no worries, because Chick-fil-A offers plenty of sauces and dressings. In addition to barbecue and ranch, there's Polynesian (a type of sweet and sour sauce), honey mustard, and Chick-fil-A's namesake sauce, which has a smoky, mustardy flavor. The Avocado Lime Dressing is another great contender, as this ranch offshoot will give your sandwich a Southwestern flavor profile. If you still can't choose, here's our ranking of every Chick-fil-A sauce from worst to first to inspire your taste buds.

Chicken strips and tenders may have a reputation for being kids' fare, but they are a staple of fast-food dining. Chick-fil-A introduced its Chick-n-Strips back in the '90s, and they remain a popular offering at the restaurant. Customers can order them on their own or make strips part of a meal (which comes with a side and a beverage). However, a Redditor suggested using the strips to make your own sandwich.

Explaining, "I like the strips way better than the patty," the commenter recommended ordering the item with an à la carte bun (gluten free buns are also available). The flavor profile of your chicken strip sandwich is ultimately up to you. Another great thing about this hack is that it can be adapted to your appetite. The chain's Chick-n-Strips come in packs of three, four, and 10, which means diners can assemble one massive chicken sandwich or split the strips between several à la carte buns.

You may want to file this next tip under "so over-the-top it just might work." A Redditor shared their favorite Chick-fil-A order, which featured its classic chicken sandwich as the foundation. "I am loving the number one with extra pickles, add American cheese with the creamy Dijon," they explained. These toppings seem like overkill for an already tasty sandwich, but they're quite genius together.

Though they're a divisive ingredient in general, pickles are popular at Chick-fil-A. According to a Reddit poll, more than half of respondents said they enjoyed pickles on Chick-fil-A sandwiches. This makes sense, as acidic ingredients wake up the taste buds for greater flavor sensitivity and help balance the heaviness of rich, creamy ingredients. When ordering this sandwich, be sure to specify the slice of American cheese (which will run you an extra $.30). The creamy Dijon appears to be a seasonal item, but you can substitute honey mustard or ranch dressing to get a similar effect.

We have TikTok to thank for Chick-fil-A's off-book Southwestern sandwich. To get started, you'll need to order the Spicy Deluxe (which includes pepper jack cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes alongside the classic pickles). You'll also need a packet of Charred Tomato and Crispy Red Bell Peppers, a crunchy topper for the chain's Cobb salad, and Creamy Salsa dressing, which accompanies the Spicy Southwest Salad. 

Once you have your ingredients, remove the chicken fillet from the sandwich and evenly coat it with the dressing. You can either do the foil bag trick we discussed earlier or take a cue from the inventors of this hack, who place the dressing and fillet in a to-go container with a lid and shake until its sufficiently sauced up. The resulting flavor combo is dubbed "exquisite" after an on-camera taste test. Commenters were clearly enthused by the hack, with one person calling it "absolutely genius," while another observed, "That's like a 40 dollar meal."

Mac and cheese has strong associations with Southern cuisine, so the irresistible side dish is a natural fit for Chick-fil-A. The restaurant's recipe features three cheeses (cheddar, Romano, and parmesan), which undergo careful baking to develop a crispy top layer. Dubbed a 5-star fast-food mac and cheese on Reddit, this side is plenty satisfying on its own. However, using Chick-fil-A's mac and cheese in sandwich could make it even better.

The tip comes courtesy of the r/stonerfood subreddit, where users share enticing yet diabolical food combinations that could only spring from inebriated minds. In this case, one poster had the ingenious idea to top their Spicy Chicken Sandwich with a sizable scoop of mac and cheese. In awe of the magnificent creation, a commenter declared, "You evil stoned genius," while another advised, "Now dump a bunch of [Chick-fil-A] sauce on it." While we haven't had the good fortune of testing this tip for ourselves, we totally see why it works. The soft, gooey cheese would be a nice counterpoint to the crispiness of the chicken and should help tame the heat of the fillet.