Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich Open Comment Thread

Had one Friday. I was mostly paying attention to the heat factor, and then I realized that the normal glorious chicken sandwich flava we all know and love was totally covered by the heat (of which they totally got the right amount). Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwich definitely has a good flavor to it, so I’m thinking I need to get the next one similarly equipped with lettuce tomato and mayo to do an honest comparison. Also maybe just paying more attention to the flavor and less to the heat I would have picked up the original taste as well. Either way, an excuse to get another one soon!

will def go this week.

I’ll probably adopt the “double blind” method, since I have double blinds in my kitchen.

Materials: 1 Regular Chik-Fil-A Sandwich (control)
                    1 Chik-Fil-A Spicy Sandwich (variable)
                    1 Regular Chik-Fil-A Sandwich (independent variable…I’m going to eat this
                       sandwich independent of what happens to the control/variable…you can
                       never be too sure.)

• Proposed question or project : Is the new Chik-Fil-A Spicy Sandwich really spicy compared to a regular Chik-Fil-A Sandwich?
• Hypothesis: If I consume a Regular Chik-Fil-A, and then consume a Spicy-Chik-Fil (not necessarily in that order), will I be happy?
• Materials: A napkin, A 32 ounce paper-wax laminate vessel containing a high-fructose corn syrup dark cola, extra ketchup, flexible plastic disposable drinking tube, Tums.
• Observations: TBA
• Results: TBA
• Conclusions: TBA

Science: It’s what’s for dinner.

Every time I walk into a Chick-fil-a I feel like I’m walking into another dimension where working at a fast food restaurant is the best job there is – and I want to be part of it. The employees are so nice it’s as if I’m the star of my own Truman Show.

Case in point: I went in without a scheduled appointment, but asked the guy taking my order if I could still get a spicy chicken sandwich. Not only only did I get one, but it was still free (thanks, guy who missed your appointment earlier in the day)! Top that off with some freshly squeezed lemonade, and it’s hard to beat.

True to form, I did not heed the words of others, and got my sandwich without lettuce and tomato when I got my spicy preview on Saturday. I had a good reason, since I wanted to test the taste of the “straight sandwich” against the regular Chick-Fil-A sandwich, which I also normally eat “straight” (i.e. without any acoutrements other than the standard 2 pickles).

Personally, I found that on the straight sandwich, the spiciness overrode virtually all other flavors, and I was left with a spicy piece of cooked chicken inside a bun that had none of the flavor complexity that a regular Chick-Fil-A has. When I got to the bites that included pickle, I found that the flavor was pleasantly changed, which leads me to believe that other additions might help, as well.

As with DavetheDawg, I plan to conduct more butter experiments. I think the lettuce and tomato will significantly cut into the heat ratio, which I believe will help to bring the multiple flavors back out. I don’t think pepperjack cheese will help, since a) cheese covers other flavors instead of highlighting them, and b) pepperjack cheese would add spiciness, not subtract it. Another suggestion for cutting the heat is to get coleslaw instead of french fries… the carb level in the slaw’s dressing will cool your tongue much more effectively than any (non-dairy-based) drink could.

One devious, masterful stroke that I had not considered is the addition of bacon. Since I hold firm to the maxim that bacony bacon makes every bite (of everything) better, I hypothesize that this could be the move that causes the Spicy Chicken Sandwich to reach its full potential. Though, if that is the case, would we not essentially then have a BLT on a bun with a piece of spicy chicken in the middle?

I might just go back to my regular Chick-Fil-A. Plain… simple… delicious.

that’s how important it was to me not to miss the appointment. Mrs. marktheshark made fun of me for having a reservation to go to Chick-fil-a for a free sandwich, but when I told her how delicious it was, I sensed a bit of remorse on her part. She wouldn’t admit it to me, and I wasn’t going to press her on the issue, but the remorse was there.

Normally, when I go to Chick-fil-a, I always get a Club sandwich with the meat switched, from the chargrilled to the fried chicken. I prefer the fried chicken many times over the chargrilled chicken and I also enjoy the proper and tasteful additions of tomatoes, cheese, and bacon as well as the wheat bun (this is why you don’t ask for a regular sandwich with the club ingredients. If you do that, you’ll miss out on the wheat bun). Finally, the benefit of getting a custom made sandwich at any fast food restaurant is that it will be made fresh. The normal club sandwich most likely won’t have melted cheese and the bacon will be slightly chewy. More often than not, my sandwich has melted provolone cheese and crispy bacon. Take note folks, once you have a Chick-fil-A club sandwich as I have described, you’ll never switch it up. Until…

they introduced the word spicy. When I was in Junior High School, I owned a pair of Adidias Samba Super Suedes. A guy asked me what the difference between my shoes and the regular Adidias Sambas. I replied, “the words: Super Suede.” The truth was there was many more differences between the two shoes less subtle than the name, and the same goes for the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. Yes, they put the word Spicy in there, but they put a while lot more in too. And it was DELICIOUS!

Normally, I eat my converted club with Mayo and the roasted BBQ sauce. I had no reason to venture from this norm with my Spicy sandwich, until (drum roll please…) they offered me a side of ranch. At first, I thought, "Could the ‘spicy’ part of “Spicy Chicken Sandwich’ simply be buffalo sauce?” It was not, and that’s a good thing because 1. I could easily ask for a packet of buffalo sauce and pour it on a regular sandwich myself and 2. it would be just plan lazy on their part. I’m glad they didn’t do that. I was torn as to which way I should eat it, so I deferred to their recommendation of ranch dressing on the basis that I could switch to my normal method if that didn’t work out. I ended up finishing the sandwich using the ranch dressing and the packets of Mayo and Honey Roasted BBQ Sauce are still sitting next to my keyboard. This is a testament to Chick-fil-A’s genius sandwich design. The lesson: if they give it to you with ranch, eat it with ranch.

I have seen a few references to pepper jack cheese here and elsewhere. When I ordered my sandwich, I was not aware that pepper jack was an option. I got provolone because that’s what I always got on my sandwich. I think vineyarddawg makes an excellent point about flavor contrast, so I will steer clear of the pepper jack cheese.

All in all, I think Chick-fil-A knocked one out of the park with their new sandwich. My only complaint would be, “What took you so long?”

we don’t have a Chick Fil A. But I can say, as a proud southerner, I love um like anyone else. Part of their success is that they keep their menu simple and fixed; I think adding the spicy samich is a good idea at this point and I would expect them not to make major changes to their menu for quite some time.

I like some spicy myself – but reading the descriptions, this samich sounds very spicy – so I am not sure I would like it. I prefer more of a tangy spice; my favorite hot sauce is Crystal Hot Sauce as it has more tangy to it that pure heat. Usually fast food restaurants that make a spicy samich go the peppery route, which I don’t prefer.

I look forward to trying one out next time I am in Dixie.

Try the spicy sandwich with a side of buffalo sauce for dipping. I wish I’d thought of ranch like mark said, but I’ll definitely try that next time along with the buffalo sauce.

Best sandwich available for under three bones, no doubt.

I ordered it just like a regular Chick-fil-A sandwich, with the bun and the pickles, and that was it. It was spicier than I anticipated.

Today, when I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich for lunch, I ordered it with lettuce and tomato. That simple addition improved the experience immensely, cutting the spiciness just enough to make it flavorful rather than overpowering.

I may try the ranch dressing next time, but I was very pleased with the spicy chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato. I highly recommend it.

…but I ate the second half of mine with Polynesian sauce. Sweet and spicy. It was pretty awesome.

well, it turns out there is a Chick Fil A in the ICT (thats wichita). The reason I didnt know is it is on campus at WSU (thats wichita state university, home of the Shockers). When I say on campus – I mean it. I still dont exactly where it is.

so I could get a free spicy sandwich five minutes from my apartment any day of the week. I’ve tried multiple free ones, and they are best with the pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing. The ranch gives it just enough of a cool flavor to let you appreciate the spicy of the chicken and pepper jack without being overwhelmed.

I tried the KFC Double Down sandwich last Wednesday and today I waited for 25 minutes at the Chick Fil A on North Druid Hills Road to ensure that I got the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. I’d previously had this sandwich last summer when I was in Baltimore where they test marketed it and I thought it was amazing then. They definitely made some tweaks to ensure that the sandwich is a slow burn rather than just jumping out at you. I got mine just on the bun with pickles and it was fantastic. I will likely get the next one with lettuce and tomato to see if that enhances the experience.

It was strictly no frills: just the bun, the pickles, and the spicy boneless breast of chicken.

Yesterday, I had a spicy chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato. It improved the experience immensely.

Today, I went with the deluxe: spicy chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and provolone cheese on a wheat bun, with lemonade to drink. I liked it, but I can’t decide whether I liked it better than yesterday’s. I definitely recommend having the spicy chicken sandwich with lemonade rather than with a carbonated drink, though.

Next time, I may go with cole slaw as my side item rather than waffle fries, though.

Loved the new spicy chicken sandwich. I had the deluxe, sans cheese with waffle fries and sweet tea. I found it spicy and wonderful and not to much. My dear colleague had the spicy with pepperjack and found it not spicy enough, so she added hot sauce. She’s also 90 lbs soaking wet and eats wasabi peas as a snack. It’s hard to get anything “too spicy” for her.