Chicken on Fire – Chick-fil-A Spicy Chicken Review
By Jesse | July 31, 2010
While on my vacation in Colorado a few weeks back, I spotted a Chick-fil-A sign driving in from the airport. Living in a Chick-fil-A free zone, I make an effort to visit one whenever I get a chance. Later that day I made my way back to the beckoning sign.
This Chick-fil-A was packed even in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. The counter was staffed by a gaggle of teenagers off for the summer. I ordered the newish Spicy Chicken sandwich, since I previously have only had their standard chicken sandwich. I got the “deluxe” version with lettuce, tomatoes and pepper jack cheese. I also ordered a side of waffle fries.
One of my favorite things about Chick-fil-A is the variety of sauces. I picked up the Buttermilk Ranch and their Polynesian sauce along with a bunch of hot sauce.
The sandwich was nicely constructed and had actually been put together with some care. It had a mildly spicy flavor that was well complimented by the pepper jack cheese, lettuce, and tomato, all of which was fresh. The ranch sauce better complimented the sandwich than the polypensian.
I’m always really impressed at the quality of the chicken at Chick-fil-A. The sandwich was a step above your typical fast food chicken sandwiches. It actually tasted like real fried chicken. It’s reminiscent of one of my favorite late night food stops in college, Jin’s Chicken “stand” on Langdon street in Madison.
I like waffle fries, but I’m not crazy about Chick-fil-A’s. They are really pretty standard and don’t deserve the hype.
After digging through my tray of food, I was still hungry. After some texting debate with a southern friend and my resident “Chick-fil-A” expert, I decided to go with a chocolate shake. They served this up with all the fixings including whip cream and a candied cherry on top.
The shake was better than your average fast food shake, it crushed anything I’ve ever had from the Golden Arches.
Nutrition
Nutrionally my meal is a mess. While Chick-fil-A is often lauded as a healthy fast food option, my meal was anything but. See the breakdown below:
Spicy Chicken Deluxe Sandwich – 580 calories, 27 grams of fat, and 1,880 mg of sodium. That’s 78% of my daily sodium intake just on the sandwich alone.
Waffle Fries – 380 calories, 21 grams of fat, and 190 mg of sodium.
Chocolate Shake – 600 calories, 23 grams of fat, 410 mg of sodium.
Using Chick-fil-A’s handy meal calculator on their website, my lunch, including condiments and sauces, totaled a whopping 1,620 calories, 75 grams of fat, and 2,380 grams of sodium.. Wow.
In spite of the calorie, fat, and sodium bomb that I administered to my body, I really, really enjoyed my visit to Chick-fil-A. Service was friendly, the food was great (at least it tasted great) and overall made for a fun and satisfying visit.
Subscribe to Fast Food Reviewed
August 22nd, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Hi Jesse! I’m wondering if you dressed like a cow on your visit. Because you know you could’ve gotten that free chicken and maybe even doubled your whopping 1620 calorie count in one sitting. Loved it!
August 22nd, 2010 at 2:34 pm
No cow outfit for me. I don’t think I could have handled doubling that order.
I did listen to a This American Life episode about people that drive around the country to Chick-fil-A openings. Weird. Some people have strange hobbies…like writing blogs about fast food.
August 23rd, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I love Chick-fil-A. Easily the best fast food joint of them all. Despite that, I have yet to try the new spicy chicken sandwich. I guess I’m just a creature of habit. I always get their original chicken sandwich, and have always added ketchup and Texas Pete to them since I was kid(back when they could only be found in shopping malls). Texas Pete and ketchup are a match made in condiment heaven and they go really well with Chick-fil-A chicken. Being that I’ve always used that combination, my Chick-fil-A experience has always involved spicy flavored chicken.
…and dear God!! Ranch sauce or any form of a mayo based condiment on Chick-fil-A chicken, is an abomination.