Fried chicken is taking over fast-food.
And as the ruler of the roost, Chick-fil-A is leading the charge. A recent Piper Jaffray survey found that the fried chicken chain has replaced Starbucks as the No. 1 spot on the list of teens' favorite restaurant.
While Chick-fil-A continues to expand from its southern stronghold into the Northeast and beyond, many diners unfamiliar with the storied chain will suddenly find themselves pausing at the counter or in the drive-thru line, wondering what to order.
Well have no fear, intrepid American Eaters. The Chick-fil-A Dining Guide is here.
We've rounded up the best of the menu here, so if you find yourselves bewildered by the jarring friendliness of a Chick-fil-A cashier, you can still order with confidence.
The illustrious, sophisticated, Chick-fil-A Dining Guide:
So, you're at Chick-fil-A. Good work! The chain launched an aggressive expansion plan in recent years, barreling into the New York City market and striking up the East Coast as well as into the Midwest.
The menu is essentially all chicken, so here's to hoping you realized that and are in fact in the mood for chicken.
There are several categories to cover: sandwiches, finger foods, breakfast, sides, and the "healthy" option.
Sandwich: the Chicken Sandwich.
You can't beat a classic. The original chicken sandwich is an easy choice — in its sheer simplicity lies its strength. This sandwich came second in our fried chicken sandwich smackdown, shut out of the top spot only by an intriguing addition from KFC.
The chicken breast is tender and juicy, and while it isn't outrageously crispy, the quality of it more than makes up for that. Only a handful of lively pickle slices garnish it, and that's all it needs — a slight acidic jolt to cut through the savory chicken and pillowy bun.
Finger food: the Chicken Nuggets.
This is another fairly obvious and entirely solid choice. The nuggets are definitely superior to the chicken strips, not in quality but in psychological experience. Chicken nuggets harken back to childhood (although yes, you should still eat them as an adult, clearly), and are more much more fun than the responsible and sensible strips. And more is always better than less, right?
Plus, they took the top spot in our fast-food chicken nugget roundup. The tender white meat chicken is very clearly real chicken, and easily the most identifiable as such compared to competitors. And the bevy of dipping sauces that accompanies these nuggets can cover just about any flavor craving.
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