Peruse the Chick-fil-A menu, and you’ll find the usual suspects: chicken nuggets, waffle fries, shakes, and, of course, the beloved chicken sandwich. While you may notice newer additions like the Spicy Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich, which launches on Aug. 26, there are some eye-catching items you can enjoy that aren’t even listed on the standardized menu. Enter: the secret menu.
For the uninitiated, the “secret” menu items are food and beverage customizations made with the ingredients already available at fast-food chains. Many call these “hacks.” In-N-Out has the Flying Dutchman burger. Taco Bell has the Incredible Hulk burrito. And Chick-fil-A has plenty of innovative, under-the-radar options of its own.
If you would like to change up your usual Chick-fil-A order or are just curious about how you can get creative at the fast-food chain, there is a wide variety of secret menu options you’ll want to keep on your radar. Eat This, Not That! even tried some of them back in 2021. From elevated mac and cheese to dessert mashups, here are 10 intriguing secret menu options you can enjoy at Chick-fil-A in 2024.
1. Root Beer Float
Ah, the classic American treat. If you find yourself craving this creamy, fizzy frosted drink, you can order a root beer with vanilla soft serve mixed in. Or, you can ask for the two items separately and create this iconic beverage yourself. Happy sipping!
2. Spicy Char
You may have already heard of this spicy sandwich since it’s been dubbed one of Chick-fil-A’s most famous secret menu items, according to HackTheMenu. Luckily, this modified sandwich requires no assembling on your end. To order this, ask for a chicken sandwich with spicy chargrilled chicken instead of the standard grilled option.
3. Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
If you’d like to add a kick to your mac and cheese, consider this Chick-fil-A hack, which the chain even shares on its website, referring to it as an “Underground Delight.” To make this loaded mac, order crispy or grilled nuggets, mac and cheese, Chick-fil-A’s Zesty Buffalo Sauce, and Garden Herb Ranch Sauce. Cut up the nuggets, add them to the mac and cheese, and drizzle both sauces to create this “secret” spicy dish that customers across the internet have replicated.
4. Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
While Chick-fil-A does offer its beloved Spicy Chicken Sandwich, this doesn’t feature the iconic zesty flavor that Buffalo sauce fans know and love. Lucky for customers, this flavor can be added with one easy tweak. To enjoy a Buffalo chicken sandwich, you can ask for the sauce on your chicken sandwich. Or, you can DIY this by pouring the chain’s Buffalo sauce over your sandwich, which you can, of course, do with any of Chick-fil-A’s other chicken offerings.
5. Viral “Bowl” Hack/Nachos
Last year, one Chick-fil-A menu hack went viral after a TikTok user, who appears to be a Chick-fil-A employee, shared a video of herself combining waffle fries, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and Chick-fil-A’s Garden Herb Ranch and Honey Roasted BBQ sauces in a salad container. The video has since amassed 3.9 million views and prompted countless Chick-fil-A fans to try out this hack themselves.
Later in the year, former Bachelor star Matt James shared a similar ingredient combination known as “Chick-fil-A Nachos.” To assemble this monstrosity of a dish, you can start by pouring your fries into a bowl, though the chain’s salad container appears to be the optimal vessel. Then, cut up a spicy chicken filet, place it back in its bag, and cover it with ranch, honey mustard, and barbecue sauces. Shake the bag to distribute the sauces, and pour the upgraded chicken and mac and cheese onto your fries. Give them a good shake up to complete this mashup meal.
6. Double Cookie Milkshake
What’s better than one dessert? Two desserts in one, of course. This hybrid dessert option is a simple hack that involves ordering Chick-fil-A’s Cookies & Cream Milkshake, which comes topped with whipped cream and a cherry, and a Chocolate Chunk Cookie. Just break apart the cookie, which features both semisweet and milk chocolate chunks, as well as oats, and crumble it into your milkshake.
7. IceDream Sandwich
Another way you can reimagine Chick-fil-A’s iconic chocolate chunk cookie is by turning it into an ice cream sandwich. Just ask for two chocolate chunk cookies and a cup of the chain’s IceDream—aka vanilla soft serve—and assemble your sweet treat. For some additional sweetness and crunch, you can request cookie crumbles on top of your soft serve, as recommended by Matt James. You can do the same with the chain’s chocolate fudge brownies for an even more chocolaty option.
8. Fried Chicken Club
This secret menu item only requires one modification. Just order Chick-fil-A’s Grilled Chicken Club with a piece of the chain’s fried chicken instead. The rest of the sandwich will stay the same and include a brioche bun stacked with Colby Jack cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, green leaf lettuce, and tomato. As noted on the Chick-fil-A website, this pairs well with honey-roasted barbecue sauce, though, as fans will attest, the flavor and ingredient pairings are truly endless.
9. Chick-n-Minis Masterpiece
Chick-fil-A’s breakfast menu includes the chain’s popular Chick-n-Minis, which are small sandwiches that feature bite-sized Chick-fil-A nuggets and a honey butter spread. To elevate this menu item, you can top it with additional sides like hash browns and your favorite sauce, such as hot sauce, as one TikTok user recommended.
10. Unwich
In-N-Out customers call this “Protein Style,” but Chick-fil-A fans know this as the “Unwich.” For those seeking an option that’s lower in carbs, this secret menu item swaps out Chick-fil-A’s bun for a piece of lettuce, which you can wrap around any sandwich.
