What is chick fil a chicken made of

Updated November 2022! Chick-fil-A is an American fast food chain that specializes in chicken sandwiches, but oddly enough, their most popular menu item is their waffle fries, which happen to be dairy free! They actually have a good handful of other dairy-free menu items, and are more allergy-friendly than similar chains, which you can see below. Please note that for religious reasons, all Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays and on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Alert: As of October 28 2022, Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken and Grilled Chicken Nuggets will once again be dairy-free by ingredients. The formula was accidentally changed in August to contain milk, but the company has resolved the issue.

Chick-fil-A Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Allergen Notes & Vegan Options

This menu guide includes dairy-free menu options first, followed by custom order components. Be aware of special order requirements in parentheses () next to the menu items, and see the Heads Up notes to help fill in the blanks.

Other Allergen & Dietary Notes: Chick-fil-A does not currently use peanuts in any menu items, but see the fryer note below. We have noted which items contain eggs, tree nuts, or soy, and which items are identified as gluten-free, per Chick-fil-A’s gluten-free menu. Please note that items made with highly refined soy are not called out by the company, as it is not considered an allergen by the FDA. For vegan options, see the Vegan Menu Guide at the bottom of this post.

Fryer Note: According to Samantha, a Chick-fil-A corporate employee, “the fryers used for chicken are only used for chicken meaning that the fries and hashbrowns are cooked separately from dairy containing products.” But dedicated fryers don’t seem to be the case at every Chick-fil-A location. Check at your restaurant if this is a concern for you. Chick-fil-A uses peanut oil for frying their chicken, and canola oil for the fries, when separate fryers are used.

Butter Note: According to Chick-fil-A, the “butter oil” and “natural butter type flavor” used to cook the eggs and butter the buns are dairy-free. They stated that the natural flavors in each do not contain milk.

Breakfast

• English Muffin
• Fruit Cup (gluten-free) 
• Hashbrowns (gluten-free)
• Egg White Grill (no cheese)
• Bacon Egg Muffin (no cheese)
• Sausage Egg Muffin (no cheese)
• Hash Brown Scramble Bowl with Grilled Filet or Sausage (no cheese) (gluten-free; contains egg)
• Hash Brown Scramble Burrito with Grilled Filet or Sausage (no cheese) (contains egg)

Heads Up! The Chick-n-Minis cannot be ordered dairy-free. The Biscuits and Breaded Chicken at Chick-fil-A do contain milk. The Burritos often default to the breaded nuggets when ordering, so make sure you select the grilled filet or sausage option.

Chicken

• Grilled Chicken Sandwich (choose egg-free sauce from list below for no egg)
• Grilled Nuggets (gluten-free) 
• Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich (no cheese) (choose egg-free sauce from list below for no egg)
• Grilled Cool Wrap (no cheese; sub dairy-free sauce) (choose egg-free sauce from list below for no egg)

Heads Up! All Breaded Chicken at Chick-fil-A contains milk, including the classic Filet, Spicy Filet, Nuggets, and Chick-n-Strips.

Grilled Chicken Update from Chick-fil-A: This is an official statement sent to us from the company management for us to formally announce: “We can now confirm that the dairy ingredient will be fully removed from both the Grilled Filets and the Grilled Nuggets starting Friday, October 28th [2022]. Food safety and quality are our top priorities, and we take great care in adhering to stringent food safety procedures. The supplier has implemented corrective actions to ensure this does not happen again. We take seriously the trust our Guests place in us to make sure their food is how they expect it, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.”

Salads

• Cobb Salad with Grilled Filet or Grilled Nuggets (no cheese; sub dairy-free dressing) (gluten-free; contains egg)
• Market Salad with Grilled Filet or Grilled Nuggets (no cheese) (gluten-free; contains nuts) 
• Southwest Salad with Grilled Filet or Grilled Nuggets (no cheese, no tortilla strips) (gluten-free) 
• Side Salad (no cheese; sub dairy-free dressing) (gluten-free)

Dairy-Free Salad Dressings (all gluten-free): Creamy Salsa (contains egg), Fat Free Honey Mustard, Light Balsamic Vinaigrette, Light Italian, Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Heads Up! The salads often default to the Spicy Grilled Chicken Filet when ordering, which contains milk. Be sure to select the non-spicy grilled chicken options. To clarify, the Seasoned Tortilla Chips contain lactose (milk), but the Harvest Nut Granola, Roasted Nut Blend, and Chili-Lime Pepitas are reportedly made without milk. Their allergen guide is incorrect in some spots – obviously, the Lemon Parmesan Panko contains milk (it’s listed as dairy-free).

Kids

• Grilled Nuggets Kids Meal with dairy-free sides and drink (gluten-free) 

Heads Up! The breaded nuggets and strips at Chick-fil-A do contain milk. When ordering, the menu defaults to milk for the beverage. Make sure to edit it and select a dairy-free drink. Their surprises and sides do include a couple dairy options. Use the lists below for selecting sauces and sides.

Sides

• Buddy’s Apple Sauce
• Fruit Cup (gluten-free)
• Kale Crunch Side (contains nuts; gluten-free)
• Waffle Potato Chips (gluten-free) 
• Waffle Potato Fries (gluten-free) 
• Side Salad (no cheese) (gluten-free)

Heads Up! The Chicken Noodle and Chicken Tortilla Soups at Chick-fil-A do contain milk.

Dipping Sauces

• Barbecue (gluten-free)
• Chick-fil-A (contains egg; gluten-free)
• Cilantro Lime Sauce (contains egg; gluten-free)
• Honey Mustard (gluten-free)
• Honey Roasted BBQ (contains egg; gluten-free)
• Polynesian (gluten-free)
• Sweet & Spicy Sriracha (contains soy)

Heads Up! The Zesty Buffalo Sauce and all Ranch Sauces and Dressings at Chick-fil-A contain milk.

Bread

• English Muffin
• Flaxseed Flatbread
• Flour Tortilla
• Gluten-Free Bun (contains egg – see note below)
• Multigrain Brioche Bun
• White Bun

Heads Up! The Biscuit at Chick-fil-A does contain milk. The “butter” used on some of the buns does not contain dairy, as noted above. It looks like Chick-fil-A has brought their gluten-free bun back, at least at select locations. It was previously made without dairy, nuts, and soy. We are confirming if it is still the same.

Treats

Heads Up! All sweets at Chick-fil-A contain milk, including the Frosted Lemonade, Frosted Coffee, and baked goods.

Chick-fil-A Vegan Menu Guide

• Cool Wrap (no chicken, no cheese; sub vegan dressing and request vegetable/bean filling)
• Market Salad (no chicken, no cheese, no granola; sub vegan dressing)
• Southwest Salad (no chicken, no cheese, no tortilla strips; sub vegan dressing)
• Side Salad (no cheese)
• Light Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Light Italian
• Buddy’s Apple Sauce
• Kale Crunch Side
• Waffle Potato Chips
• Waffle Potato Fries
• Barbecue Dipping Sauce
• Polynesian Dipping Sauce
• Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Dipping Sauce
• Fruit Cup
• Hashbrowns
• English Muffin
• Flaxseed Flatbread
• Flour Tortilla
• Multigrain Brioche Bun
• White Bun

Heads Up! The vegan menu suggestions on the Chick-fil-A website are a little dated. The Zesty Apple Cider Vinaigrette and the Harvest Nut Granola on the Market Salad contain honey. The stripped down vegan version (as listed above) has lettuce, fruits, and almonds. Also, the Southwest Salad need to be ordered as listed above to be vegan-friendly.

This Post is for Informational Purposes Only

Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.

There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.

Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.

Where to Find Chick-fil-A

There are over 2500 Chick-fil-A locations in the U.S. See their website below for addresses, hours, and online ordering.

Website: www.chick-fil-a.com

Average Reader Review

4.6

4.6 out of 5 stars (based on 8 reviews)

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Rate Your Dairy-Free Experience with this Restaurant

What Others Are Saying ...

Kept me alive through COVID!

May 15, 2022

Literally the chicken kept me fed when I was sick with COVID! My daughter stopped by after taking me to be tested… I got like a 15piece box. I limited myself to 3-4 per day.

Very Accomodating

January 1, 2022

Chick-fil-A has the capability to print out the ingredients of any menu item at the tap of a button on their registers upon your request. So easy to find hidden allergens if you forget. Never had anyone be rude or mean about anything nor felt unaccomadated.

Thaddeus Skaarbrevik

Chick Fil a sandwich?

December 20, 2021

I thought the fried chick fil a sandwich was dairy free if you asked for no butter on the bun…have you/they recently updated this ?

Michael

Response from Go Dairy Free

Hi Michael, no it hasn’t changed. The fried filet has contained milk for quite some time and still does. The “butter” on bun is actually dairy-free margarine.

chick fil a

October 7, 2020

NO

not the experience at the one I went to

January 22, 2020

I have a verified allergy and they let things touch. Not comfortable ordering food at the one near me. (they also don’t advertise as being an allergy friend location either, I assume its also a shared fryer.)

Salads were also not highlighted on the menu when I went last year, the only option I saw that looked safe were these grilled chicken nugget things. I think the menus may be regional, some staff get trained on food allergies here (like starbucks and applebees) and some are not (johnny rockets). I’m also in a area that’s denied me service (even when there’s salad on the menu) because they weren’t comfortable with dealing with even low level food allergies. (I did not wait in line at chick fil a to find this out, that was another local restaurant so they may have someone willing to make it special in the back) Its just easier and less scary and embarrassing to go to a place with an allergen menu. 🙁

Liz

So far so good

January 22, 2020

TK

Favorite Fast Food Restaurant

January 21, 2020

Chick fil a is my family’s favorite fast food restaurant. They handle food allergies very well. We have never had a cross-contamination issue, and we have eaten at several Chick fil as across the country. We especially enjoy the grilled chicken nuggets. They are very flavorful and tender. And of course we love the waffle fries and fresh lemonade. Last time we went there, I tried their new kale crunch salad that replaced the superfood salad. It’s very good, kind of like a kale coleslaw, and it’s dairy free.

Sarah Hatfield

Helped me so much

January 8, 2020

saved me from ordering a few things

margaret

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