I tried Chick-fil-A’s UK menu before anyone else – its iconic fan favourite tastes better than McDonald’s and KFC

CHICK-FIL-A is set to open its first UK site in early 2025 – giving fried chicken lovers an iconic alternative to KFC.

Ahead of its high street launch, The Sun visited the company’s headquarters in Atlanta to find out what the fuss is all about.

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Here, we got a first bite of what is expected to be on the menu when the first store opens next year, followed by four in the following two years.

From the chain’s most popular menu item, the original Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, to nuggets and waffle fries, several signature items will be venturing across the pond.

The brand’s expansion into the UK will also bring tasty but unfamiliar options not commonly available in the UK, including savoury biscuits and ranch-flavoured dipping sauces.

Sun Money’s James Flanders is a sucker for fast food and can practically list his go-to order from McDonald’s to KFC in a heartbeat.

So Chick-fil-A had big boots to fill to win over his taste buds.

Here he takes a detailed look into what’s coming to shake up the UK’s fast food scene.

Main menu

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Chick-fil-A’s signature fan favourite – the Original Chicken Sandwich – reinvents what I would usually be used to when opting for a fast food main – and it’s coming to UK menus.

The original chicken Chick-fil-A sandwich contains a freshly breaded boneless breast of chicken, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil and served on a toasted bun with dill pickle chips.

In fact, all of the items cooked in the chain’s fryers are done so in refined peanut oil – but don’t panic if you are allergic to nuts.

The peanut oil is refined, bleached and deodorized, which means the proteins which can trigger a reaction, are stripped out during the processing.

Returning to the original sandwich – well it’s a really simple composition of items.

Still, everything about this sandwich is delicious, and its flavour, I’d argue, is unparalleled if compared to similar items available at McDonald’s or KFC.

What I loved about taking a bite was realising how fresh and unprocessed the chicken breast meat was.

Unlike chicken patties from other fast food chains, the meat at Chick-fil-A seemed to break away just like it would if you were cooking your own chicken breast at home.

Knowing it isn’t ultra-processed makes the whole sandwich taste even better.

On our whirlwind tour of the chain’s headquarters, I watched a cook prepare the chicken breasts by hand.

What I found most interesting was the fact that the chain refuses to cook large batches of the meat ahead of time.

This ensures that no hot item is left under the heat lamps for longer than 20 minutes.

For those looking for a bigger burger, the deluxe sandwich adds cheese, lettuce and sliced tomatoes into the mix.

Other staple items on the main menu include the breaded nuggets and grilled nuggets – without the breading which are perfect for those who can’t eat gluten.

I have to say, while I love the deep fried nuggets – the grilled ones act as a healthier addition without the loss of great flavour.

The spicy deluxe sandwich is also poised to hit UK menus in 2025.

It features a chicken breast seasoned to the brim with a spicy blend of peppers.

In my opinion, this burger will compete well with McDonald’s McSpicy alternative but with a cooler and more subtle kick.

Breakfast menu

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The breakfast menu is where Chick-fil-A’s options differ slightly from what we’re normally used to over here.

Muffins are available, but “biscuits” are the fan favourite at breakfast time.

In fact, this is where the chicken biscuit comes into play.

It contains a seasoned chicken breast served on a buttermilk biscuit baked fresh in the restaurant.

I wasn’t overly keen on the look of this as I’m used to biscuits being something you have with a cup of tea, and not as a savoury breakfast item.

But US biscuits are reminiscent of the wonderful British scone – albeit less dense and crumbly.

I’m not a huge lover of savoury scones and prefer mine with clotted cream and jam, but something about this breakfast item just made it taste great – it was probably the boneless chicken breast in the middle.

If you want a protein kick but can’t stomach a whole sandwich, then Chick-fil-A’s chick-n-minis might be a better option.

These feature deep-fried nuggets nestled in warm, mini yeast rolls lightly brushed with a honey butter spread.

However, the breakfast item that blew me away was the fast food chain’s hash browns.

I’m a sucker for bite-sized hash browns, and right now, only Burger King delivers on this promise in the UK.

McDonald’s hash browns are tasty but not bite size and I honestly believe they’re tastier when served in smaller individual portions.

Salads and sides

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You might be thinking, why would I go to a fast food chain for their salads?

Well, before visiting Chick-fil-A’s HQ, I wouldn’t have.

It’s common to see videos of chopped, prewashed bagged salads being dumped in vats to be prepared for customers at other fast food chains.

But I was shocked to learn that every salad is hand-prepared in-store and customisable at Chick-fil-A.

I watched a chef take a whole romaine lettuce, hand peel it, wash it and chop it to prepare the chain’s signature Cobb salad.

The salad contains mixed greens, topped with roasted corn kernels, a blend of shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, crumbled bacon, sliced hard-boiled egg and grape tomatoes, and customers have the option of added chicken nuggets or grilled chicken throughout it.

It was tasty and great that you could customise it so freely.

And if you’re a lover of dressings, Chick-fil-A offers so many combinations, from herb ranch to honey mustard, but I especially loved the avocado ranch dressing.

Other popular sides include the kale crunch salad and mac and cheese.

But the absolute staple has got to be the chain’s waffle fries.

I must admit I’m a massive McDonald’s french fry lover, but the only thing letting conventional-shaped fries down is the ability to latch onto dipping sauces.

But because Chick-fil-A’s fries are waffle-shaped, every dunk of that dip stays put on the chip.

Like McDonald’s, the fast food chain offers a variety of great dipping sauces, from BBQ to honey mustard and spice sriracha.

But the Chick-fil-A’s original sauce is a winner for me – it’s creamy, smokey and tangy and is said to contain hints of ranch, mustard and BBQ saucer.

Drinks and snacks

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Chick-fil-A is famed for its lemonades offered in regular, diet and strawberry varieties.

The original drinks recipe contains just three ingredients – freshly squeezed lemon juice (with the pulp), pure cane sugar and water and it’ll be making its way across the pond next year.

Unlike the lemonade we’re used to, Chick-fil-A’s take is simple and old school as the drink goes completely un-carbonated.

Those who need a caffeine boost can get it from the chain’s “Sunjoy” iced teas, which contain half a portion of lemonade and iced tea – not my favourite combination, but I’m sure some will love it.

The chain also sells milkshakes containing a large pump of Icedream (Chick-fil-A’s take on a creamy vanilla ice cream), strawberry syrup, whipped cream and finished with a glace cherry.

I was allowed to attempt to make my own strawberry milkshake the Chick-fil-A way at the company’s HQ – and while it wasn’t my best work, it was tasty.

Freshly baked cookies and brownies are on the menu for those with a sweet tooth, too.

Can we expect anything unique?

Chick-fil-A’s new UK bosses remained tight-lipped when we asked for a full breakdown of all the items expected to come across the pond.

But they did hint that certain items not available in the US could be introduced to better suit the tastes of the UK market.

This could include new vegetarian sandwiches to help ensure that the firm can effectively compete with the likes of McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King, who all offer vegetarian and vegan options.

The fast-food giant did tell The Sun that all meat served over here will be sourced locally from the UK and Ireland.

The same goes for eggs, which it has committed to sourcing cage-free.

For now, eager fans on the chain will need to hold tight to find out exactly what’ll be served in its UK restaurants.

Check out what we learnt from our exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Chick-fil-A’s top secret US headquarters.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk