If you've ever been curious why your car seems to steer itself into the Chick-fil-A parking
lot every time you drive by one, it's the chicken.
But while that's no mystery, you might be surprised at all the preparation and meticulous
execution that goes into the poultry.
This is exactly why that chicken tastes so darn good.
It doesn't take a food scientist to figure out that a good chicken sandwich starts with
a good piece of chicken.
While some fast food giants have come under fire for the chicken they use, Chick-fil-A
claims to use only the best chicken when creating its menu.
According to the company's website, they refuse to ever use chicken meat that's been ground
or separated, and all their chickens are raised cage-free and without any added steroids,
hormones, or antibiotics.
"So here is the chicken you'll be enjoying tonight.”
“You have this information, that's fantastic.”
“Absolutely.
His name was Colin."
Aside from that, Chick-fil-A chooses smaller chickens because they result in better tasting
and juicer meat.
According to David Farmer, Chick-fil-A's vice president of menu strategy and development,
Chick-fil-A's classic chicken sandwich is a thing of simplistic beauty.
It's a fried chicken cutlet with two pickles between two buttered buns.
That's it, plain and simple with no fancy secret sauce required.
One very important aspect that might seem like just a secondary add-on are those pickles.
A Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich without the pickles really isn't a true Chick-Fil-A sandwich.
The pickles are made from cucumbers that are pickled for three days before finally making
their way to the chicken sandwich and thereby zapping it with the perfect amount of salty,
briny flavor.
For years, the internet has speculated that Chick-fil-A actually marinates its raw chicken
in pickle juice before the breading process, although the company has never publicly confirmed
this.
This would make a lot of sense, though, because the salty pickle juice would result in a breakdown
of the chicken proteins and produce a juicer piece of meat.
One might think that any old grill would work fine when it comes to creating Chick-fil-A's
grilled chicken sandwich, but that's not the case.
Chick-fil-A wanted its chicken sandwich to taste like home grilled chicken, and there
simply wasn't a commercial grill on the market that could deliver that exact taste.
So the company poured $50 million into developing its own special grill.
"How would we make it make it taste and look like it was truly cooked on a backyard grill?"
Even for a business that revolves around chicken, this type of investment might seem a bit like
overkill.
But Chick-fil-A wanted to ensure the 2014 relaunch of its grilled chicken sandwich was
in a league of its own.
This $50 million grill is patented by the company and uses a hydraulic system to close
and lift the lid that covers the chicken ever so gently.
This ensures that it doesn't squeeze out all the juices from the breast meat while cooking.
Unlike a typical backyard grill, the Chick-fil-A grill cooks both sides of the chicken at once,
while still leaving those appetizing grill marks.
Chick-fil-A ensures that each chicken sandwich has the perfect amount of breading that doesn't
come sliding off the meat after a single bite.
After each piece of chicken is inspected to make sure it doesn't have any tears or glaring
imperfections, it's dipped in a milk and egg wash mixture with the larger end of the breast
going in first.
The chicken is then laid into a bin with a flour mixture and completely buried.
Then comes the hard part.
Employees are encouraged to get on their tiptoes and use their body weight to firmly knead
the breading mixture into the meat.
As Alexa Griffith of Chick-fil-A's corporate cuisine puts it,
Doing this to both sides of the chicken breast might be tiring, but it makes for a more evenly-coated
piece of breaded chicken that helps to create a crispy fried cutlet that can't be beat.
A good bun can really elevate an already well-made chicken sandwich, while a bad bun can prompt
diners to discard the bread altogether and opt for a knife and fork.
Unsurprisingly, Chick-fil-A doesn't mess around when it comes to its buns.
A small, metal contraption holding melted butter with a roller is used for buttering
up each bun before they hit the toaster.
The buns are swiped over the roller and then dropped in a preset toaster to deliver a light
toast on the buttered side.
Because the bun is pre-buttered before it goes into the toaster, it helps in creating
a delicious umami flavor in the bread that pairs well with the pickles and chicken.
Once the buns are buttered and toasted, and the pickles are added, the chicken cutlet
is placed on the bun so that the three corners of the fillet form a triangle over the sides
of the bun.
After all, nobody wants a lopsided chicken sandwich.
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