The $50 Million Invention Behind Chick-Fil-A's Signature Chicken

Sam Skopp/Mashed

While Chick-fil-A's superior fried chicken sandwich may be its most popular offering, the chain also features several grilled items on its menu. The first grilled chicken option debuted back in 1989, but it took the restaurant much longer to perfect the process. In 2014, Chick-fil-A announced the release of three upgraded grilled items, the product of a $50 million research and development project that took seven years to complete. These revamped entrees included the Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich, and Grilled Nuggets, which all became permanent menu fixtures (alongside grilled chicken wraps and salads). 

A major part of the process was the creation of a proprietary grill that could replicate the flavor of charbroiled chicken in a speedy fast-food environment. Chick-fil-A collaborated with Garland Grills, a major manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment, to create a two-sided cast-iron grill with grates similar to what you find on backyard beauties (aka kettle grills). Before cooking, the chicken was prepped in a simple marinade containing herbs, garlic, sea salt, and lemon, which was one of the more than 1,200 recipes the restaurant tested. 

Chick-fil-A's costly proprietary grill isn't the first time the restaurant experimented with kitchen appliances. Founder S. Truett Cathy commissioned a specialty pressure fryer (based on his mother's cooking method), which makes all the difference when cooking the chain's crispy nuggets and other fried entrees. While the original fried chicken is a resounding success at the chain, we have to wonder whether the money was as well-spent on the restaurant's grilled chicken upgrades. 

First, the (sort-of) good: Chick-fil-A's grilled options have fewer calories than the fried items, which means they may be a better choice for people with certain dietary restrictions. When it comes to flavor, however, we found the chain's Grilled Chicken Sandwich to be sorely lacking. Our reviewer disliked just about every aspect of this item, from the too-sweet taste to the moisture-deficient chicken fillet. And on Reddit, there were complaints about poor texture and flavor, with one commenter admitting, "I feel like the old chicken was definitely more spot on." While we can't necessarily confirm that, the nuggets and club sandwich seem to be the tastiest options where Chick-fil-A's grilled items are concerned.