Does Chick-Fil-A Use Real Eggs?

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Chick-fil-A has garnered a loyal following with the help of two simple principles: fast, friendly service and fresh ingredients. Not only does it serve hand-breaded, hormone free chicken breast meat, but its biscuits are handmade, and baked in-house, daily. The chain also embraces offerings like fresh-squeezed lemonade and fruit cups.

However, this franchise still falls under the umbrella of fast food, which — as the name implies — means customers will likely expect quick and efficient service. With speed being an important factor in addition to quality, it seems highly unlikely that a chain could make everything 100% fresh all day, every single day. Corners might need to be cut, so fans of Chick-fil-A's breakfast items may wonder whether the fast food chain doesn't serve real whole eggs.

The good news is that Chick-fil-A uses real eggs. However, it seems that both the whole eggs and whites the restaurant uses are fortified with additional fats, various flavorings, colorants, and stabilizers. This seems to indicate that the eggs aren't made fresh with every order, but rather mixed with preservatives so they can be made ahead and added to dishes assembly-line style to provide the fastest service.

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Learning there are additives in the egg products could make you think twice about ordering certain items from Chick-fil-A's breakfast menu. However, it could be helpful to learn about what those extra elements are. When it comes to offerings that use whole eggs as opposed to just egg whites, the additives include water, salt, butter flavoring (medium chain triglycerides, coconut oil, natural flavors), xanthan gum, citric acid, annatto, soybean oil, palm kernel oil, soy lecithin, natural flavor, and beta carotene. The same more or less goes for items containing egg whites. However, while the latter offerings may contain butter-flavored oil, you won't see the same level of coloring.

The taste of eggs can benefit from ingredients like salt and butter flavoring. Meanwhile, annatto and beta carotene are often used to give foods a lovely golden color. Ingredients like xanthan gum can enhance texture and keep foods fresher for longer. Although some people might express uncertainty about whether ingredients such as xanthan gum pose a health risk, the FDA deems them safe.