[blog] My Chick Fil A Sauce Story

[Sean Malone]

As a long time resident of the small town of Fredericksburg Virginia (self titled “the most historic town in America” due to its Revolutionary and Civil War events), nestled half way between Washington DC and Richmond, and a frequent patron of the fast food chain of Chick Fil A, I knew first hand for many years about ‘the sauce’. It started at the mall in the food court, the manager of the walk up Chick Fil A decided to experiment with creating a sauce that would compliment their chicken sandwiches. Served out of a large coffee urn this sauce soon became well known for those who frequented the store. It wasn’t uncommon to stand in a line for your turn to fill the little cups of the mild, but some how the perfectly compliment to the rather bland sandwich ( smoky bacon honey mustard). I often waited in line as people filled a dozen little cups with the savory sauce as people used them on their fries also.

Due to it’s popularity the sauce quickly migrated to all of the other Chick Fil A stores throughout Fred’burg (as it is known locally), and became the standard condiment for the majority of patrons.
The years went by however and the sauce never made it outside of Fred’burg. I would go to lunch with co-workers in the DC area and tell them of this mysterious homebrewed condiment only to receive blank stares. “You just don’t know what you’re missing!” I would exasperatingly exclaim.
It was frustrating not to be able to share this little wonder with the rest of the Chick Fil A ‘fans’.

Well, the frustration is now over. Corporate Chick Fil A knew about this store made condiment and knew about its popularity with the patrons and has mass produced the condiment that is now available at all restaurants.

I received a text message from my daughter a month ago that said “chix fila sauce everywhere now!”. I couldn’t believe it. Why was she teasing me? Taunting me, knowing that I’m 998 miles away from the nearest Chik Fil A store that carries ‘the sauce’.
The next day I headed to my local CFA to verify if my daughter’s message was correct. I asked the girl at the drive-thru if they had a new sauce. She responded by saying “yes, it’s called Chick Fil A sauce.”. Hmm, this sounded promising. I opened the little mass produced container. The color was off, the original is cream yellow with red specks and the was quite thin, but the taste was close enough for me to get thoroughly excited.
A quick text message back to my daughter; ‘at chix fila. Life is good’. I still can’t stomach the salted cardboard they call waffle fries though…

The sad part is that now I have no reason to ever visit Fred’burg again, well there are the in-laws I guess.

[extramundane]

You need to get out more. Srrsssly.

[Sean Malone]

You need to get out more. Srrsssly.

I tried your IPA over the weekend, cut me some slack!!!!!!!!!!:irked: I even thought to myself when I bought it "extramundane will be proud". No lie.

I'm going out to Chick Fil A!!!:)

[Ankf00]

driving across time zones to get to a fast food joint?

yep, sounds like florida :gomer:

[Stu]

You need to get out more. Srrsssly.

I'm just glad the threads are labeled as blogs to serve as a warning now.

[Stu]

driving across time zones to get to a fast food joint?

yep, sounds like florida :gomer:

hey i flew to vegas this past weekend, partially to enjoy some in-n-out.

[Sean Malone]

Haters! The lot of ya! One day you'll find yourselves at a Chick Fil A and you'll remember my little story and you'll try the sauce that came from my little town and you will have a moment of clarity.
Apologies will be accepted though PM's.

Thank you. :)

[Stu]

actually i havent had chic-fil-a in a long time, and most of the food in the fridge was either eaten before the vacation or has since gone bad.

might be a solid dinner.

[ChampcarShark]

hey i flew to vegas this past weekend, partially to enjoy some in-n-out.

Try leaving the country for dinner on a regular basis...

[Don Quixote]

I must confess, we don't eat out often (5 kiddos in college), but when we do, its 70% at CFA. :)

[extramundane]

I tried your IPA over the weekend, cut me some slack!!!!!!!!!!:irked: I even thought to myself when I bought it "extramundane will be proud".

If you thought of me on a holiday weekend, then you REALLY DO need to get out more. :D


I'm going out to Chick Fil A!!!:)

I pass two of 'em going to and from work. Now, this damn sauce story's gonna rattle in my head every time I see them like my own personal "if it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college." If I'm found dead of a burst aneurysm within the next two weeks, it's all your fault. ;)

[Ankf00]

Haters! The lot of ya! One day you'll find yourselves at a Chick Fil A and you'll remember my little story and you'll try the sauce that came from my little town and you will have a moment of clarity.
Apologies will be accepted though PM's.

Thank you. :)

been to CFA twice in my life, keep waiting for that PM :p

[Sean Malone]

If you thought of me on a holiday weekend, then you REALLY DO need to get out more. :D



I pass two of 'em going to and from work. Now, this damn sauce story's gonna rattle in my head every time I see them like my own personal "if it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college." If I'm found dead of a burst aneurysm within the next two weeks, it's all your fault. ;)

:rofl:

[Elmo T]

hey i flew to vegas this past weekend, partially to enjoy some in-n-out.

We had burgers at a Five Guys place over the weekend. Mrs. Elmo says they aren't as good as in-n-out. She's pondered the trip for CA for them, so Vegas isn't out of the question. :rolleyes:

The kids always want CFA on Sunday. :saywhat:

[Insomniac]

http://www.jokefile.co.uk/animal_jokes/cows.jpg

That's all that comes to mind when someone mentions Chick-Fil-A.

[Stu]

We had burgers at a Five Guys place over the weekend. Mrs. Elmo says they aren't as good as in-n-out. She's pondered the trip for CA for them, so Vegas isn't out of the question. :rolleyes:

The kids always want CFA on Sunday. :saywhat:

we have 5 guys in ohio and i've heard mediocre things about them. my favorite in ohio for fast food would be Brown Bag burgers, which are still weak in comparison to In-N-Out.

Red Robin however dominates all thanks to the amazing level of customization, but doesn't qualify as a fast food burger.

[SteveH]

Red Robin however dominates all thanks to the amazing level of customization, but doesn't qualify as a fast food burger.

Did you try the burger with the fried egg on it?

Me neither. :D

Red Robin will serve you all the fries you can eat, too bad I don't care for theirs.

[Ankf00]

we have 5 guys in ohio and i've heard mediocre things about them. my favorite in ohio for fast food would be Brown Bag burgers, which are still weak in comparison to In-N-Out.

fwiw, i've heard nothing but praise for original five guys locations and nothing but indifference or complaints of the newer franchises beyond the east coast

[Stu]

Did you try the burger with the fried egg on it?

Me neither. :D

Red Robin will serve you all the fries you can eat, too bad I don't care for theirs.

putting a fried egg on a burger is old.

if i want spicy, i go with:

Rajin Cajun (no longer on the menu but you can still order it), which is a friend breast of chicken dipped in hot sauce, with pepperjack cheese, lettuce, and tomato. then I add jalapenos, chipotle mayo and put it on a jalapeno bun.

if i want a burger, i go with:

Royal Red Robin, which is a Burger with Bacon, Cheese, and a fried egg. First you have to add a second burger patty. Then add onion straws, garlic mayo, and a parmesan cheese wheel (think burger shaped cheese stick).

Boom. :thumbup:

as far as the fries go, you have a few options. I always tackle the regular fries with a side of bleu cheese or ranch dressing. my wife does sour cream. if you dont like the fries, you can also get the garlic parmesan fries instead.

[Sean Malone]

When I was a kid my dad's favorite sub was a Tom Dooley, hamburger with fried egg and cheese.

[Andrew Longman]

The really amazing part of this story is that the usual franchise SS didn't threaten to knock down their doors, steal their coffee urn sauce and take away their franchise for daring to mess with "the brand"

Good for them that they listened to the people actually making them money. Too bad they obviously diluted the quality of the sauce through the application of flavorists and focus groups.

[Sean Malone]

The really amazing part of this story is that the usual franchise SS didn't threaten to knock down their doors, steal their coffee urn sauce and take away their franchise for daring to mess with "the brand"

Good for them that they listened to the people actually making them money. Too bad they obviously diluted the quality of the sauce through the application of flavorists and focus groups.

Yep. :thumbup: Everytime I saw that urn in the corner I would think that it was only a matter of time until corporate shut down the fun.

[extramundane]

fwiw, i've heard nothing but praise for original five guys locations and nothing but indifference or complaints of the newer franchises beyond the east coast

Sounds about right. All the franchises along the I-95 corridor in MD & VA are on par with the original, but even 3 hours west, things aren't so hot.

[datachicane]

Chik Fil A?
meh.

Now, Burgerville Walla-Walla onion rings and a hazelnut shake, OTOH...
:thumbup:

[dando]

If yer hungry and have a cow costume in the closet....


Udderly preposterous

If you're feeling the urge for a Chick-fil-A meal but don't have the cash, check your attic. If you can find a cow costume up there, you're in luck.

On Friday, which Chick-fil-A has declared its fourth annual Cow Appreciation Day, all stores, including the six in central Ohio, will hand a free meal to anyone who isn't too chicken to come dressed as a cow. That meal consists of an entree, side and beverage.

Those who lack the full regalia need not despair. Chick-fil-A will give a free entree to all who sport at least some cow attire -- and no, we're not talking leather shoes or a belt.

Cow Appreciation Day is a continuation of the advertising campaign started 13 years ago in which semi-literate cattle who don't want to end up as hamburger recommend, "Eat Mor Chikin."

I first had CFA a few years ago when one opened in the food court of a new local mall. I thought it was the most boring piece of meat I had every eaten in my life. I never returned until we stopped @ one outside JAX on the way to WDW. I had a wrap that was better than the mall sammich, but it wasn't cow costume worthy. :saywhat:

re: burgers...we had a Backyard Burgers here years ago when the chain first started out. Best damn quick service burger ever. No idea if the chain is any good now, tho. 5 Guys always smells good when I'm flying into IAD, but I've never stopped to get one (usually ~ 6am, tho). :(

-Kevin

[nrc]

No appreciation for Skyline or Chik fil a? Man, some people.

I really don't care for their chikin sammich which is evidently their claim to fame (too much dill) but we love their chikin nuggets. It's like meat popcorn.

You know what you can't get here in C'bus that I'd love to see? Italian beef. Are there Italian beef chains anywhere outside of Chicago?

[Ed_Severson]

fwiw, i've heard nothing but praise for original five guys locations and nothing but indifference or complaints of the newer franchises beyond the east coast

To reinforce this, I can honestly attest to the fact that the location in Indianapolis sucks. No comparison to Charlie & Barney's ...

[stroker]

Sorry, I can only work up enthusiasm for In-N-Out Burger.

Needs more Animal.

[cameraman]

So am I the only person here who never eats at chain fast food restaurants? Seriously I haven't been in a Wendy's, BK, McDs or Taco-anything in well over a decade.

[Ankf00]

No appreciation for Skyline or Chik fil a? Man, some people.

:D

[Ankf00]

So am I the only person here who never eats at chain fast food restaurants? Seriously I haven't been in a Wendy's, BK, McDs or Taco-anything in well over a decade.

road trips require desperate measures when you're in the middle of wyoming

[dando]

So am I the only person here who never eats at chain fast food restaurants? Seriously I haven't been in a Wendy's, BK, McDs or Taco-anything in well over a decade.

'tis rare when I visit one of these establishments on my own, but when our oldest asks nicely to go to Wendy's on the way home from preschool, I occasionally give in. Rarely. :\

The exception is when we're trapped on a turnpike like I-76 through PA. Like in 3 weeks.... :(

-Kevin

[cameraman]

road trips require desperate measures when you're in the middle of wyoming

Open your eyes, when you're driving through Lander you are going right past quite a few local cafes that are a damn sight better than McD's. Jeebus it is Wyoming, there is only one road to get to whatever ski hill you are heading to. Figure out what is on the road and live a little. You'd drive through Boulder UT and not eat at Hell's Backbone Grill?

[Sean Malone]

So what do you guys do for lunch? Typical lunch week for me...Thia on Monday, Wendy's on Tuesday, cafeteria club sandwich on Wednesday, Chick Fil A on Thursday, sushi on Friday.

Back in Northern VA there was a regularly alternating Vietnamese, Pho and philly cheese steak deli routine. Can't find those down here in FL.

[cameraman]

They have a grill in the medical school classroom building that actually makes pretty good food. The university subcontracted it out to one of the better local restaurants and they actually use good food.

The medical campus is jammed up against the mountain and unless were are talking about taking a 2 hour lunch going anywhere off campus is pretty much out of the question.

[dando]

We have an excellent BBQ joint across the parking lot, a mexi grocery/taco stand across the street, a gyro place one street over, and most importantly a White Castle and Skyline w/in a couple of miles. :gomer: Oh, and there's also good Viet/Chinese/Thai w/in a mile or so as well. :thumbup:

-Kevin

[Indy]

Clif Bar. :becomingunfat:

[chop456]

Are there Italian beef chains anywhere outside of Chicago?

There's a Portillo's in Buena Park, CA. Does that help? :D

[TKGAngel]

'tis rare when I visit one of these establishments on my own, but when our oldest asks nicely to go to Wendy's on the way home from preschool, I occasionally give in. Rarely. :\

The exception is when we're trapped on a turnpike like I-76 through PA. Like in 3 weeks.... :(

-Kevin

The best Wendy's burger I ever had was at a rest stop on the 401 in Ontario. I don't know what made it taste so good, but it was phenomenal.

I'm missing out on a lot of the restaurants y'all are talking about. There's no Chik-Fil-A's up here, no White Castles, nothing. But on the other hand, I can't walk three blocks without tripping over a Timmy Ho's.

[Methanolandbrats]

[QUOTE=TKGAngel;236406]The best Wendy's burger I ever had was at a rest stop on the 401 in Ontario. I don't know what made it taste so good, but it was phenomenal. IQUOTE]

An extra thick layer of nitrosamine laden trans-fat makes em extra tasty :thumbup:

[Elmo T]

philly cheese steak deli routine.

A "Philly Cheese Steak" is not the same as a cheesesteak from Philly, as anyone from this area can attest. ;)

The burgers from Johnny Rockets used to be pretty good, but they've gone downhill over the years.

[extramundane]

So am I the only person here who never eats at chain fast food restaurants? Seriously I haven't been in a Wendy's, BK, McDs or Taco-anything in well over a decade.

Rarely. The occasional Five Guys, Moe's or Chipotle, but I'd rather go hungry than eat from the Usual Suspects. :yuck:

[dando]

A "Philly Cheese Steak" is not the same as a cheesesteak from Philly, as anyone from this area can attest. ;)


Dude, outside of Philly/SENJ, they should just call them cheese steaks. Best part of going to the NJ shore is overdosing on cheese steaks while I'm there. :thumbup:

-Kevin

[Stu]

No appreciation for Skyline or Chik fil a? Man, some people.

Some people just hate having water put in their "chili"

[nrc]

There's a Portillo's in Buena Park, CA. Does that help? :D
Pretty much not at all. :)

[Insomniac]

So am I the only person here who never eats at chain fast food restaurants? Seriously I haven't been in a Wendy's, BK, McDs or Taco-anything in well over a decade.

Since I'm a vegetarian, I don't eat at those places much. Let's see, Veggie Max sub at Subway. Taco Bell is OK (how many ways can you cook beans?). I'll occasionally get curly fries from Arbys. I stopped drinking fake milkshakes, but it's hard to find a real one it seems. Oh well, who needs all those calories? :)

[SteveH]

Are there Italian beef chains anywhere outside of Chicago?

Have a crock pot recipe for Eye-talian beef (Hoosier pronunciation :gomer:) if you're interested. Its as close to anything I've had in Chicago and also at Portillos.

[racermike]

Unfortunately this is a thread I know nothing about, as we are not privy to chik-fil-a out here on the left coast.

It all sounds wonderful though.

[Ankf00]

Open your eyes, when you're driving through Lander you are going right past quite a few local cafes that are a damn sight better than McD's. Jeebus it is Wyoming, there is only one road to get to whatever ski hill you are heading to. Figure out what is on the road and live a little. You'd drive through Boulder UT and not eat at Hell's Backbone Grill?

a) the only place we passed through was Green River. SW Wyoming has ****.

b) we had to make Boise on time so we could eat at a real place.

c) profit!

[chop456]

Pretty much not at all. :)

Well if it makes you feel better, I drove past the Kahiki foods factory the other day and thought of you. :D

[nrc]

Have a crock pot recipe for Eye-talian beef (Hoosier pronunciation :gomer:) if you're interested. Its as close to anything I've had in Chicago and also at Portillos.

Yes, please. Grrl may not be interested, but I can operate a crock pot.

[SteveH]

Ok boss. :thumbup:

Mix into a bowl:
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing
1 packet Lawrys au jus
1 can beef broth (1 big can or 2 small ones). Do not use fat free!
1 small jar Marzettis pepperoncini - juice and all - a large jar of pepperoncinis will overwhelm the taste

Place a 3 lb rump roast in the crock (don't trim the fat), pour the contents of above over it and cook on low for 12 - 14 hours.

After its cooked, the meat will be easy to shred, in fact it will probably fall apart. Keep the juice for dipping your sandwich into.

There are variations of this recipe. I know one person that uses hot gardeniera instead of pepperoncinis. I'd suggest following the above recipe for the first time to determine a baseline if you want to spice it up more. For me, this version is fine. I do serve it with mild gardeniera on the side, though.

My only complaint is that the meat is shredded and not sliced. Once you refigerate the leftovers and rewarm them the next day, the shredded beef becomes even more shredded. However, the taste is pretty close to some of the best beef I've had in Chicago.

I have to rate Herm's Palace on Dempster in Skokie as one of the best restaurants in the Chicago area for Italian Beef.

[Don Quixote]

Thanks Steve, I am going to work that recipe into the rotation.

[nrc]

My only complaint is that the meat is shredded and not sliced. Once you refigerate the leftovers and rewarm them the next day, the shredded beef becomes even more shredded. However, the taste is pretty close to some of the best beef I've had in Chicago.

Thanks, sounds good. I suppose you could ask them to run the roast through a slicer. Seems like that would just fall apart once cooked.

[dando]

Ok boss. :thumbup:

Mix into a bowl:
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing
1 packet Lawrys au jus
1 can beef broth (1 big can or 2 small ones). Do not use fat free!
1 small jar Marzettis pepperoncini - juice and all - a large jar of pepperoncinis will overwhelm the taste

Place a 3 lb rump roast in the crock (don't trim the fat), pour the contents of above over it and cook on low for 12 - 14 hours.

After its cooked, the meat will be easy to shred, in fact it will probably fall apart. Keep the juice for dipping your sandwich into.

There are variations of this recipe. I know one person that uses hot gardeniera instead of pepperoncinis. I'd suggest following the above recipe for the first time to determine a baseline if you want to spice it up more. For me, this version is fine. I do serve it with mild gardeniera on the side, though.

My only complaint is that the meat is shredded and not sliced. Once you refigerate the leftovers and rewarm them the next day, the shredded beef becomes even more shredded. However, the taste is pretty close to some of the best beef I've had in Chicago.

I have to rate Herm's Palace on Dempster in Skokie as one of the best restaurants in the Chicago area for Italian Beef.

12-14 hours is an awfully long time to cook just to braise some beef in a crockpot. I think the cooking time could be cut significantly to allow for the meat to be sliced. Here's and example recipe from the FTV site:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_169911,00.html

275 for 3 hours for a 4 lb. top round, but I'll bet the roast type can very as can the seasonings. Basically this is a variation that doesn't braise the roast as long. Basically when yer braise meat, it's pretty darn hard to screw it up. Meat, stock, seasoning...bam! :cool:

-Kevin