Fast Food Critic - Reviews, News and Nutrition Information about Fast Food.

Back in May, FastFoodCritic reported news of Chick-fil-A making a few upgrades to their already awesome lineup. It’s a trait of CFA not shared by nearly enough other chains within the fast food industry. Constantly striving to improve tomorrow’s menu, even when today’s is very successful. Chick-fil-A recognizes there’s always room for improvement, and that speaks volumes for a restaurant that has, in my eyes, done most everything right. One item tweaked with an upgrade, the Chick-N-Strips.

As we told you previously, the new Chick-fil-A Chick-N-Strips are 50% larger than the chain’s former version. Made from what is arguably the best part of the breast, the tenderloin, freshly marinated, hand-breaded and pressure cooked in peanut oil. These strips are full of flavor and undoubtedly some of the most tender and juicy you’ll find in fast food land. The breading is light and slightly crisp in spots, but not crunchy. It’s like a thin skin. It compliments the chicken, showcases it, without intruding.

Some brands of strips and nuggets have thick breading helping to mask lower quality chicken meat. Suffice to say much of the flavor in those items comes from breading and not bird. CFA’s chicken is high quality, and there’s no need for a heavy coating. The focus here is on good chicken and the perfect balance of seasoning.

Whatever changes were made to the recipe itself are obviously very subtle. I’ve had the previous chicken strips and the new version doesn’t taste much different, but they are definitely bigger, and still just as delicious. You can purchase them as 3 or 4-piece entrees, and 1 or 2-piece servings as part of a kid’s meal. If you’re having a party you can order 3 sizes of “Trays” in advance, with enough strips to feed 25 people.

While these chicken strips are among the tastiest I’ve had, they are not perfect. They’re a little on the greasy side, and will leave your hands messy. You’ll notice evidence of their oily nature in the box they come in (see above). And since the breading is lighter than many other strips and nuggets, it has a tendency to slide off the chicken easier. I’m being persnickety there but it’s just a couple honest observations. With chicken this good, such minor issues are easy to ignore as you grab another napkin.

Along with the bigger strips, they have also introduced a new smoky mustard dipping sauce, simply called “Chick-fil-A Sauce”. Tasting it the first time I immediately noticed the mustard flavor, but it had a little extra something too. After reading the ingredients it appears to be a hybrid of honey mustard and barbecue. That would explain it. The combo works, and it’s very nice match for the chicken strips. If that new sauce doesn’t sound like something you’d like, no need to worry because CFA has a wide selection of dipping sauces, including Barbecue, Buttermilk Ranch, Buffalo and more.

There’s so many restaurants focusing on new creations and crazy flavor combinations to grab our attention, it’s nice to see a company aiming to make improvements to the standard favorites. In this case, bigger is better, when it’s more of the same great chicken we’re accustomed to. Making high quality fast food is something Chick-fil-A does better than most, and the Chick-N-Strips and Sauce continue the legacy.

Price: $3.89 (4 piece) / Website: Chick-fil-A.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Chick-fil-A, Chick-N-Strips (4 piece).

Calories - 470
Calories from Fat - 210
Total Fat - 23 grams
Carbs - 22 grams
Saturated Fat - 4.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 125 milligrams
Sodium - 1390 milligrams
Protein - 44 grams