Prep First
A big part of cooking is time management. You have to make sure all the ingredients get where they need to go at the right time. A great step to help with this is to get everything ready first. Of course, this includes making sure you have everything.

However, you should also take the time to prep each of your ingredients accordingly, whether that means shredding your cheese in advance or measuring out your ingredients for quick and easy access.
Don’t Shy Away From New Things
It’s easy to get the hang of a recipe or two and stick to what you know. If you want to improve your skills, though, you’ll want to branch out. Experimenting in the kitchen is a great way to find new combinations you love.

As this chef points out, you might even learn that food you thought you hated was actually delicious if prepared properly! Worse comes to worst, it’ll at least help you better understand what you like together and what you don’t.
Don’t Get Too Complicated
You probably see ads for or videos of people trying out new and nifty kitchen gadgets from time to time. It can be intimidating, though. It’s easy to see these gadgets and think you absolutely need to have them to make certain dishes.

The truth is you can get away with a few key essentials. Not to mention, if you opt for too many gadgets, it can lead to a cluttered kitchen.
Boil and Then Roast
Roasted potatoes are a staple that a lot of people love. Getting the right consistency can seem like quite the challenge, unfortunately. The goal is to keep the inside of the potato soft and fluffy but you still want the outside to have a crunch.

To achieve this, you’ll want to make sure to roast your potatoes before you roast them. This will help make sure they’re cooked through properly.
Start With a Recipe
While we have plenty of tips about cooking, some chefs came in with great tips for the next time you’re baking up something sweet. Particularly in baking, everything is calculated incredibly carefully.

So, it’s a good idea to follow the recipe carefully and make sure to account carefully for any changes you make. It’ll go a long way to use higher quality, fresher ingredients as well!
It’s Okay to Use Frozen
If you go to a restaurant and pay for a meal, you probably expect them to use fresh ingredients. They can go a long way in a dish, too!

When you’re busy and cooking at home, though, there’s nothing wrong with using a frozen shortcut as long as you defrost the items properly. Plus, frozen ingredients are likely going to taste better than their canned counterparts.
Correcting a Myth
As you learn to cook, you’ll hear a lot of common tips. The only problem is that they aren’t all true.

For instance, many people have heard if you want water to boil faster, you should put cold water on to boil. Well, the truth is, it doesn’t make a difference. It’s not a mistake perse but opting for cold water over hot water isn’t really going to change the time it takes to boil.
No Cold Pans!
One cold item that will affect your cooking is a cold pan for your ingredients. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like it matters since it’s going to heat up. In truth, the best results will happen if you heat your pan up before you start tossing ingredients in.

This tip has to do with the even and effective heating. To make things even better, heating your pan up ahead of time might even help with sticking ingredients.
Have a Little Faith
Steak can pose particular problems for home chefs. After all, the difference between a good steak and a bad one can sometimes seem like a fine line. This chef has a simple tip — stop touching your steak!

You have to give it time to cook properly. It can’t cook through the way you want it to if you keep moving it around rather than letting the heat source do its job.
The Perfect Cookies
If you’ve read a cookie recipe, you’re probably familiar with the term “bake until golden brown.” Even pulling them out the moment they reach this shade often ends in disappointment, though.

This is because you can’t forget that once they’re out of the oven, they’re still on a hot surface. That piping hot baking sheet will still continue to cook them even outside of the oven. Instead, try taking the cookies out when just the edges of the cookie take on that classic golden-brown hue, the rest will come after!
Let it Preheat
Speaking of ovens, preheating is another important step. The concept is similar to why you want to preheat your pan as well. When you put something in the oven, the way it cooks changes it.

Altering that can lead to differences in how a recipe looks, tastes, and even feels when you eat it. It takes a few extra minutes but preheating your oven is worth the extra time.
Don’t Overdo It
There’s nothing quite like a good sear on your meat. It’s a flavorful technique that many chefs — professional and home alike — strive for. However, just like any other cooking technique, it’s easy to overdo it.

If you do, you’ll likely find that when you bite into the meat, it’s dry. This is because you’re locking the juices in and if you lock them in too far, you’re going to lose them.
Don’t Forget About Acidity!
When you taste your dish and it’s missing something, do you reach for the salt? Sometimes, it can really help!

On the contrary, oversalting a dish is only going to ruin it and sometimes salt isn’t what you need. If you haven’t considered all that acidity can do to bring out the flavors in a dis, ingredients like citrus or vinegar are great for adding a touch of acidity.
Rely on a Meat Thermometer
Cooking meat correctly is crucial. Aside from taste, it’s important to cook most meats for long enough that it’s safe to consume them.

Of course, you want to achieve this without going too far and burning them either. If you want to make sure your meat is perfect, a meat thermometer is the most reliable tool to have on hand. It’s especially helpful when you’re first learning to prepare different meats.
On Cracking an Egg
Cracking an egg correctly is more than just satisfying. A clean crack will also keep eggshells from getting into your eggs or breaking the yolk.

To do this, you’ll actually want to ditch the method of cracking an egg open on the side of the bowl. Instead, you’ll want to crack your egg on something flat like a cutting board or countertop. This won’t push the shell inward as it breaks.
Changing the Grip
Earlier, we talked about the importance of a sharp knife not only for ease of use but for your safety as well. Another important part of food prep and safety is how you hold your knife.

The advice this person gives helps to make sure you don’t have your fingers where they don’t need to be, which would put them in a vulnerable position. Guiding the knife helps reduce the chance of a painful mistake, too.
No Potato Magic
As we touched on earlier, there are some common cooking tips you hear when you’re learning to cook that simply aren’t true. For example, the concept that potatoes will help suck the salt out of a dish is completely made up.

In reality, you’re just adding an ingredient to accommodate the additional spices. The only difference about potatoes is they don’t naturally add a lot of salt to a dish on their own.
Season Properly
Seasoning can really make or break a dish. With the right blend, you have a flavorful option when you create your lunch or dinner. When you’re frying something, you might, like many people, season the breading of the food.

Yet, this actually isn’t the best way to get the most flavor out of your fry. Instead, season your frying medium to help make sure the flavors really pop. Seasoning in the flour isn’t going to taste as strong or effective.
Go at Your Own Pace
If you’ve ever seen a professional chef at work on TV, you’ll probably notice a bit of flair. It’s pretty impressive to see something prepped in mere seconds. In your own kitchen, you probably won’t be able to pull off the same feats.

Those skills come with years of practice, often in fast-paced environments. In your own home, it’s better to take your time and prep the ingredients correctly and safely, and speed up as it feels natural.
Timing Is Everything
Onions and garlic are both flavorful ingredients. Not to mention, you probably start to notice how aromatic they are shortly after they hit the pan.

One rule of thumb to follow is to never put the two in the pan at the same time, though. Onions cook much slower than garlic does. As such, putting them in at the same time isn’t going to accomplish much but burning your garlic or undercooking your onions.
Find the Fundamentals
Learning a new dish can feel intimidating. Even when you directly search a recipe, you likely get thousands upon thousands of results in return. The key here is actually not to just choose one recipe to try.

Look around at your options, find a few that seem promising, and look at their common steps. This way, you can figure out the base recipe and experiment with add-ons here and there.
When Passing a Recipe Along
This tip is a little different. It’s particularly helpful if you want to give a recipe to a friend who isn’t as familiar with cooking.

If you say “season to taste” or similar advice, it only really works if someone already knows how different seasonings work well together. Even if you estimate the measurements in the recipe yourself, try to estimate measurements when you’re teaching the recipe to someone else.
Knives Don’t Go in Drawers
In an earlier tip, we discussed how important a sharp knife is both for your recipe and prep work as well as your safety. Once you’re done with those knives, make sure you don’t just put them in a drawer.

If you do, it’s more likely to dull your knives faster, given that the blade is unprotected. An option like a magnetic strip or knife block offers a lot more protection to your blades.
Don’t Rush It
If you’re not a huge fan of cooking, it’s really tempting to rush along. That’s why many home cooks are tempted to crank up the heat.

When it comes to cutting corners, increasing the heat and shortening the time your cook a dish isn’t a great approach. Low and slow isn’t all about the time it takes to cook something but how it cooks as well. Changing it can fundamentally change a dish.
Smell Your Tomatoes
Choosing the freshest ingredients is a great way to make sure you make a dish packed with flavor. This means knowing what signals quality. If you’re out picking tomatoes at the store, don’t stop at feeling around for soft spots.

Take a second to, quite literally, stop and smell the tomatoes. A strong scent, plus red or yellow skin, are great signs. Scentless tomatoes typically need more time to ripen before they’re ready.
The Perfect Hashbrowns
If you want to cook the perfect hashbrowns with your breakfast, it’s important to make sure you boil the potatoes first for the best results. Once your potatoes have boiled or even baked, you can focus on throwing them in a pan with oil.

If you don’t leave them alone, though, they won’t brown. You need to leave them alone in the pan long enough to crisp up and get that golden-brown hue.
Learn a Salt Balance
Salt is a basic tool for a lot of dishes. Yet, it’s also really easy to mess up how much salt a recipe needs. Too little salt and you’ll find it drowns out the taste of anything else.

Too little and you won’t get the effect that you want in your dish. As you practice in your kitchen, play around with your favorite recipes to get an idea of the perfect balance.
A Pinch of Salt
Speaking of salt, there are some places you don’t want to forget it either. This includes your pasta water. According to this person, that doesn’t mean putting the smallest pinch in either but rather taking a more liberal approach.

Believe it or not, this will go a long way in helping you add flavor to your pasta. Even further, it’ll help you keep the sauce on the pasta and help to thicken it up a bit.
But Not Oil!
When you’re making pasta, you might have heard there’s an even better option for your pasta water than salt — just add a splash of oil! In reality, this is something you really want to avoid.

If you add oil to your pasta water, it’s going to make your pasta sauce slip and slide right off your noodles. Not to mention, you want your pasta water starchy for the best results!
Simplify Things
Boiled eggs are an easier recipe that’s generally easy to pull off. As such, it’s a staple in a lot of homes around the world! On the other hand, peeling your boiled eggs isn’t always the easiest part of the process.

To make it a little easier, right after you’re done cooking them, shock them in some icy water. Then, the shells should come off fairly easily. This way, you don’t have to worry about fighting the shells off the eggs and potentially damaging them.
Take Advantage of Plate Warmers
When you’re ready to serve a dish, you probably just grab a plate from the shelf. The only problem is that your plate is probably cold. If you put food on a cold plate, you’re likely to chill your food a bit as well.

For better results, try putting your food on a warm plate. Luckily, a lot of ovens and dishwashers have settings you can take advantage of to warm your plate up in just a few minutes.
Overlooking Thighs
When you buy meat from an animal, you still have a few options. For instance, what part of the meat do you want? Many people jump straight towards leaner options like chicken breast.

Yet, trying to use them to replace thighs isn’t going to work. If you opt for thighs, you have a fattier cut of the meat and it’s going to be more flavorful when you’re done cooking your meal.
No Peeking!
Cooking anything in the oven is an exercise in patience. After all, most times you’re waiting for the item to finish cooking unless you’re working on another part of the dish.

This waiting can make it tempting to sneak a peek at what’s going on in the oven. In truth, if you open the oven over and over again, you aren’t doing much but letting the heat out of the oven. As a bonus tip, this person suggested an oven thermometer as well.
On More Thorough Mixing
When you’re mixing ingredients for a recipe, you want to make sure that they’re fully incorporated into one another. To make sure you do this effectively, you’ll want to have a sifter around.

Use it to sift any dry ingredients. This way, the material is finer and not clumping into masses, making it harder to incorporate it into your mixture. Plus, it doesn’t add too much prep time either!
Don’t Overcrowd the Pan
We’ve all made the same mistake from time to time. You grab a pan for your ingredients but it just isn’t big enough. The answer here actually isn’t to just make all the ingredients fit.

It’s going to be harder for heat to distribute evenly and you won’t get the sear you’re hoping for. Another effect that’s bad for cooking and cleanup is that an overcrowded pan is more likely to stick.
Safety First
Remember, when you’re cooking, you have to worry about more than how the food tastes. You also want to incorporate safe practices in your cooking. This is especially important in correctly preparing meats like chicken.

It’s crucial to thoroughly wash your hands and any items you’ve used with the raw chicken before touching everything or using those utensils again. On the same note, you shouldn’t use the same sponge you use for all of your dishes to clean items contaminated with raw chicken.
Put a Towel Down
Like many people cooking in their home, you might grab your cutting board, place it down on your counter, and start cutting. The only problem is that your counter is likely to let your cutting board slide around a bit.

To prevent this, you can place a dish towel down before your cutting board. This will help keep everything in place while you use your knife for a safer and more efficient experience.
Give it Some Time!
A lot of people stir the pan a lot when they’re cooking something. This is usually in an effort to stop items from burning. If you over-stir your pot, though, you risk undercooking everything too.

At the very least, you won’t get a sear on your food, which can make items like vegetables rather lackluster. The same goes for meat-like steak that you want a good sear on!
Wait Before Decorating
Baking the perfect cake is only part of the job for most bakers. After it’s baked, you still need to add icing to finish everything off. Here, patience is key once again.

If you try to frost a cake as soon as it comes out of the oven, you’ll only end up with unmanageable, melted icing. Instead, give your cake plenty of time to cool down so you can add the icing without the added heat changing its consistency.
Learn as You Go
Earlier, we discussed that when you’re starting out, you should make sure to follow the recipe. This is true when you’re trying something out and you aren’t too confident in your skills. Once you get your feet under you, don’t be afraid to experiment.

If you don’t like a certain type of seasoning, for example, you don’t necessarily have to include it when making dinner for yourself. Just remember that baking recipes are often much more exact in their science than seasoning a savory dish.
Stop Smashing Your Burgers
Burgers are a great lunch or dinner any time of the year. They’re especially a staple when grilling season rolls around. No matter how you make your burgers, there’s one step you’ll want to avoid — don’t smash your burgers with your spatula!

When you do this, you’re actually squeezing out the moisture in the meat, leaving you with a much drier burger by the time you take it off the grill.
No Hand Mixers in the Potatoes
This user had a tip for a job that can seem rather labor-intensive if you don’t follow the right steps — making mashed potatoes. To start, make sure you boil your potatoes first.

When they’re soft enough to mash, use a potato masher or a fork. While it might seem like a time-saver, using a tool like a hand mixer is actually likely to give you thick, sticky mashed potatoes rather than light and fluffy ones.
Keep on Tasting
While you’re cooking, the goal is to end with a delicious meal. You’re heavily catering to your sense of taste, to put it simply. So, why wouldn’t you use that sense while you’re cooking?

Obviously, you don’t want to taste any raw or unsafe ingredients but, when it’s possible, there’s no better way to tell if something tastes the way you want than to just try it out as you go. This way, you’ll know for sure if it needs changes.
Stay Tidy!
Last but not least, it’s a really common mistake to leave cleanup until you’re done cooking. This can really clutter your workspace and impede your progress. This doesn’t mean you have to do every dish the minute that you use it.

Rather, it just means to keep your workspace clear. Once you’re done with a dish, put it in the sink so it’s out of the way. If you have trash, toss it. This way, you can keep our workspace focused on your present work.
Sharpen Your Knives
Knives are essential for most recipes. As such, having a good set on hand is a great way to prepare for cooking. On top of that, you should make sure your knives are sharp before you use them.

For one, they’ll cut through materials much easier, simplifying your prep work. Sharp knives are also less likely to lead you to injury as well since you don’t have to put as much force behind them when you cut something.
45 Chick-fil-A Customers Share How They Hacked the Menu
Chick-fil-A is the largest American fast-food outlet that specializes in chicken sandwiches — and boy, we can see why. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Chick-fil-A serves up some delicious grilled and crispy chicken, with a whole bevy of dipping sauces and side dishes. But, what if we told you there are even more ways to enjoy your favorite Chick-fil-A meal? These menu hacks include secret items, swaps, and some creative sandwich building on your part. Read on for 40+ ways to enjoy Chick-fil-A even more.
Mac n’ Cheese Chicken Sandwich
As one of their tasty side dishes, Chick-fil-A sells portions of mac n’ cheese. This opens up all sorts of delicious menu hacks, but the simplest one is this mac n’ cheese chicken sandwich.

To try this creation, simply order your favorite Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, along with an order of mac n’ cheese. Then, spoon half of the cheesy pasta onto your sandwich, and tuck into the melty, buttery, crispy goodness. Add a sachet of buffalo sauce for some extra spice.
Chick-n-Minis Masterpiece
This hack is yet another from Chick-fil-A themselves, from a blog post where they pretend they don’t have a secret menu. The company suggests ordering Chick-n-Minis — the miniature breakfast sandwich that features a chicken nugget in a tiny roll — and adding saucy hash browns.

For this hack, order Chick-n-Minis, hash browns, and your favorite sauce. Then, dip the hash brown in the sauce, add to the sandwich, and enjoy. Consider ordering pickles or cheese for more flavor and texture.
The Barnyard Biscuit
As part of their breakfast menu, Chick-fil-A offers up a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. However, the company also serves chicken as part of their breakfasts, meaning you don’t need to miss out on what Chick-fil-A does best.

To make a super meaty breakfast biscuit, order a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit, and a single order of chicken. Add the chicken fillet to the biscuit and you’ve got yourself the whole barnyard. Consider adding bacon for even more meaty goodness.
Cookie Icedream Sandwich
Chick-fil-A stores deny having a secret menu, but then they go on their corporate blog and suggest items like this one, that use various options from their menu to create something new. That sounds like a secret menu to us!

The company recommends purchasing a cup of Icedream and two Chocolate Chunk cookies and combining them to make a cookie Icedream sandwich. At Christmas time, ask to have your Icedream mixed with the peppermint shavings and chocolate chips used for the Peppermint Chocolate Chip Shake.
The Double Double Down
This is the sort of menu hack that crops up at all sorts of fast food outlets, where a bun is replaced with more pieces of meat. In fact, KFC did actually start selling a Double Down sandwich where the bread was replaced by fried chicken. Well, you can do that at Chick-fil-A too if you really want to.

Order two chicken filets, a side of bacon, and a side of Pepper jack cheese, and ask the employees to make a sandwich from it.
Bacon Scramble Bowl
On the Chick-fil-A breakfast menu, bacon appears in the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit, and in the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Muffin, but there’s no reason it can’t go on everything else too. That’s right — there’s nothing stopping you from adding bacon to anything you want.

To begin with, add bacon to the Hash Brown Scramble Bowl. The breakfast meal comes with either sausage, chicken nuggets, or a chicken fillet with scrambled eggs, hash browns, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and salsa. Yum!
Spicy Chicken Biscuit
Let’s start with something nice and simple. Whilst Chick-fil-A does offer grilled and crispy chicken with certain items, they will happily switch them out for you. This means that you can add a little spice to your morning Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit.

For a while, the fast-food chain did sell this item, and people went wild for it. Alternatively, order the chicken, egg, and cheese bagel but ask for it on a biscuit instead. And don’t forget to request spicy chicken!
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
If you’re not really into chicken, but want something to nibble on while your friends eat, why not order a Chick-fil-A grilled cheese? It’s not on the menu, but just ask for a buttered bun with cheese, grilled. You can also request some tomato, bacon, or whatever else you might like in there.

If you want something a tad more substantial, order a Chick-fil-A Deluxe sandwich, but hold the chicken. After all, melted cheese is always delicious.
An Icedream Float
This Chick-fil-A hack is pretty popular, and the staff will be happy to do it for you. Basically, for this hack, ask for a Chick-fil-A soda blended with a small Icedream Cone, and end up with a nostalgic soda float. Of course, the most traditional flavor would be root beer, but not all branches of Chick-fil-A offer this old fashioned beverage.

For an up-to-date alternative, order a small vanilla milkshake in a large cup topped with Cherry coke, and enjoy the creamy goodness.
Mix and Match the Milkshakes
While we’re talking about drinks, let’s not forget about Chick-fil-A’s milkshake options. If you’re a fan of the cookies n’ cream flavor, then ask for a couple of pumps of chocolate for an extra chocolatey shake. For even more sweetness, order a Chocolate Chunk cookie and crumble it into the shake.

If you’re really lucky, and extra polite, you can ask your cashier to blend the cookie into your milkshake. Some Chick-fil-A stores will no longer blend items into their shakes, but it’s worth a try!
The Chicken Bacon Ranch Deluxe
With rumors of a Chick-fil-A secret menu, many fast-food fans have tried ordering various items at the restaurant. Apparently, you can order a Chicken Bacon Ranch Deluxe, and employees at the chain will know exactly what you’re looking for.

Even though this isn’t on the official menu, what you’ll get is the Chick-fil-A Deluxe Sandwich with bacon and a side of ranch dressing. This elevates the sandwich and only costs an extra $1.10 because all dipping sauces and dressings are free at Chick-fil-A!
Raid the Kid’s Menu
Many adults with small appetites gravitate towards the kid’s menu, but at Chick-fil-A, it’s extra worth it. If you order a kid’s meal and decline the toy, you’ll land yourself a free Icedream cone instead. Alternatively, you can get a larger portion of fries, or a larger drink.

If you’re in the mood for a snack, or your kid isn’t interested in toys, then definitely try out this hack for free ice cream, or extra fries. This is policy at all Chick-fil-A stores!
Grilled Chicken Bagel
The grilled chicken bagel is a modification of the chicken, egg, and cheese bagel available on the Chick-fil-A breakfast menu, though it doesn’t end up containing any egg. For a grilled chicken bagel, ask for a bagel with a grilled chicken fillet, Colby-Jack cheese, tomato, and cream cheese.

This brunch-like item uses the cream cheese and bagel from breakfast, but with chicken and cheese from the main menu. The result is a tasty sandwich that’s not too annoying for employees to prepare.
The Lettuce Bun
People with gluten intolerances, or that don’t like bread, have long swapped out sandwich buns for lettuce wraps instead. This is easily done at Chick-fil-A, where you just request “no bun” and order a portion of extra lettuce. Once you’ve got your order, you use the extra lettuce to make a bun to eat your sandwich.

Chick-fil-A also offers a gluten-free bun that’s individually wrapped, so people with intolerances can assemble their own sandwich without fear of contamination.
Double Breaded Sandwiches
Apparently, you can ask for your Chick-fil-A crispy chicken to be double breaded, meaning you’ll end up with a sandwich with double the crispiness. Who wouldn’t want that?

Apparently, Chick-fil-A’s kitchen employees just dip the chicken in milk wash, coat it with bread crumbs, dip it in milk wash a second time, coat it in breading again, then drop it into the fryer. This results in every little piece of breading becoming even more crunchy, so you can chomp your way through your next Chicken Deluxe.
Chicken Taco Burger
Chick-fil-A is great because all of its dipping sauces and dressings are free. This gives customers access to all sorts of flavor combinations, allowing them to invent their own chicken masterpieces. That’s what the chicken taco burger is — some clever modifications to a regular sandwich.

To try this, order a Deluxe sandwich with pepper jack cheese and jalapeño salsa. You might want to rejig the order of the sandwich and move the cheese from the top to the bottom.
Make Adjustments for Extra Freshness
This is a general fast food hack that everyone should know about — making minor modifications or adjustments to your order guarantees it will be fresh. For example, if you order a chicken sandwich without pickles, you’ll definitely receive a piping hot, fresh sandwich because all of the pre-prepared ones had pickles in them already.

Apparently, you can ask for your protein “well done” in Chick-fil-A and staff will be happy to cook it for a little longer. This also guarantees a fresh sandwich.
Frozen Arnold Palmer
OK, this Chick-fil-A menu hack actually ended up on the official menu, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. Basically, customers and staff members were enjoying mixing Chick-fil-A’s delicious homemade lemonade with their vanilla Icedream, and the company eventually started selling the concoction themselves.

However, you can still switch this up a little by ordering a frosted Arnold Palmer — that’s half tea and half frosted lemonade. This way, you get a little caffeine and can enjoy that lovely frosted flavor.
The Spicy Char
This is another Chick-fil-A secret menu item that tends to be recognized by name. The Spicy Char is born out of a simple enough modification, where you ask for spicy grilled chicken in the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. This automatically adds more flavor, but without opting for the crispy chicken.

This is essentially the grilled version of the Spicy Chicken Sandwich, and a step up from the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Give it a try next time you’re visiting Chick-fil-A!
A Muffin, Well Done
The Chick-fil-A Egg White Grill came about in 2016 and consists of an English muffin, a fillet of grilled chicken, a serving of egg whites, and a slice of American cheese. Lighter than the other Chick-fil-A breakfasts, the sandwich has one issue — the chicken usually slides right out of the muffin.

To counter this, ask for your muffin to be extra crispy, or well done. The extra crispiness will hold the filling in place, making the whole thing much easier to munch.
Order in Bulk
Many people don’t know that Chick-fil-A offers catering services. As well as that — or because of that — the company sells some of their products in bulk. That means you can take home an entire gallon of Chick-fil-A sweet tea or lemonade, and enjoy it at your leisure.

Likewise, you can buy an eight-ounce container of any Chick-fil-A sauce, and dip until your heart’s content. With these items, it’s even easier to recreate some of the chain’s tasty creations at home.
Super Saucy Nuggets
Who doesn’t love a box of chicken nuggets? They’re nostalgic, they’re comforting, and they always taste just how you remember. But, what if we told you that there’s another way to enjoy chicken nuggets? To try super saucy nuggs, order a portion along with two servings of your favorite sauce.

Open the box up and pour the sauces inside. Close it up — properly — and shake until everything is coated in sauce. Now, you can enjoy nuggets that are literally dripping in flavor.
Fried Chicken Club
The Chick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich is one of the fast-food chain’s lighter options. It comes with grilled chicken, Colby-Jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and BBQ sauce — all in a multigrain brioche bun. Doesn’t that sound delicious? Well, what’s even more delicious is the Fried Chicken Club, which replaces the grilled chicken breast for a crispy one.

This is another of Chick-fil-A’s more well-known secret menu items, and is a larger sandwich than the original Crispy Chicken Sandwich. Plus, it has veggies.
Get Crispy Waffle Fries
Rather than serving French fries like many other fast-food chains, Chick-fil-A serves waffle fries. The crisscross fries are delicious as they are, but they can be improved upon. Next time you place an order for waffle fries, ask for them “well done.”

Ordering this way will land you with some double fried waffle fries that are even crispier than the originals. Because of the fries’ lattice shape, the edges will crisp up but the insides will remain soft and fluffy.
Chick-fil-A Chicken Quesadilla
The Chick-fil-A Chicken Quesadilla is a long-rumored item from the chain’s so-called secret menu, but it seems like it’s only really an option for Chick-fil-A employees. Supposedly, the chicken quesadilla uses grilled chicken and cheese, melted together in a large flour tortilla.

You can ask for this at your local Chick-fil-A but it’s best to request a chicken quesadilla in the morning when staff members have time to prepare it. Otherwise, order the ingredients and whip one up at home.
South of the Border Wrap
This Chick-fil-A South of the Border wrap is another employee creation, whipped up from behind the scenes. The wrap is filled with fried spicy chicken, lettuce, shredded cheese, corn, and salsa — making it similar to the chain’s Cool Wrap, which comes with grilled chicken breast in a flat bread wrap.

The creator of the South of the Border wrap recommends the avocado ranch dressing, though it would also work well with buffalo or sriracha sauce for a little more spice.
Spicy Chicken Burrito
Speaking of the Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap, there are a few ways to jazz it up while still keeping it nice and light. The wrap is simply grilled chicken, lettuce, and blended cheeses — rolled tightly inside a flatbread. To add some spice, request jalapeño salsa and then add it to your wrap before eating.

For even more of a burrito flavor, request tomatoes in your wrap. If you order this near breakfast, it’s possible you can even get a flour tortilla instead of a flatbread!
Mango Passion Tea
In November 2020, a Chick-fil-A employee ended up getting fired after sharing their own menu hacks on TikTok. Luckily for us, the hacks went viral, and now we can all benefit from this former employee’s insider info.

So, at certain times of the year, Chick-fil-A serves Mango Passion Tea lemonade. It’s a mixture of their lemonade and unsweetened tea, blended with mango syrup. However, according to TikTok, you can get more drink for less money by ordering a large Arnold Palmer with four pumps of mango.
Ask for Extras
This hack is rather specific, and for those of us that just really love pickles. Whilst Chick-fil-A does serve pickles with all of its crispy chicken sandwiches, they usually only put two measly slices in each portion. What’s that all about?

Thankfully, the staff at Chick-fil-A tend to be very accommodating and are usually happy to add more pickles on request. If you’d rather add your own pickles to taste, then just ask for a side order. This hack also guarantees your order will be fresh.
Spice Up Your Sandwich
We’ve already recommended a version of this hack for your nuggets, but now we’re here to suggest it for all proteins. Coat your entire chicken fillet in delicious flavor by removing them from their buns or biscuits and placing them into the sandwich bag. Next, pour in some delicious sauce, close the bag tightly, and shake.

This hack is wonderful on crispy chicken because the sauce gets into every nook and cranny. Try this with buffalo or sriracha for some serious spiciness.
Create Your Own Sauce Blend
This Chick-fil-A hack came from the mind of Don’t Be Tardy star Brielle Biermann, who recommends mixing Chick-fil-A sauce with buffalo sauce to create a spicy BBQ-style dip. There are plenty of ways to mix the chain’s dips, though, and they even recommend some combos on their blog.

One tasty option is mixing the Chick-fil-A and Polynesian sauces for a sweet dip, or combining sriracha and Garlic and Herb Ranch for a sauce that’s packed full of flavor. Hey, two is better than one, right?
Download the App Stat!
Out of all of the hacks here, this one is probably the easiest. Did you know that, by simply downloading the Chick-fil-A app, you instantly get a free sandwich? Even better, there doesn’t seem to be a limit on how many accounts you can make, so you could technically avail of several free sandwiches.

Additionally, with the app, you can order ahead and someone will bring your order out to you — plus you can collect points and win rewards based on your orders.
Buffalo Chicken Mac n’ Cheese
Look at this absolute fast food masterpiece, brought to us by an Indiana woman named Jenee Suggs. To tuck into your own Chick-fil-A Buffalo Chicken Mac n’ Cheese, order a three-piece chicken strip meal, a side of mac n’ cheese, and one or two servings of buffalo sauce.

With that, you’re good to go! Simply tear the chicken strips into pieces and add to your mac n cheese. With the spicy sauce, you’ll have a hot, cheesy, chicken-y dream.
Ask for No Ice
As we know, lots of restaurants, cafés, and fast-food outlets pile huge amounts of ice into their drinks, leaving barely any room for whatever sugary liquid we’re actually paying for.

One way to get around this is to simply ask for no ice and hope that the employee fills the cup to the top as usual. Many people worry that this will make their drink warm, but drinks in fast-food places are already chilled, so you’re all good!
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
OK, we’ve already introduced the idea of spicing up your protein by coating it in some delicious Chick-fil-A dipping sauces. Now, we’re going to give you a more specific recipe so that you can enjoy a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich that tastes completely amazing.

Order a Spicy Chicken Sandwich with no pickles, and coat the chicken fillet in buffalo sauce by shaking it in the bag. Smear some Garlic and Herb Ranch on the top bun, replace the chicken, and tuck in.
Don’t Forget the Spicy Salsa
We’ve already mentioned jalapeño salsa a few times, as it really peps up all sorts of Chick-fil-A meals. The tasty relish is part of the chain’s Hash Brown Scramble Burrito, but it’s actually available all day long.

The jalapeño salsa is particularly good with Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Southwest Salad, which comes with greens, tomatoes, blended cheeses, peppers, roasted corn and black beans, and tortilla strips. Alternatively, jalapeño salsa also makes a great dipping sauce for nuggets, chicken strips, or waffle fries.
Fill Out the Surveys
Here’s another Chick-fil-A menu hack that’s pretty easy to come by. First of all, you have to make a purchase at the fast-food chain, and then hold on to your receipt. On there, you’ll get a website link to fill out a survey based on your experience. Once the survey is complete, you’ll get a code for a free original Chick-fil-A Original chicken sandwich!

This works for all receipts in Chick-fil-A, meaning you can have a steady stream of paid-for and free meals.
Hash Browns on Everything
We’ve already drawn your attention to the fact that technically, you can have bacon on anything from the Chick-fil-A breakfast menu. Well, we’re here to tell you that the same is true for hash browns!

This means you can order the sausage, egg, and cheese muffin (muffin, well done) and stuff a bunch of tasty, crispy hash browns right inside the sandwich. Likewise, add some potato-y goodness to your breakfast burrito, your bagel, or your biscuit. It’s like fries, but for breakfast.
Try the Viral Hack
Once more, we have social media platforms to thank for this Chick-fil-A hack. This is less of a menu hack and more of a logistical hack that makes eating your takeout much easier all around. Basically, this hack prevents your box of Chick-fil-A nuggets from rolling around your vehicle as you drive.

Because the box has a hole along the top crease, you can easily place the straw of your drink through the hole. This way, everything stays together and within reach.
Loaded Chicken Waffle Fries
Just feast your eyes on these fully loaded chicken waffle fries. To achieve this level of cheesy, crispy goodness, you basically have to order and combine most of the restaurant’s best sellers.

To enjoy your own pile of fast-food heaven, order 12 nuggets, large waffle fries, pepper jack cheese, your choice of sauce, and a salad bowl. Layer your fries like you would a lasagna — with fries on the bottom, then chicken and cheese, then sauce. Of course, you could also add bacon!
Strawberry Peach Milkshake
Once a year, Chick-fil-A delights customers with its seasonal peach milkshake. The drink is considered the best of all the chain’s frozen beverages, but there are some tweaks that will make it even better. So, next time you order a peach milkshake, ask for it to be blended with the strawberry milkshake topping.

Of course, these beverage flavors can be mixed and matched in other combinations. Why not ask for strawberry topping on your chocolate milkshake, lemonade, or iced tea?
Order a Double Decker
For some folks, one sandwich doesn’t really do it. For these hungry people, we recommend hacking the menu by asking for a “double-decker.” This secret menu item guarantees two patties instead of one, so your sandwich has a higher protein count and will keep you fuller for longer.

By ordering this way, you can enjoy double chicken and sausage, and know that your sandwich was made to order, just the way you like it. After all, more is more.
Make a Bargain Sandwich
We’ve already mentioned the fast-food hero who lost her job at Chick-fil-A for sharing menu hacks via TikTok. You’ve learned about bargain price mango passion tea, and now you’ll hear the secrets of the two-for-one Chick-fil-A sandwich.

This outspoken TikTok-er handily pointed out that customers could make their own tasty Chick-fil-A sandwich by ordering a four-count of chicken strips and two buns. This costs around six bucks, compared with a standard chicken sandwich at $3.75, but yields two sandwiches instead of one.
Amp Up Your Coffee
And already we have another hack from our Chick-fil-A TikTok user. We know that Chick-fil-A offers frosted lemonade — a blend of their homemade lemonade and Icedream — but they also sell frosted coffee drinks. The chain’s frosted coffee is a blend of their cold-brewed coffee with their Icedream, creating a creamy and caffeinated milkshake.

However, you could amp up this frosted beverage a little by adding chocolate syrup, vanilla syrup, and Oreos. With these toppings, the frosted coffee becomes almost like a sundae.
Don’t Forget Cow Appreciation Day!
Finally, when we’re talking about getting the most out of Chick-fil-A, how could we fail to mention Cow Appreciation Day? Ever since 2005, the chain has celebrated this occasion and offered free food for customers that do the same.

What this means is that if you go to Chick-fil-A on Cow Appreciation Day and are dressed like a cow, you’ll land yourself a free entrée. Sadly, 2020’s event was postponed, but the chain has lots of activities to replace it.
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