11 Popular Chili's Menu Items, Ranked Worst To Best
With a full menu of delicious appetizers, sandwiches, salads, entrees, and desserts, Chili's is much more than just baby back ribs. Chili's took top honors in our burger showdown with Applebee's, so I was excited to try a broader selection of menu items that Chili's enthusiasts can't get enough of.
Customer favorites include classics like burgers and crispy chicken, but there are plenty of unique Chili's menu choices as well. Browsing through reviews online, I saw a lot of dishes get high praise and decided to see for myself which were the biggest hits. With a list in hand, I headed to my local Chili's for what turned out to be a massive lunch. I was met by friendly wait staff, managers who checked on everyone in the restaurant, and a table that ended up loaded with delicious food.
I tried some of the most popular items at Chili's — as well as some newer menu options that have been getting a lot of attention from happy patrons — to see which dishes stand out as the best of the best. I considered taste and flavor, plus customization and general appeal for diners with a wide variety of preferences. Even though I was sampling on my own, I left loaded up with to-go boxes and got extra insight from my family at home (who were all more than happy to give the desserts a taste test). These are the greatest hits of the greatest hits from Chili's.
11. Ultimate cajun pasta
If you want something with a little bit of a kick that still has a rich, creamy Alfredo base, the ultimate cajun pasta is a good choice. The standard version of this dish comes with either chicken or shrimp but go with the ultimate to get both proteins in one.
The grilled shrimp was my favorite aspect of this pasta. It had a lot of flavor, especially those pieces with an extra generous dusting of the chile spices. The sauce wasn't as flavorful as the toppings, so I'd ask for some extra tomatoes and green onions next time. The dish is quite large, enough to feed two people along with an appetizer or two. You can also take it home as leftovers and enjoy the reheated version.
The pasta comes with a side of thick garlic toast. You can add a second slice, which I'd suggest doing if you plan to split this entree. Overall, it was good but, in the end, it couldn't hold a candle to some of the heartier options on the menu.
10. Original trio fajitas
The original trio fajitas is a customer favorite among the sizzling hot fajita options. I ordered it with all three protein choices — chicken, shrimp, and steak — to get a good sampling of each. Like the ultimate cajun pasta, the shrimp was my favorite but all of them were pretty tasty. I cut the fajitas into smaller pieces so that I could get a bite with all three, plus rice and toppings.
The tray comes out very hot, so be careful not to accidentally touch it. This helps the peppers and onions caramelize even more, which was an added bonus. Load up your choice of flour or corn tortillas with rice, black beans, peppers, onions, and meat, then top with fresh tomato salsa, cheese, and sour cream. It's a little bit more to get the guacamole but it's a must-add in my opinion. Chili's makes guacamole from scratch and it is full of tender avocado and bright tomatoes.
This is enough for a large meal to share or if you want extra to take home, which is exactly what I did. I reheated the fajitas for lunch the next day and enjoyed the flavors even more. Judging by leftovers alone, this would be a top pick. But, even this great flavor wasn't enough to dethrone the best of the best at Chili's.
9. Chicken ranch quesadilla
The chicken bacon ranch quesadilla has plenty of cheese and chicken, but the addition of the ranch made these a little bit more exciting than your average quesadilla. The order comes with diced tomato salsa, cheese, and sour cream, but I recommend getting some extra guac as well. The Chili's avocado ranch, which incorporates ranch dressing and guac, would also be a tasty option. I used this dip with other items that I tried and even used it as inspiration to improve store-bought ranch at home. If there's an unsung hero hiding out on the Chili's menu, it's the avocado ranch.
I didn't notice as much bacon as I expected in the ranch quesadilla, which could have put this one a bit higher on the list. On the other hand, large pieces of bacon would probably have made the pieces a little messier to eat. I really liked how easy it was to grab one of the presliced quesadillas, dip it into a topping, and take a bite.
Even though I was sampling on my own, I knew that this would be a kid-friendly item. Ranch helps keep the dish from being too spicy and the customizable toppings let people heap up their quesadillas just how they like.
8. Southwestern egg rolls
The southwestern egg rolls are made from tortillas filled with chicken, black beans, corn, cheese, red peppers, and a bit of spinach, then rolled and fried to resemble egg rolls. The crispy exterior really works well with the filling, and the rolls are cut on a bias so that you get full flavor in every bite. I added these to the triple dipper entree, along with fried mozzarella and crispy chicken dippers. This was a nice way to try a few varied options and would be my recommendation for a shared appetizer.
If it were up to me, I would probably rank the southwestern egg rolls a little lower on my list because they just couldn't compare to some of the other appetizers that I tried. Don't get me wrong, they were very tasty. It's just hard to beat the appeal of a savory bite of crispy chicken or fried cheese. But, when I took the leftovers home to my family, who all raved about these egg rolls, it convinced me to move them up a little in the rankings overall.
Like with the quesadillas, I really liked the included avocado ranch and would ask for a side of this tasty dip with any of the southwestern-inspired dishes on the Chili's menu (and even many of the classic American dishes). The house-made guac was also a great dipping option, although you have to order the dip trio appetizer to get it.
7. Molten chocolate cake
The secret to the molten chocolate cake is that the molten interior is super rich and by far the tastiest part of the cake. If you're sharing, you'll have to let other people enjoy it as well. But, if you're getting this large dessert just for yourself, dig into the center right away. Because it is so rich, you may not finish the whole thing and it's best not to waste your bites on anything but the most delicious part.
I liked the balance of warm cake and cold ice cream, plus the generous caramel drizzle that coated the entire thing. The cake also has a hard chocolate shell over the ice cream that gives it fantastic visual appeal at the table as well as extra rich, chocolatey flavor.
This dessert doesn't travel well if you do have leftovers since it's topped with ice cream. That's the only reason that it ended up lower on the list compared with the other sweet I tried. If I was dining in, especially if I wanted a larger dessert to share, this would be my top choice to finish out my meal. It even made our list of the best chain restaurant desserts worth saving room for and I couldn't agree more.
6. Big smasher burger
The Big Smasher burger is a tasty option for those who like Thousand Island dressing as a condiment — the key ingredient that sets it apart from other burgers on the Chili's menu. I liked the condiment but the standout element of this burger for me was the delicious smashburger-style patty. It had a lot of savory flavor that paired perfectly with the toppings. I also liked the toasted bun detail, which kept the burger from getting soggy.
The burger has American cheese, plus red onions, shredded lettuce, and pickles. I'll ask for extra pickles when ordering this one again, but I tend to do that in general (I love experimenting with unique pickled foods on burgers). The strong garlic dill pickle chips worked great for flavor on this burger and had a more universal appeal.
It comes with seasoned fries, which I really enjoyed. You can swap out your cheese type, toppings, and condiments or go bunless, although I'd probably keep this one as-is (plus the extra pickles). If you prefer a plant-based patty, you can substitute a black bean burger instead. Overall, this was a "smash" of a burger that I'd definitely order again.
5. Peanut butter pie
I was expecting a pretty basic peanut butter pie when I got ready for this dessert – a newer addition to the Chili's menu — to arrive at my table. So, I was pleasantly surprised when this multi-layered treat came out instead. It isn't just peanut butter filling in a chocolate crust, although it does have those classic elements that you would expect. This pie also has a rich chocolate ganache layer, Reese's peanut butter cups, a decadent chocolatey top, and a white chocolate drizzle over the slice.
The addition of chocolate chips mixed in with the peanut butter filling gives extra taste and texture to each bite as well. It adds a little something without venturing into crunchy peanut butter territory. This was my favorite of the delicious upgrades that Chili's gave to the basic peanut butter pie blueprint.
This dessert also made an excellent take-home dish. I ate a few mouthfuls at the restaurant but took the rest away with me to enjoy later. You can put it right in the fridge and pull it back out when you want to take another bite or two. If you're ordering a to-go dinner, the peanut butter pie would be a top contender for dessert.
4. Ribs
Chili's has revamped the ribs that made the chain famous and I am here for it. They had a tasty sweet and smoky rub, plus plenty of sticky barbecue glaze slathered over the top. The meat was really tender and fell off the bone. The ribs are pre-smoked to get a super delicate texture, then warmed up to order so that all of that flavor can come out.
This is a massive entree, whether you order the full rack or the half rack of ribs. I would have trouble finishing even a half rack by myself and a full rack would be best for a shared entree (or a really hungry person). Fortunately, these make great leftovers as well and are easy to reheat.
It comes with white cheddar macaroni and cheese, which is rich and gooey, but definitely second fiddle to the ribs themselves. You also get an order of fries. I really liked dipping these in the extra barbecue sauce for something different.
3. Crispy chicken dippers
Crispy chicken dippers are part of a combo meal, which comes with fries, mac and cheese, and dipping sauces, but I got an order as part of the triple dipper appetizer. The chicken was really crispy, with a coating that stood up well even when slathered in sauce. I went with honey-chipotle sauce, which had just the right balance of spicy and sweet. It started out with more of the honey flavor, but the heat from the chipotle started to build pretty quickly. I would definitely go with the same flavor again whether I was ordering the crispers as an appetizer or the combo meal.
The dish also comes with sauces when you order it as part of the triple dipper, making it all the more enjoyable. Ranch helped calm down the residual heat, but I also really liked the chicken dipped in avocado ranch.
2. Big QP
I love the classic combination of ketchup, mustard, and pickles on a burger, so the big QP was my favorite full-sized sandwich by far. It has two slices of American cheese, all the pickles I could want, and a little zing from the condiments. The smashburger-style patty is actually more than a quarter pounder, hence the "big" moniker in front of the name. Like the other Chili's burger that I tried, this one had a ton of flavor.
The bun was also toasted, which was a nice touch on all of the burgers, but worked especially well on the big QP. Maybe it was the classic combination of condiments and toppings or the perfectly cooked patty, but this was exactly what I picture when I'm craving a burger. You can customize the QP with other toppings, including mushrooms and onions, or swap out your cheese, but I plan on leaving everything exactly the same the next time that I order this for dinner.
1. Big Mouth burger bites
The Big Mouth bites weren't on my original list of things to try, but the experts at Chili's knew that a list of restaurant favorites wouldn't be complete without them. And boy were they right. Even though this was my first time trying the burger bites, and I have other go-to favorites on the Chili's menu, these skyrocketed to the top of the overall rankings, as well as my own personal list.
Each slider has a base of crumbled bacon on the bottom bun just below the super savory burger patty, as well as a slice of American cheese. It's not just a bacon cheeseburger where bacon acts as a separate topping. Instead, the smaller pieces get incorporated into the burger and show up in every single bite, almost like the two are melded together (they're not).
I was a little bit skeptical about the addition of ranch, but it just works. There's not enough on there to give the slider a really strong zesty taste, but just enough to add some creaminess. The basket comes with four mini burgers and a ton of fries. You could order them as a shared app so that everyone in your party can get a taste or enjoy the sliders as your own full meal. I tried this option about a third of the way through my sampling and, from the first bite, it was no contest which dish would earn top honors.
Methodology
Before I went to Chili's to see how the fan favorites tasted in real life, I had to determine where to start on the menu. When compiling my list, I made sure to include things that got rave customer reviews online or that were signature dishes with a lot of good feedback. When I arrived at the restaurant, I was able to get insight from servers, chefs, and managers about what the most popular items were and what they saw ordered most often.
Dining at a chain known for killer burgers, it didn't surprise me that these meaty classics came out on top. The burger bites were a surprise twist, but it was the super flavorful burger cooking method that gave all of these options an edge.
I also really liked the Chili's grilled shrimp, which was my favorite part of the fajitas and the cajun pasta. There are plenty of great appetizers to choose from and I had to give a special shout-out to the triple dipper selection, which included the super crispy chicken crispers along with avocado ranch, my new favorite of all the Chili's dipping sauces.