Chick-Fil-A's 3 Main Spices That Give Its Chicken That Iconic Flavor

For fans of fast food, almost nothing sparks as much joy as a trip to the Chick-fil-A drive thru. Known for its signature juicy, crispy sandwich with a massive following, this chicken chain has a leg up on the competition thanks to a unique seasoning blend that makes everyone want to "Eat Mor Chikin." But if you don't live in a state that has many Chick-fil-A locations, like Texas, you don't have to pull up Google Maps and pack an overnight bag to get a fix. While the actual chicken seasoning recipe and its proportions are a closely guarded secret, at least a few of the main spices are easy to figure out with a little internet sleuthing if you want to make a similar sandwich at home. For a truly authentic dupe, black pepper, paprika, and mustard are a must.

If you're ready to take your home chicken-making skills to the next level, however, you might be surprised to learn that the big three spices aren't in the breading. Instead, they're added to the brining solution used to season the chicken before it's cooked. Let's explore how Chick-fil-A uses spices to build flavor in its sandwiches.

While the original recipe for its chicken is locked in a vault somewhere at Chick-fil-A headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, with a little digging it's not so hard to figure out the spice trifecta. The ingredients are listed on the company website for its classic chicken sandwich, however, the lineup only includes paprika and the generic catch-all term "spices." In the United States, ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the items that weigh the most come first in the list. Since paprika is specifically listed, it's safe to presume that it plays the most predominant role. As for the other spices, thankfully you don't need to interview a Chick-fil-A chef to get the goods, because The Food Babe, aka Vani Hari, spoke to company representatives directly, and they told her that those spices are, "black pepper, paprika, and mustard."

This zesty trio makes a lot of sense in a chicken sandwich. Paprika is a common ingredient in Southern-style fried chicken because it adds a warm, smoky flavor and a pop of color. Black pepper gives the patty its signature bite, and mustard powder brings it all together by adding mild heat as well as a sharp, tangy flavor that can cut through the fatty, richness of the fried patty.

A simple gathering of these three spices isn't the whole story behind the flavor profile of a Chick-fil-A patty, however. Despite a lot of speculation about Chick-fil-A using pickle juice for brining its chicken by those attempting copycats, that theory seems to be a myth as the company has never confirmed it. There's really no way to get chicken quite that juicy without brining, however, so that's still an important step. Instead of pickle juice, however, make a simple salt brine with sugar, plus the black pepper, paprika, and mustard. The meat will absorb the solution and trap the moisture inside the cells, along with the flavors of the spices. If you really want to get an extra juicy patty, use a pressure fryer to heat the chicken (it's the unique cooking method that makes Chick-fil-A sandwiches so good), which will cook the meat faster than a fryer without losing moisture.

As for the breading, while it's not been confirmed directly by the company, speculations include that the coating uses a mixture of flour, salt, dried milk powder, baking powder, mustard powder, cayenne pepper, sugar, MSG, and white pepper. Finally, once you get all the spices dialed in, the rest of a Chick-fil-A sandwich is easy. All you need is a toasted potato bun and two (yes, just two) tangy pickle chips.