Very few fast-food restaurants have as loyal a following as Chick-fil-A. Cars frequently wrap around Chick-fil-A drive-thru lines, and the chain’s signature sauces are lining grocery store shelves: two clear signs of its devoted fanbase. But which menu items are its fans ordering most? Using Google Trends, we looked at search interest for Chick-fil-A entrées, sides, and sauces over the past year to find the most popular menu item in every state and nationwide.
Consider this our “my pleasure” moment. Here’s what Chick-fil-A lovers are searching for most across the country.
America’s Top-Searched Chick-fil-A Menu Items
Across all 50 states and D.C., a handful of Chick-fil-A menu items dominate the rankings. Here’s a breakdown of the most-searched items nationwide and the number of states in which each one came out on top:
- Waffle Fries – 11 states
- Mac & Cheese – 8 states
- Grilled Nuggets – 6 states
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich – 5 states
- Fried Chicken Sandwich – 4 states
- Chicken Strips – 3 states
- Fried Nuggets – 3 states
- Spicy Chicken Sandwich – 3 states
The biggest surprise may be that Chick-fil-A’s classic chicken sandwich is not the clear national favorite. Instead, waffle fries and mac & cheese collectively lead searches in 19 states, suggesting America’s Chick-fil-A cravings extend well beyond the chain’s namesake chicken.
The Real Chick-fil-A MVP? Waffle Fries
When it comes to Chick-fil-A’s most searched menu items, the side dishes give the chicken some serious competition. Waffle fries rank No. 1 overall, leading search interest in 11 states, including Alabama, Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Who doesn’t love a waffle fry dipped in Chick-fil-A sauce?
Mac & Cheese Is More Popular Than Most of the Menu
Mac & cheese comes in second, ranking first in eight states. It’s the most searched item in Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Ohio, as well as Colorado, Louisiana, and North Carolina. The side has built something of a cult following among Chick-fil-A regulars, who often share their favorite ways to upgrade it online. One popular DIY combination mixes the mac & cheese with their fried chicken and Zesty Buffalo sauce for a buffalo chicken mac-and-cheese-style bowl.
Grilled Chicken Nuggies Over Fried?
Grilled chicken is a stronger contender than you might expect. Grilled nuggets rank third overall and lead in six states, while the grilled chicken sandwich is top-searched in five states, more states than the chain’s signature fried chicken sandwich, which leads in four, or classic fried nuggets, which lead in three.
Grilled options are especially popular across parts of the South, with grilled nuggets topping searches in Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee, while Kentucky favors the grilled chicken sandwich. It is not definitive proof that Americans are on a health kick, but it does suggest that lighter orders have real appeal; Texas, however, keeps things classic, with fried nuggets leading the state alongside Arkansas and Pennsylvania.
The States With the Most Unexpected Chick-fil-A Favorites
Waffle fries and mac & cheese may lead the national conversation, but a few states have gone their own way.
- Some states have distinctly unique tastes. New Hampshire is the only state where the cool wrap takes the top spot, while Maine stands alone in searching most for the chocolate chunk cookie.
- Dessert rarely beats the savory favorites. Connecticut and Iowa are the only states where the chocolate fudge brownie is the most searched menu item.
- The Cobb salad has just two strongholds. Maryland and Wyoming are the only states where the salad ranks first.
- Spicy chicken has a scattered fan base. The spicy chicken sandwich leads searches in Delaware, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
The Most Popular Chick-fil-A Sauce in Every State
When it comes to sauce, Chick-fil-A fans are far more united. The chain’s namesake Chick-fil-A Sauce is the most searched in 31 states, putting it well ahead of every other option in the study. Here are a few more saucy takeaways from the state-by-state results:
- Polynesian sauce and Zesty Buffalo sauce tie for second, each leading searches in five states. Polynesian sauce has pockets of popularity across the Midwest and South, while Zesty Buffalo wins over several states in the West and Southwest.
- Sweet & Spicy Sriracha sauce follows with four states, taking the top spot in Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. Its fans are mostly in the South, where people seem to like their sauce sweet with a bit of heat.
- Honey Mustard sauce leads in three states: Alabama, Idaho, and Maryland. Unlike some of the other sauces, its top-searched states are spread across very different parts of the country.
- Barbeque sauce takes the top spot in just two states, Delaware and West Virginia, making it one of the less common favorites despite being a familiar dipping-sauce staple.
- Garden Herb Ranch sauce is the country’s biggest outlier, ranking first in only Kansas. Every other state analyzed searches for one of Chick-fil-A’s other signature sauces.
Unlike the menu-item results, which show considerable variation across the country, the sauce map has a clear national favorite. Chick-fil-A sauce dominates nearly two-thirds of the states analyzed. No wonder Chick-fil-A bottled the stuff and put it in grocery stores. Fans clearly were not content to leave it at the drive-thru.
Closing Thoughts
America’s search habits show that even a familiar fast-food menu can spark strong opinions. Whether they are craving waffle fries, mac & cheese, or a specific sauce, Chick-fil-A fans are actively searching for the items they want, and that kind of demand keeps quick-service restaurants and food-delivery businesses busy.
Meeting that demand takes more than getting orders out the door. It also requires payment processing that keeps transactions running smoothly. High Risk Pay offers secure food delivery service merchant accounts designed to help delivery businesses process payments reliably as customers add their go-to orders—and the occasional new Chick-fil-A craving—to the cart.
Methodology
We compiled 25 current Chick-fil-A menu items and seven sauces from the official Chick-fil-A website, excluding beverages, coffee, and limited-time items. Using Google Trends, we analyzed search interest over the past 12 months to identify the most searched menu item and sauce in each state, using search interest as an indicator of popularity. Alaska and Vermont were excluded because neither had a Chick-fil-A location or sufficient search volume.
Fair Use
You are welcome to use, reference, and share non-commercial excerpts of this study with proper attribution. If you cite or cover our findings, please link back to this page so readers can view the full methodology, charts, and context.
