How to Eat Chick-fil-A on Sunday: A Guide for Reheating Chick-fil-A Food

It happens to everyone. You get a massive craving for Chick-fil-A. Those crispy waffle fries. A fresh chicken sandwich. Nuggets doused in Chick-fil-A sauce. But then it hits you. IT’S SUNDAY. And Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday! For some reason it seems those cravings hit harder on Sunday than any day of the week. (In fact, comedian and rapper Shama wrote a viral song about this! We talked to him about it on our podcast.)

Why is Chick-fil-A Closed on Sunday

Decades ago, Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy made the decision to close every store on Sunday. Former Chief Marketing Officer of Chick-fil-A Steve Robinson says this decision set the tone for what was important. Being closed on Sundays leaves “A day set aside for [Truett Cathy] and all who were a part of Chick-fil-A to rest, be with family, and worship, if they so chose. Sales and profits were not everything.” Being closed on Sundays has allowed the company to attract, develop and keep great people. Their high-calibur employees are one of the secrets to their success. The strategy has served the restaurant chain well since 1946 and the Closed-on-Sundays policy will likely never change.

Eating Chick-fil-A on a Sunday

There is a way around this. You can eat Chick-fil-A on a Sunday! One option is buying extra on Saturday so that you have it to eat on Sunday. But which Chick-fil-A menu items taste best reheated? We tested out several items including waffle fries, nuggets and, of course, the Original Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. We’re rating them on a scale of one sauce packet to five, five being the best. So, if you want to eat Chick-fil-A on a Sunday, keep reading to find out our results.

How to Reheat Chick-fil-A

Waffle Fries

Out of the Chick-fil-A menu items we tested, the day-old waffle fries tested the worst. As you’ve probably experienced, French fries are best eaten fresh from the fryer and Chick-fil-A waffle fries are no different. We put them in the microwave and although they were hot, the texture was all wrong. They were stale, yet soggy. No amount of Chick-fil-A sauce could fix these old waffle fries. We rate this one sauce packet.

Nuggets

Nuggets are just chicken and breading. Surely, they aren’t going to be too bad reheated, right? According to our research, the nuggets were tough and greasy on day two. They aren’t the chunks of happiness that arrive in your hands when you first order them at a Chick-fil-A drive thru. They definitely tested better than the waffle fries and enjoying them with your favorite sauce will help. But there is still something to be desired with a day-old Chick-fil-A nugget. We rate this three sauce packets.

Chicken Sandwich

There are a lot of elements that go into a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich. Did you know that Truett Cathy spent five years perfecting this one entrée? He also realized that he needed to maintain control of the cooking process so that every Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich is virtually identical. At one point he licensed the recipe to other restaurants and sports venues. But when he found out they were making the sandwiches far in advance and serving a less-than-perfect product, he began to buy back the licenses and change his business strategy. Anyway, now on to our test results. The chicken sandwich performed best by far, of any reheated menu item. Although not as good as a freshly bagged version, it was the best option. Our pro tip: be sure to remove the bread and pickles from the chicken. Heat the chicken breast for about 60-90 seconds. Then microwave the bun for 15 seconds. This should give you the best possible outcome for enjoying Chick-fil-A on a Sunday. We rate this four sauce packets.

Other Chick-fil-A Menu Items You Can Enjoy on a Sunday

Obviously there are many other food options on the Chick-fil-A menu. Some that we feel would likely do well on day two include the grilled nuggets, mac & cheese and the chicken noodle soup. The salads may also be good to try on day two: the Cobb Salad, Spicy Southwest Salad or the Market Salad. Just avoid putting dressing on until you’re ready to eat.

Another option is just to practice patience and take a trip to Chick-fil-A on Monday. That way you’ll get it hot and fresh, just like Truett Cathy intended.