The Aldi Chicken That Tastes Exactly Like Chick-Fil-A, According To Shoppers
From Popeyes' spicy drumsticks to McDonald's classic McNuggets, many fast food joints have fried up chicken dinners for America's poultry-hungry masses — but none had more sales in 2022 than Chick-fil-A, per QSR. According to Entrepreneur, the brand reports that it uses peanut oil to give its nuggets their unique taste. As the company's culinary senior manager once said, this not-so-secret ingredient is what makes its famous chicken "nearly impossible to replicate." However, it seems that the grocery chain Aldi likes a challenge.
In fact, Aldi is actually pretty well known among its customers for its tendency to carry dupes of fast food favorites. For example, The Sun reports the company has its own version of Mickey D's Big Mac. And one TikToker found that Aldi even carries a garlic and herb dip that riffs on Domino's in-house recipe. But one fast food imitation, in particular, has become famous among Aldi shopaholics. As The Takeout reports, fans of the grocer are obsessed with a certain bag of its Kirkwood chicken. The reason for all the hubbub? Well, even though it's fried up with vegetable oil (per Time for the Table), customers claim this bag of Aldi's chicken tastes identical to the fillets powering Chick-fil-A's famous sandwich.
Customers can't stop comparing Aldi's red bag chicken to Chick-fil-A
The Kirkwood frozen breaded chicken breast fillet, more commonly referred to as Aldi's red bag chicken according to The Takeout, looks like any other bag of standard grocery store poultry. However, unlike Walmart's Great Value spicy chicken patties, this bag of frozen fillets may even be more popular than the chain's beloved cauliflower pizza. Because this grocery store chicken has its very own Facebook page and all 23,700 members of the Kirkwood fillet fan group swear the taste of Aldi's red bag chicken is identical to the nuggets you buy at Chick-fil-A.
In fact, there is a whole online movement dedicated to advocating for the Chick-fil-A-like taste of these fillets. Aside from Reddit threads and TikToks across the internet insisting that this grocery store chicken has the potential to put Chick-fil-A out of business, after trying out the chicken for herself, a reporter from Insider also attested that these fillets have the same flavor as the brand's signature dish. However, while the Insider reporter made chicken parmesan with the famous red bag chicken, to truly bring out the Kirkwood fillet's Chick-fil-A flavor, Aldi itself claims that you should follow one particular recipe (per Today).
The reason why Aldi chicken sandwiches taste just like Chick-fil-A's
Today reports that Aldi is well aware that its private-label poultry tastes a lot like the popular fast food chain's chicken. After all, the grocer itself reportedly revealed its golden Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich dupe recipe to the same outlet. The copycat sandwich features the grocer's pickles, brioche buns, and, of course, its red bag chicken.
According to Aldi, you should first air fry your Kirkwood fillet. After you've taken that crucial step, then you can assemble your sandwich. And, if you're up to it, you can even finish off your fast food dupe with some homemade Chick-fil-A sauce — Aldi recommends combining its honey mustard, barbecue sauce, and mayo with lemon to achieve a spread similar to the fast food chain's proprietary condiment.
But whether you add or skip the do-it-yourself sauce, know that Aldi shoppers can't get over this Kirkwood red bag chicken recipe. One TikToker who tried out the approximation loved it so much, they reported that they wouldn't need to spend their money at Chick-fil-A anymore. Another user stated they thought the chicken sandwich was "worth the hype" and "juicer than Chick-fil-A." So it seems that by taking home a $5.99 package of Aldi's red bag chicken (which weighs in at 24 ounces, per Insider), you can make and enjoy a classic Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich (per Reddit) without ever pulling out of your driveway — what a pleasure.