Welcome to Chick-fil-A!

Ever since I moved to the South, I've had an affinity for the incredibly popular fast-food chain, Chick-fil-A. My love for Chick-fil-A is often displayed in my constant Facebook updates. Let's review some from the past year.

and my very favorite mobile upload from when Jenna and I stole borrowed bouquets:

I swear I thought they threw the flowers out at the end of the night so I was just helping them take out the trash...right? Apparently they reuse them. Please forgive me, Jesus.

On May 13th of this year, I updated my status like normal. Little did I know that this post would change my life! 

In response to this, my friend Camille said:

To make a long story short, Rick and Debbie Blind, the owners of a local Chick-fil-A, started reading my blog and enjoying my random Chick-fil-A related statuses. Last week, Rick invited me in for a tour! 

We met up on Tuesday night and discussed all things under the sun: the future of my blog, restaurant reviews, fitness, our moves to the South, andddd of course, he and his wife's history with Chick-fil-A. I learned so much about their process of becoming owners. Chick-fil-A is very selective about whom they choose, and out of numerous applicants each year, only a select few are chosen. The running joke is that it's easier to get into the CIA than Chick-fil-A. I strongly believe the success of this company and quality of their service is due to this difficult selection process.
 
After chit-chatting slash picking each other's brains, it was time for fun! I got to see how things are run in the kitchen, how they store everything, and how food is prepared. Here's a lesson on preparing their #1 selling sandwich.

Meet Andrew, Rick's younger brother/Chick-fil-A extraordinaire: 

Wearing gloves, pick up the marinated chicken breast by the skinny end. This ensures maximum coating potential.

Dip chicken into the milk & egg wash.

Lay chicken in the flour mixture.

Completely cover with flour and press down to coat.

Voila! A perfectly coated chicken breast!

Transfer chicken to the Henny Penny for frying. Did you know that Chick-fil-A cooks their chicken in 100% refined peanut oil, that is not partially hydrogenated? Say no to trans fats!

Say "Bye-bye! Time to fry!" Ok, they don't really say that, but I was thinking it as it was happening.

Four minutes later, remove a delicious original chicken breast.

 Add a buttered, toasted bun, 2 perfect pickles and there you have the #1:

I also learned how to make one of my favorite desserts: an IceDream!

While holding cone underneath, turn on the IceDream machine and let the soft serve flow.

An Icedream cone is your healthiest dessert option at 170 calories. It's better than regular ice cream because it contains less sugar and only 4g of fat.

Ask me if I ate that. I dare you.

People often ask me, "Christina, how do you eat Chick-fil-A so much? They serve fried chicken, waffle fries, and milkshakes? That's not healthy." Pshhhhh. My response: "On naughty days (aka the weekends) I can eat those things, but during the week I select from many of their healthy options." 

The Men's Health book series Eat This, Not That grades Chick-fil-A an A- for food options. "Between the breakfast and lunch menus, there's only one entrée at Chick-fil-A that breaks 500 calories, and that's the 530-calorie Sausage Biscuit." Displayed below are my two favorite entrees.

Chargrilled & Fruit Salad, 230 calories (before dressing & granola topping):

Southwest Chargrilled Salad, 240 calories:

And as much as we all love the famous waffle fries shown here...

there are healthier alternatives. For no additional cost, you can get the carrot & raisin salad or coleslaw. Premium sides include a fruit cup, chicken noodle soup, a side salad, or a yogurt parfait (granola or Oreo topping).

Healthier drink options include 100% juice, milk, low fat chocolate milk, Dasani bottled water, and Diet Lemonade (sooooooo good!).

More reasons why I love this place:

• They use quality ingredients rather than generic goods.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• They're all about perfection. See this pickle here? This is deemed unacceptable.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Their customer service is outstanding. Everyone is just so darn nice. Have you noticed how often they say "My pleasure" when serving you? I always think, "Your pleasure? Are you kidding me? Plop that Chargrilled sandwich in front of my face and I'll show you what pleasure is."
•  The funny cow mascot. It's everywhere.
  
  
  
  
  
  

I want to send a huuuuge thank you to Rick for letting me visit and teaching me all about my favorite restaurant. Special thanks to Andrew for showing me how the original sandwich is made and to the other workers for not judging my extreme love for their place of employment. But by far, the very best part of my visit...I got to ride in the Chick-fil-A car! Dreams really do come true, people. You just have to put them in your Facebook status! Ha!

If there is a Chick-fil-A near you, get in your car and go. Right now. If you don't live by one, get on a plane. Otherwise, my heart hurts for you...You are missing out.