Product Review: Chick-fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup

Quick Service Restaurant Chain Chick-fil-A started the New Year debuting a brand new product, Chicken Tortilla Soup. The new soup, actually a white chicken chili is yet another item to heat up Chick-fil-A's menu as a new spicier option to accompany the current chicken soup that the company has offered for several years. The new soup has a thick creamy base with navy beans, northern white beans, and black beans, plus shredded white meat chicken, and is more of a craft soup with a southern flair than traditional "fast food" fare. This tastes more like something you'd run into in a chili cookoff, albeit with beans. The seasoning is tasty but not overpowering, and the spicy flavor, partly the result of using chicken with the same cayenne pepper marinade as the spicy sandwiches on the Chick-fil-A menu, is hot, but not as hot as the spicy sandwiches. It is about a medium level for chili, and should be about right for the average diner. Those wanting a hot spicy chili may find it a little bland, and should probably choose a spicy sandwich from the menu instead. The Chicken Tortilla Soup is served with a packet of seasoned tortilla strips on the side instead of traditional crackers. Other ingredients include onions, corn, sour cream, green chili peppers, bell peppers, garlic and sea salt.

Chick-fil-A offers several side items if you want something to go along with it, such as waffle fries, fruit cups, a side salad, or southern style carrot and raisin salad. Or you could order a sandwich with the soup as a side if you have a larger apetite.

Nutritional Information

The medium bowl of soup, 8 fluid ounces, has 230 calories, not bad for a main meal entree. It contains 5 grams of fat of which 2 grams are saturated fats, a whopping 14 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugars, and 19 grams of protein. It contains 49 milligrams of cholesterol, 860 milligrams of sodium, and 26 grams of carbohydrates.

How does it rate?

I found the taste and texture to be quite pleasing. It was not overly spicy, but it would not be wise to order without anything to drink. I liked it with or without the tortilla strips, and I also liked it served with saltine crackers, which I requested instead of the tortilla strips with my second bowl. The shredded chicken is much like you would make at home, and was not what I expected from a quick service restaurant. The chicken is fresh cooked and shredded in the restaurant, so it really is made by hand, a tradition with Chick-fil-A for most of their menu items. I liked the balance of chicken and vegetables, and those along with the thick texture of the base made me feel as if I had really had a meal, in contrast with many soups which I feel are great for a side, but not as an entree. The overall blend of seasonings was great, and the soup had a fresh, rich, just-made taste. This is listed as a limited time offering, so if you want to try it, don't wait long, or it will be gone.

Overall rating, 10 out of 10. I highly recommend it!

David