Review: Chick-Fil-A's New Spring Menu Additions Aren't Afraid To Play With A Bit Of Fire And It Mostly Works

Chick-fil-A has served up beloved chicken sandwiches since 1967 and, in 1993, introduced its own spin on the club sandwich headlined with a filet of grilled chicken. In the ensuing years, similar bacony sandwiches have launched, but not many carried a "club" name. That all changed when the tasty Chick-fil-A Pretzel Cheddar Club Sandwich was tested in select markets in 2024 and went nationwide a year later.

While other fast food and fast casual chains are wrapping up winter by focusing on packing in the proteins or offering something fantastically fishy for Lent, like Popeyes, Chick-fil-A is looking to deliver new flavors in familiar delivery mechanisms. As spring is almost in the air, a new club is in town, and this one goes by the name of Jalapeño Ranch Club Chicken Sandwich. This entree is paired with a brand-new jalapeño ranch sauce, as well as a line of beverages all sweetened with a new strawberry hibiscus flavoring.

So, is the Jalapeño Ranch Club Chicken Sandwich the kind of club you want a membership to, or should we be forced to call a spade a spade and say these new entrees are a bit of a joke? And what of the strawberry hibiscus drinks? Are they berry great, berry good, or should they just be straight-up buried? The Takeout was treated to a sneak peek preview, and now we're ready to divulge all in this chew and review, and sip and say.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

In advance of their release in stores, the fine folks at Chick-fil-A held a taste preview for members of the media for the Jalapeño Ranch Club Chicken Sandwich and the line of strawberry hibiscus beverages. The drinks were presented first, followed by the sandwiches. I chose my own order of consumption and consumed it on site at a Chick-fil-A location in Manhattan, New York. Multiple bites and sips were taken of each item before drawing final conclusions. Needless to say, there were a lot of bites and a lot of sips. 

This review is a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions. I also took into consideration my previous experiences with Chick-fil-A, its past and present roster of chicken sandwiches, beverages, and my current experience with these new items. The ultimate criteria considered for this review were flavor, presentation, smell, texture, familiarity, and originality.

The Chick-fil-A Jalapeño Ranch Club Chicken Sandwich starts with a chicken filet — be it original, spicy, or grilled — which is housed in a toasted buttermilk ranch bun, along with a slice of pepper jack cheese, strips of caramelized onion-flavored candied bacon, lettuce, tomato, and pickled jalapeños. It comes with a side packet of jalapeño ranch sauce. The Jalapeño Ranch Club Chicken Sandwich previously had a test run in the Salt Lake City area last summer. The test must have gone well enough that it was deemed worthy of being sold nationwide in 2026.

The Jalapeño Ranch Club Chicken Sandwich is being joined on menus by a new line of beverages, all flavored to the tune of strawberry hibiscus. According to Chick-fil-A, the goal of the beverage was to offer a sweet sip that complements both the creaminess of the ranch and the kick of the jalapeño. This is a pre-mixture that is used to flavor an assortment of Chick-fil-A beverages, including lemonade, iced tea, Sunjoy (which is its take on the iconic Arnold Palmer), and frosted lemonade, which leans on the talents of its signature Icedream dessert. There is also a special drink where the strawberry hibiscus finds a home in a cup of Sprite. This is not Chick-fil-A's first foray into strawberry or hibiscus-infused beverages, as others have dotted menus over the past decade.

Starting on March 9, the three Jalapeño Ranch Club Sandwich variants and five strawberry hibiscus beverages will start appearing on menus at participating Chick-fil-A locations nationwide. They will remain on menus for a limited time only, while supplies last. For those who can't wait, some locations are hosting exclusive VIP tasting events for Signature Members in advance of their official release.

The beverages are available whenever Chick-fil-A is open for business — which famously means not on Sundays. The three sandwiches are only available at Chick-fil-A when breakfast ends, and the rest of the day's menu begins. The items can be ordered in-store at the counter, kiosk, or drive-thru, where available. Advanced ordering for dine-in, carry-out, or delivery can be done through Chick-fil-A's app or website. Additional fees may apply to orders placed for delivery or through third-party sites. Many of the items are customizable, allowing you to add or remove ingredients.

Prices may vary by location, but the starting prices for the various strawberry hibiscus beverages are as follows: Strawberry Hibiscus & Sprite for $2.89, Strawberry Hibiscus Lemonade or Sunjoy for $3.25, and the Strawberry Hibiscus Frosted Lemonade at $4.75. The standard Original Jalapeño Ranch Club Sandwich starts at $7.75, the Spicy Jalapeño Ranch Club Sandwich for $8.15, and the Grilled Jalapeño Ranch Club Sandwich starts at $8.69.

I picked up the standard issue of the Jalapeño Ranch Club (610 calories) with the original chicken filet under its hood. Speaking of its hood, the bun was definitely a visual departure from Chick-fil-A's usual fare. This bun looked like a bunch of buttered mini-dinner rolls mashed together. They were accented with green flecks of seasonings. I leaned in for a whiff, and they lovingly smelled like a bag of Lay's Sour Cream & Onion chips.

I started my dining experience with a bite of the bun, which tasted like a fluffy and mild garlic bread. Next, I cut off a piece of the dull white slice of pepper jack cheese, which had a bit of pungency and a dash of pep. Then I nibbled a piece of the bacon, which was slightly crisp and nicely chewy, with a candied coating that adds fun texture compared to the company's usual strips of bacon. The other adornment was a decorative, overly leafy plume of lettuce, as well as two hefty slices of juicy tomatoes and a few slices of pickled jalapeños lying low below this hefty stack.

Taken as a complete bite, the sandwich's flavors unfold all at once. The jalapeño kicker was a handy bit of spice, and well-balanced with the ranch. The fried chicken filet and the bacon chipped in with two types of crunch, adding up to a complex, but overall delicious sandwich. This is all going on without even a drop of the side sauce packet included.

The grilled version of Jalapeño Ranch Club (470 calories) had the same make-up as its fried older brothers, but didn't visually pop as much with a more subdued slab of meat between the buns. The grilled filet is a flatter piece of meat with a paler complexion, almost camouflaged amongst the sea of other ingredients. Looks aren't everything, and if you've ever had Chick-fil-A's grilled chicken sandwich before, you know it's not only a healthier alternative but delicious in its own right. The chicken here was both juicy and well seasoned, and who could ask for anything more?

When I took a full bite of this sandwich, it obviously lacked the crunch the original filet provided, but in turn allowed the veggies, particularly the jalapeño slices, to shine a lot more. The former brought a new sense of freshness to the sandwich, and the latter somehow infused a lot more heat to the table. It came together as another great variation of the Jalapeño Ranch Club, which I liked the more I chomped away at it.

I had an inkling that the Spicy Jalapeño Ranch Club (640 calories) would pack the most wallop, so I decided to sample it last. Again, this sandwich looked like the other two, but the fried skin of this filet had a brighter, more radiant, orange-brown hue compared to the more deep brown original filet.

After biting down on this sandwich, my senses quickly heightened. The spice of the chicken, as well as the pickled punch of the jalapeños, worked in unison to deliver the most lively bite of all three sandwiches. The spice was contained and didn't stretch into overwhelming territory. It was more of a splash of heat than a conflagration, but it made the mouth take immediate notice that this is a fire worth playing with. It won't help loosen up the sinuses, but at least your mouth will easily survive the experience.

Just like its sandwiches, Chick-fil-A has many different beverage options in which to host a new flavor. The promise of strawberry hibiscus didn't immediately register a flavor profile in my mind, but I assumed it was a mix that gave precedence to the beloved seeded berry.

When viewed from afar, the unsweetened Chick-fil-A Strawberry Hibiscus Iced Tea almost looked like a watered-down cola. Upon closer inspection, the usual light brown tea's liquid body here had a welcoming pink tint. A quick whiff revealed some semblance of a strawberry flavoring.

I am personally not a giant iced tea person, but my first sip of this strawberry hibiscus take on the beverage cemented it as one of the best drinks I've tried at Chick-fil-A. I was relieved that the strawberry flavoring was subtle and not at all artificial. It blended in quite well to cut down on the brewed taste of tea. This was a good entry point to Chick-fil-A's new strawberry hibiscus line.

Chick-fil-A makes an excellent lemonade, and after a good first taste of strawberry hibiscus swimming in the iced tea, I was sure the results would be as good, if not better, here. The floating, choppy ice at the top created an interesting color gradient in this drink's body, where it was a light pink near the top of the cup and gradually became more vivid, popping shades of pink as it worked its way to the bottom.

A quick sip and my taste buds jarringly came alive, in a similar fashion as when I got down to business with the Spicy Jalapeño Ranch Club. Everything about this drink was a night-and-day difference from the iced tea. The combination of puckery lemon with the tangy strawberry hibiscus created a sweet bomb explosion that the mouth was more than happy to run into. While that sweetness may prove too saccharine for some, I had no problem leaning into it. The Chick-fil-A Strawberry Hibiscus Lemonade (270 calories) rapidly became one of the more dependable drinks, helping wash down the three large sandwiches on my docket.

After dabbling with the iced tea and lemonade varieties of strawberry hibiscus, it was time to focus on the Sunjoy fusion of the two. The tea's darker coloring dragged down the fun pink color scale of the lemonade to establish a clouded drink that could maybe pass as water from a lake. Through the side of the plastic cup, I saw something you don't often see in the Chick-fil-A lemonade: pulp. This drink had a mildly sweet lemon scent to it.

The lemonade was a tough act to follow, but the Strawberry Hibiscus Sunjoy (240 calories) tried its best. Its iced tea aspects were able to stand out amongst the more dominating, sweeter tones of the lemonade. Overall, it provided a happy medium for those who want something a bit more fruity and tangy than iced tea, as well as a step down from the sweetness rush that comes with lemonade.

I'm not sure that we, as a society, have spent enough time praising the greatness that is Chick-fil-A's Frosted Lemonade. While a milkshake is a pure dessert, the Chick-fil-A Frosted Lemonade is fluid enough to pass as a beverage that can be enjoyed before, during, or after a meal, or on its own as a treat. I had zero doubts that the winning strawberry hibiscus flavoring wouldn't translate well to the smooth sipper.

Although strawberry-flavored food and drink items tend to be a fluffy pink, this one was closer to white. From the moment the beverage first hit my tongue, the Chick-fil-A Strawberry Hibiscus Frosted Lemonade (360 calories) was certified awesome. This quickly became a problem, as I couldn't stop myself from endlessly slurping this one down. The only sign to stop this magnificent madness was the rapidly forming brain freeze threatening to take hold. I finally broke free and fought back with a gulp of water and a bite of the nearest Jalapeño Ranch Club.

Last, but not least, is the marriage of the strawberry hibiscus and good old Sprite (190 calories). By its charming looks, it could pass as a light Shirley Temple, or even the Chick-fil-A Strawberry Hibiscus Lemonade. For a few moments, I was actually confused which drink was which, but a quick sip was enough to tell the two apart.

My first approach was a good one, with a scent that hinted at its Sprite-ness. Sadly, that was the last trace of the famous lemon-lime flavoring I encountered. Of the five drinks I tackled, the strawberry hibiscus somehow either didn't translate or had its flavoring skewed in such a way that it made it impossible to enjoy.

I am a huge Sprite fan, and an equally big fan of this new strawberry hibiscus flavoring, but somehow bringing them together resulted in a total miss. I'm not sure how it didn't work when it did with the other drinks and their lemony flavors. Maybe it was the lime that threw it offline — or should we say "off-lime"?

There were a lot of flavors flying about in these new items springing up at Chick-fil-A, and you honestly can't go wrong with any of them. Well, except that pesky Chick-fil-A Strawberry Hibiscus & Sprite drink. I'm not sure how that one didn't work, but I had some equally mixed feelings for last fall's Cherry Berry & Sprite. Still, the strawberry hibiscus jelled very well with the other beverages. My recommended picks for best drinking results are the Strawberry Hibiscus Lemonade — or, if your brain can handle the freeze, the Strawberry Hibiscus Frosted Lemonade.

A week ago, I encountered McDonald's supposed next big thing: The Big Arch. Sadly, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Thankfully, Chick-fil-A's Jalapeño Ranch Club is trotting into stores to make a much more positive impression. It is a fantastic sandwich in any of the three iterations, and I suggest you order one with your chicken filet of choice. The sandwiches were great on their own, but after eating half of each, I decided it was time to finally employ the packet of jalapeño ranch sauce (70 calories). Do not forget to add this condiment, folks. This creamy concoction adds a spiced-up cool ranch seasoning that takes the sandwich to a whole other level. Beware when applying it to the Spicy Jalapeño Ranch Club, though, as it may send your senses into a tailspin.

So, where do we go from here? Well, a Chick-fil-A Avocado Sriracha BLT Sandwich recently wrapped up testing rounds in the Oklahoma City area, and just by appearance alone, the future of Chick-fil-A seems mighty delicious. I'm ready for a bite of tomorrow, but totally content for now to have another go at these Jalapeño Ranch Clubs, sloshed with their namesake sauce, and cleansing the palate with those super smooth strawberry hibiscus beverages.