Chipotle Is Testing A New Menu Item And It's Giving Us Major Chick-Fil-A Vibes

Everybody wants to be like a winner, and Chick-fil-A consistently ranks as one of the nation's most well-regarded fast food chains. According to data from YouGov, it was the top-ranked restaurant for value and quality while Chipotle didn't even crack the top 10. We had the Mexican-style chain marked down as one of the 11 chain restaurants to avoid in 2026, but recently there's been signs that it may be trying to rehabilitate its image to some extent. It's not going to go the McDonald's route and offer a value menu, but is instead stealing a page from Chick-fil-A's playbook by adding crispy fried chicken as a protein option for its burritos and bowls.

According to several social media accounts, Chipotle has been test-marketing crispy breaded chicken chunks, but only California customers have gotten to try it so far. The verdict seems to be that it's not particularly spicy, and in fact tastes pretty much like fried chicken. Go figure. It also costs a bit more, reportedly $11.40 at locations where non-crispy chicken is priced at $10.15. There's no word yet about when or whether it will be added to the nationwide menu or what it will cost if it does, as this will depend on the results of the testing.

California has a glut of influencers, so there are already a number of videos up that show them eating this new chicken dish. Some of the videos aren't all that useful since the creators mostly just wave the food around and say "ooh, yummy!" or words to that effect, but the video above does repeat multiple times that the crispy chicken was in fact crispy. One excited Instagram user said, "I need to RUN there now." (Wouldn't driving be quicker?) Another confessed: "So I watched this, drove to chipotle immediately, rewatched your video, and realize you said testing location."

Others were less enthralled by the concept. As someone said in response to a different Instagram reel about the chicken, "So taking something relatively healthy compared to other fast food and making it not healthy ... got it." A third Instagram post drew a similar response which also indicated that Chipotle might want to stay in its lane: "Fried Chicken yayyyy more unhealthy options ... if I wanted Fried Chicken I'd go to Chick Fil A or Popeyes." Another person introduced an allergy concern, saying, "Wait. Is it GF??? Or does it introduce gluten into the fryers."

The most damaging verdict of all may have come from a Reddit reviewer who tried the dish and said, "I found a location with crispy chicken by accident and honestly it was mid asf. The 'crisp' wasn't crispy ... Flavor doesn't stand out either." They rated the new dish 3 out of 10 stars and said they wouldn't order it again.