You may have seen on various gluten free pages and groups the rumor that Chick-Fil-A grilled chicken filet and nuggets are no longer gluten free. I myself shared the rumor on my Instagram page so people could be informed while I find out more information. I did a poll to see if people would rather get info right away so they can proceed with caution or get information when confirmed. So far, 73% want information right away. I know this may feel daunting to the 27%, I get not wanting to worry about something unless you have to. By this point I’ve gotten all information that I can. Fun fact, I love a good research project! I’ll break down what I’ve found.
I saw this information shared in a Facebook group that I’m in. Several people said they reached out to their CFA and were told it remains gluten free but now contains dairy. However, there were quite a few people who reported hearing confirmation from their CFA that gluten is now in the ingredients. One person said that per their store the recipe changed, another said it was a supply chain issue and they hope to return it to the regular recipe soon.Some of the confusion undoubtedly comes from the fact that in August it was announced that the grilled chicken now contains dairy due to a mishap with a supplier. This had been updated on their website and many stores have signs posted about it. You can read an article about it here and through the CFA website here.
If I’m reporting something I’m not going by word of mouth, I’m going to try to confirm it myself. I ended up calling 4 CFA locations. I called 2 in Albuquerque and 2 in Los Angeles. Here is how 2 of 4 of those conversations went.Keep that number in mind, 2 of 4.Me: Is it true that the grilled chicken and nuggets are no longer gluten free?
Them: Yes, they now contain dairy and we hope to return them to their usual recipe soon.
Me: Hold up, I’m asking about gluten not dairy.
Them: Oh. gLuTeN….. Let me go ask.
They went on to confirm that they remain gluten free.
I even reached out to a location in West Covina that the original poster (OP) posted about the gluten change in Facebook received the information from. When I called they told me that that aren’t allowed to say one way or another if they are gluten free and cannot guarantee. They could however show me the ingredients if I came in and then I could decide if I would eat it. I expressed some confusion and stated I’d already heard from other location that it is gluten free and I was only verifying with them because someone I know had heard otherwise from them. I also communicated that I heard directly from the CFA social media through a personal message that they remain gluten free with no gluten containing ingredients. They took my info and said they would get back to me. They did not.
That brings me to CFA social media. I reached out through their website, which was not user friendly for requesting a reply. Social media is where I had best luck. When I reached out I got a response the next morning saying, “Although the ingredients in our grilled chicken filet and grilled nuggets are gluten free, we cannot ensure that our restaurant or any menu items will be completely free of gluten due to shared cooking and preparation areas.” They linked me to their ingredients/allergen info here. When you click on either item and drop down the ingredients it says “To see further ingredients, you need to check your location and look at the restaurant’s menu.”. I explained about the information received from West Covina and asked twice if the ingredients vary by store and have not yet received a direct response. I looked at their Allergen chart and saw that Wheat is checked on the grilled chicken fillet sandwich and not the nuggets. Though I assume the sandwich marked with wheat is accounting for the bread since they still have this website listing it as gluten free if subbing a gluten free bun. I do notice that the allergen mark says wheat and not gluten. As we know, items can be wheat free and not gluten free. I said as much to CFA and have not heard back.
I spoke with 2 people with work history ties to CFA. One is our very own Gluten Free Dave, who said in a comment that his son worked there before and the allergen training was pretty much non existent. Another person said that when she worked there, granted years ago, the marinade had gluten in it and they would have to make fresh grilled chicken if someone reported a gluten allergy. Someone else commented that their location of current was always “really good about asking if I want mine without the marinade due to an allergy when I say I need it gluten free.” I explained about the confusion on the marinade to CFA and asked if that was also gluten free and they simply replied by repeating their assertion that the grilled chickens had no gluten containing ingredients.
Given the varying information, I see where the confusion has come from. I would still like clarification that each store keeps the same ingredients and doesn’t vary in that way but over all it appears by current report from CFA that the gluten free recipe stays the same. I’m thinking that, like the 2 workers I spoke to, they were confusing dairy for gluten. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened in my life that when I ask about gluten free options I hear about vegan options, dairy free options and anything other than gluten. Though our world has come a long way when it comes to understanding gluten, this does go to show that ignorance and confusion is still alive and well.
This whole confusion is bringing back memories of the old McDonald’s fries debate. I remember at one point they were claiming they were gluten free then all the sudden wheat was listed as an ingredient. Here is an article from 2008 breaking down a lawsuit and varying claims about gluten/wheat being in the fries. Here is another in 2010 explaining about how food labeling laws brought new information about wheat ingredients and that testing was done to find under 20 ppm of gluten, allowing the gluten free label. Keep in mind this is 12 years ago so I’m not sure what has happened with the recipe since. Gluten Dude also talked about this back in 2014. As of now, wheat is listed in the ingredients for their fries and threy are widely not considered celiac safe. I have a McDondald’s story high light on instagram if you want to check that out for more information.
Regarding Chick-Fil-A, for now my consensus is that the grilled chickens remains free of gluten but may not be safe for those with celiac or a serious allergy. This is not my go-ahead to go an eat it, that is a decision you have to make for yourself as always.
