Are Chick Fil A Nuggets Gluten-free?

Find out if Chick Fil A nuggets are safe for a gluten-free diet, and what Chick Fil A menu items are gluten-free.

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If you love a quick lunch option, you may have swung by Chick Fil A for a burger or nuggets. This fast food restaurant offers a number of different quick lunch and dinner options, like burgers, sandwiches, fries, and chicken nuggets.

If you have been to a Chick Fil A recently and wondered about this specific menu item and how it may fit into your gluten-free diet, know you’re not alone.

In this post, we’re going to dive into Chick Fil A’s chicken nuggets, find out what they’re made of, what Chick Fil A’s stance is on allergens and cross contamination, and get an answer to the big question “Are Chick Fil A nuggets gluten-free?”

What kinds of nuggets does Chick-Fil-A serve?

Chick-Fil-A offers two kinds of nuggets, as well as chicken strips. They have their breaded crispy chicken nuggets, as well as grilled nuggets. Their chicken strips are also breaded and crispy.

Read on: Gluten-free chicken nugget brands

What are Chick-Fil-A nuggets made from?

The ingredients in Chick-Fil-A nuggets according to the Chick Fil A website are:

“Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breast meat nuggets, salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika, enriched bleached flour [with malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, nonfat milk, leavening [baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate], spice, soybean oil, color [paprika], pasteurized nonfat milk, pasteurized egg, fully refined peanut oil [with dimethylpolysiloxane {an anti-foam agent} added])”

The ingredients in the grilled nuggets from Chick-Fil-A are:

“Boneless skinless, chicken breast containing up to 16% solution of water, seasoning (yeast extract, onion powder, sea salt, garlic powder, sugar, salt, corn maltodextrin, gum arabic, natural flavor, lemon juice concentrate, vinegar solids), chicken flavor (chicken breast meat, chicken stock, salt, maltodextrin), modified corn starch, apple cider vinegar, water, soybean oil, sugar, cane molasses, salt, spices, chicken fat, dehydrated onion, yeast extract, corn maltodextrin, lemon peel, dehydrated garlic, red bell pepper, paprika, parsley, xanthan gum, natural flavor (including smoke) and calcium disodium EDTA (to protect quality), canola oil, high oleic canola oil, dimethylpolysiloxane added to reduce foaming”

Note that the website shares that the ingredients will vary from location to location, so keep this in mind before ordering based solely on the information in this post. You can go to the Chick Fil A website and find the location closest to you to get an ingredient list for the chicken nuggets made at your Chick Fil A.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape.

Gluten is naturally occurring, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there’s no way to make that food gluten-free.

Gluten is often added as a binding ingredient in many foods, especially food that is battered and fried like some french fries, crispy chicken, and onion rings.

Are Chick-Fil-A nuggets gluten-free?

Chick-Fil-A nuggets are not considered gluten-free. They contain wheat ingredients, and therefore should not be consumed by folks who have gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

The grilled nuggets from Chick-Fil-A do not contain any wheat ingredients. There is still a chance for cross contamination in the restaurant’s prep area in the kitchen. Keep this in mind before ordering from this restaurant if you’re trying to stick to a gluten-free diet.

Does Chick-Fil-A offer any gluten-free food items?

Chick-Fil-A offers a page on their website to help determine what menu items are safe for folks who avoid gluten.

According to this article, these are the options that are most likely to be free of gluten at their restaurants and have a very minimal chance of cross contact:

Gluten-free bun
Honest Kids Appley Ever After Organic Juice Drink
Cinnamon Apple Sauce (Buddy Fruits)
Milk
Simply Orange Orange Juice
Waffle Potato Chips

They do have other menu items that may not contain gluten ingredients, but there is still a chance for cross contamination in the prep areas in the kitchen.

You can see a full list of these menu items that do not contain gluten ingredients here: Chick-Fil-A Gluten-free Menu Items

Can I eat grilled nuggets from Chick-Fil-A on a gluten-free diet?

Depending on the level of sensitivity to gluten you have, you may or may not choose to order the grilled nuggets from Chick-Fil-A.

Though the grilled nuggets don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients, the restaurant makes it clear that there is a chance of cross contamination during preparation of this menu item.

Know your body’s reaction to gluten and be your own best judge as to what you can tolerate before ordering this menu item.

If you’ve been wondering if Chick-Fil-A offers chicken nuggets that are safe for a gluten-free diet, I hope this information has been helpful for you.

Though the traditional Chick-Fil-A breaded nuggets contain wheat and aren’t a good choice for folks on a gluten-free diet, the grilled nuggets have no gluten ingredients.

Keep in mind that there is still a chance for cross contamination with these grilled nuggets, so enjoy after some careful consideration as to how you know your body responds to trace amounts of gluten.

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More Gluten-free Restaurant Menu Items

Gluten-free menu items from popular restaurants

If you’re looking at other popular restaurants and wondering what gluten-free menu items they offer, be sure to check out my Gluten-free Restaurant Guide. I’ve outlined all the gluten-free options from 45+ popular restaurants and fast food chains.

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