A user on TikTok claims that Chick-fil-A “changed” their chicken—and many commenters agree.
In a video with over 3.9 million views as of Friday, TikTok user Brynn (@brynnboo) writes, “Me after chick fil a changed their chicken.” The video shows the TikToker covering her mouth and then throwing her Chick-fil-A meal in the garbage.
Commenters immediately chimed in to say that she was onto something.
“I’ve NEVER had a gross piece of chicken from there until the last time I went. You know the feeling when it’s chewy & like ligamenty. I had to spit it out,” a user wrote.
“That’s why my last sandwich was a weird texture?! I thought it was just a one off thing,” added another.
“I’m seeing this right after I finished eating my CFA and it is in fact not the same,” stated a third.
In general, commenters said there were two main issues with the chicken. First, commenters cited a perceived change in the chickens’ flavor, with some claiming that it now tastes “too much like chicken.” Second, many noted an apparent texture difference in the chicken.
So are these concerns valid? To start, it is true that Chick-fil-A recently announced that it would be changing its sourcing for chicken. Per the company’s website, “Chick-fil-A will shift from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM).”
“NAE means no antibiotics of any kind were used in raising the animal. NAIHM restricts the use of those antibiotics that are important to human medicine and commonly used to treat people, and allows use of animal antibiotics only if the animal and those around it were to become sick,” the company explains.
However, they also state that this change would be rolled out in Spring of this year, so it’s unclear if it’s already in effect. Furthermore, commenters cite negative experiences with the chicken before this proposed rollout, so it’s unlikely that this is the source of their complaints.
Instead, what may be happening here is a problem related to what experts call “spaghetti meat.” This is where, owing to the meat industry’s efforts to make chickens grow bigger more quickly, their meat can sometimes end up with an unpleasant, stringy texture.
“Spaghetti meat…began appearing in 2015 and now can be detected in around 4% to 5% of breast meat samples, researchers said,” writes author Jacob Bunge for the Wall Street Journal. “Meat scientists said they suspect the rapid growth rate of commercially raised chickens may lead breast muscle tissue to outgrow the oxygen supply provided by chickens’ developing circulatory systems, at which point muscle fibers can degrade. That can alter the density and texture of the meat, they said.”
@brynnboo The worst betrayal 😔 #boycottchickfilachickensandwhiches ♬ original sound – 𝑆𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑦_𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑑𝑈𝑝
As far as the flavor is concerned, the source and legitimacy of this claim are unclear, though the taste of chicken has been noted to have changed over time.
That said, many commenters say that they’ve recently eaten Chick-fil-A and have not experienced the supposed flavor and texture difference.
“I eat cfa like three times a week and I don’t think they’ve changed it yet in Tennessee,” detailed a user.
“I just ate it yesterday and mine was fine or i ate it too fast to notice idk,” offered another.
The Daily Dot reached out to Chick-fil-A via its media request form and Brynn via TikTok direct message.
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