Chick-fil-A patrons looking to reduce their meat consumption might soon be able to order more than just its side dishes. The fast-food chain is testing its first vegetable-based sandwich made from cauliflower.
At first glance, the test item looks like the chicken joint's traditional chicken sandwich, but what's under the toasted bun is a fried cauliflower filet topped with its traditional two dill pickle chips. The cauliflower patty is prepared similarly to Chick-fil-A's chicken. It's coated in seasoned breading but then marinated in a mild Buffalo sauce before it's cooked.
A fair amount of work went into creating the new sandwich, Chick-fil-A says, and it explored dozens of other plant-based options before settling on cauliflower. "Time and time again, we kept returning to cauliflower as the base of our sandwich," says Stuart Tracy, the chef who led the development of the product.
If your vegetarian heart is racing with excitement over the prospect of being able to bite into one of these bad boys, you'll want to reel yourself in a bit. Chick-fil-A is testing the cauliflower sandwich in only three markets: Charleston, South Carolina; Denver; and the Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina, area.
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Also, milk and eggs are used in the preparation of the cauliflower sandwich, making it unsuitable for vegans, who along with abstaining from eating animal flesh also eat no eggs or cheese. Lastly, Chick-fil-A says, "We do not designate vegetarian-only preparation surfaces."
If you're still keen, customers in the test markets can sink their teeth into the cauliflower sandwich beginning Feb. 13. If you're among them, check the Chick-fil-A app or with your local restaurant to find out which locations are offering the cauliflower sandwich. Prices vary by location, but the starting price is $6.59.