The Fast Food Restaurant With The Best Soup

Fast food isn't associated with soup as often as it is with burgers or burritos, but that doesn't mean fast food soup can't be good. There are soups and chilis hidden across the menus of many quick-service restaurants. Some of them make delicious sides for a full meal, while others are best left ignored. Mashed ranked 14 fast food soups from worst to best, factoring in quality, taste, and customer reviews, and we determined that Chick-fil-A's Chicken Tortilla Soup reigns supreme.

We loved this particular soup because it's hearty, balanced, and warming. If cold weather had a signature meal, this soup would be it. The soup features shredded chicken breast, navy and black beans, corn, and peppers in a creamy broth (plus a secret ingredient of sour cream for an extra tang). Extra flavor comes from its various herbs and spices, which include cilantro and green chilies for a kick of heat. The cherry on top (so to speak) is its crunchy tortilla strips, which make the soup a textural delight. This rich, Southwestern soup is so good, you may just want to order a bowl-size serving and skip the sandwich.

Ordering soup at Chick-fil-A may seem niche, but customers who stumble upon the chain's Chicken Tortilla Soup for the first time will no doubt be pleasantly surprised by its well-rounded flavors and textures, which transcend typical fast food expectations. One such Yelp reviewer admitted, "Boy, have I been missing out," and eloquently described the soup as "Piping hot, dense, creamy, flavor-rich liquid gold!"

This soup is, indeed, rare as gold since it might not even be on the menu when you go looking for it. Chick-fil-A's Chicken Tortilla Soup is an anticipated fall and winter seasonal item (and has been since it was introduced in 2012). Also, it's equally as flavorful as it is filling, with 44 grams of protein in a bowl and 23 in a cup. This, coupled with its seasonal scarcity effect, puts this soup in another league of fast food creations. If you're looking for a fast food soup to hold you over in the meantime, Panera's Cheddar Broccoli Soup came in second place, and 39% of people we surveyed say it's the best soup at Panera.