Here's What To Do If You Find Connective Tissue In Your Chick-Fil-A Chicken

There are really only two things worse than heartbreak — one being when McDonald's ice cream machine is down, and the other being a disappointing Chick-fil-A trip. The latter is like an unexpected heartbreak in itself — totally out of the blue (unlike McDonald's ice cream machine). When a chain that's known for its fried chicken lets you down with a low quality sandwich, that hurts. And while we totally agree that a subpar Chick-fil-A trip is a rarity, this is a fast food joint we're talking about. 

Despite following "rigorous chicken standards" and committing to only using 100% real and whole breast meat, some orders can slip through the cracks when it comes to quality control (via Chick-fil-A). Some customers have reported a growing decrease in the quality of their lunches, with one Reddit user in particular noting a disturbing trend — more and more connective tissue is popping up in their favorite chicken sandwiches. When the original poster asked fellow Chick-fil-A fans if they noticed the same off-putting trend in their sandwiches (both spicy and regular), some agreed that a rogue piece of connective tissue made its way into their meals here and there, ruining their appetite and potentially turning them off from the chain for good.

The common complaint even dates back to 2020, when another Reddit user posted about a terrible turn in Chick-fil-A's meat quality. An employee even responded in agreement, explaining that they've repeatedly had to toss chicken — before it makes its way out of the drive-thru window — because of blood clots or other defects. If you're one of the unlucky customers who stumble upon a stringy piece of chicken, it's likely due to one of two reasons — a supply chain issue, or an untrained employee. Either way, a Reddit user suggests calling up the Chick-fil-A you ordered from to report the problem. If it's a supplier issue, management will work to track down the root of the problem to avoid any future lunch fails.

On the other hand, Chick-fil-A regularly trains its employees to cut out all connective tissue when on fillet duty, so these types of quality issues shouldn't make their way into the hands of customers. The Chicken Wire even instructs those looking to make a copycat chicken sandwich at home to trim the connective tissue first and foremost — if this step is being skipped in stores, there's likely a larger training problem going on behind the employee doors. And if it is an employee problem, it's always better to provide feedback than to risk another spoiled sandwich, so do your part and give the chicken chain a call.