Can someone with a peanut allergy eat at chick-fil-a?

The quick answer

For the most part, yes! While this is one of the only fast food chains to use peanut oil in their kitchen, Chick-fil-A is still a safe option for the majority of peanut allergic individuals. While this may seem counterintuitive, highly-refined oils, and most notably peanut oil, are rendered non-allergenic (according to the Federal Drug Administration) through the rigorous manufacturing process.

There are still a few menu items that people with food allergies should be aware of including some salads and dessert options. As always, if you have safety concerns I highly recommend requesting an ingredient list for any food items you want to try.

The whole story

Chick-fil-A is a hugely popular fast food chain in my area. They’re primarily known for their chicken sandwiches and waffle fries, but there is a unique ingredient that sets them apart from other fast-food restaurants: peanut oil.

I remember going to Chick-fil-A for the first time in the mid-2000s with my mom. It was built right next to my childhood mall and when I heard they specialized in chicken nuggets I was sold. I gazed up at the menu and was just reaching the milkshake section when my heart stopped. In bold letters “We use 100% peanut oil for all fries, nuggets and breaded chicken sandwiches” (I was 10 or so at the time so just guessing at the wording).

For more than 50 years, Chick-fil-A has been using peanut oil to cook their food, which they claim provides a delicious flavor and quality to their menu items. However, the use of peanut oil has also sparked controversy and concern, particularly for those with peanut allergies. In this article, we will explore the benefits and risks of Chick-fil-A’s use of peanut oil, its nutritional value, and the controversies surrounding its use.

Why peanut oil?

Chick-fil-A began using peanut oil in the 1960s, when founder Truett Cathy, was looking for a healthier alternative to the cooking oils commonly used in the fast-food industry at the time. Cathy discovered that peanut oil had a high smoke point, which made it ideal for frying chicken.

This is important because the smoke point indicates at what temperature the oil starts to break down. When oils break down you’ll notice a degradation in taste, but worse than that it can form dangerous compounds that weren’t present before. Like many things, smoke point is a complicated metric but the gist of it is: try to keep your oils below their smoke point.

Another factor Cathy considered was the nutritional profile of peanut oil. Peanut oil is mostly made up of monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fat, and approximately 20% saturated fat. In the hierarchy of fats, trans fat is the big dog to avoid, and saturated fat comes in second meaning it should be limited.

MUFAs and PUFAs, which together are called unsaturated fats, are considered a healthier choice and can in fact help lower blood cholesterol and boost heart health. Omega-3 fatty acids fall into the unsaturated fat group, and I would contend they’re the powerhouse of the PUFAs.

Per tablespoon, peanut oil has 2 grams of saturated fat. Here are a few other oils with their saturated fat contents (per tablespoon) :

Canola oil – 1g

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Olive oil – 2g

Avocado oil – 2g

Lard – 5g

Palm oil – 7g

Butter – 8g

So looking at this, peanut oil isn’t at the tip top of the list but it beats out some other options.

Last but not least, peanut oil has a mild flavor that doesn’t overpower the taste of the chicken. So it can be used at high temperatures, has more MUFAs and PUFAs than saturated fat, and tastes good. I can’t blame them for choosing it, it checks a lot of boxes!

A little more about peanut oil

So looping back to our original question, can people with peanut allergies eat at Chick-fil-A considering they use peanut oil for frying? To answer this, let’s discuss the different types of peanut oil and their cooking purposes.

When I talk about types, what I really mean is manufacturing techniques. All peanut oil comes from peanuts, but not all peanut oils are made the same way. There are four main types of peanut oil:

Refined peanut oil: As the name suggests, a refining process is used to make this type of peanut oil. The refining process involves mechanical crushing, heating, oil extraction and filtering. This produces a colorless, odorless, neutral oil. You might also see terms like 100% refined or highly refined peanut oil.

Cold pressed peanut oil: This type of peanut oil is unrefined, meaning it doesn’t undergo the same crushing, heating and extracting process. This peanut oil retains a light color and peanut smell since these elements were not filtered or burned out. Unrefined peanut oil doesn’t do well for high heat cooking, so most people avoid going over 350F with this kind of oil. Gourmet peanut oil is another type of oil that falls into this category, and is a popular choice for dishes like stir fries.

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Peanut oil blends: This oil is typically used by restaurants, so you likely won’t see it on shelves. Peanut oil can be blended with other low-cost oils to reduce the overall cost of the product. Companies typically use other oils with a similar smoke point to ensure it will still work for frying.

So when it comes to peanut allergies, it all depends on the refining. During the refining process, the protein in peanuts that causes the allergic reaction is actually destroyed, rendering the oil essentially hypoallergenic.

In 1997 a study was actually conducted to determine if peanut oil triggered a reaction for people with peanut allergies and of the 60 participants, none of them had a reaction to the refined peanut oil. Most people with a severe peanut allergy will not react to refined peanut oil, and this is really the only type of peanut oil used for frying and cooking at higher temperatures.

On the other hand, unrefined, cold-pressed and crude oils can cause reactions. In the same study, a handful of the participants (6 to be exact) had a reaction when exposed to crude peanut oil. This isn’t surprising, considering the process to make unrefined oil is much less extensive and the likelihood of destroying the peanut protein is smaller. Since this type of peanut oil retains some of its nutty flavor, it is usually used as a finishing oil or later on in the cooking process to enhance the taste of the dish. It could also be used in salad dressing or sauces, so if a restaurant lists that a dish contains peanut oil it’s a good idea to ask if it is refined or unrefined.

So, Can people with peanut allergies eat at Chick-fil-A?

For the overwhelming majority of people with peanut allergies, eating at Chick-fil-A is totally fine. Chick-fil-A uses 100% refined peanut oil making it essentially hypoallergenic. Additionally, Chick-fil-A changed their frying process in the last few years and now use canola oil for their waffle potato fries. The nuggets and chicken sandwiches are still cooked in highly refined peanut oil, but in a separate fryer. They also introduced a few grilled chicken options that don’t use peanut oil, so if you are hesitant you could always opt for those!

Now, just because the majority of people won’t have severe reactions, everyone’s allergy is different. If you have ever had a negative experience with peanut oil you should be cautious with Chick-fil-A, and maybe it would be best to stick to menu items that are not fried in peanut oil.

Other major food allergens to be aware of

While peanut oil is the biggest topic when it comes to Chick-fil-A, their menu does have a few items that aren’t safe for those with peanut or tree nut allergies. If you have a food allergy, always look for an allergen information to figure out which menu items you need to avoid. From their website I have identified a few that I personally would stay away from:

1. Asian Salad – contains peanuts
2. Spicy Southwest Salad – contains peanuts
3. Trail Mix – contains peanuts and tree nuts (almonds and cashews)
4. Sundaes with toppings – toppings may contain peanuts and tree nuts (pecans)
5. Milkshakes with mix-ins – mix-ins may contain peanuts and tree nuts (cookies and brownies)

Knowing that there are allergens present in the kitchen means there is always the risk of cross contamination, but Chick-fil-A has frequently been praised for their allergen management procedures. Spokin included them in their 2018 list of Top Allergy-Friendly Chains and I know many people with allergies dine there safely.

Peanut oil is one of the ways Chick-fil-A differentiates themselves from other fast food chains. Between the favorable fat profile, high smoke point and great taste, they’re had success using peanut oil to fry their chicken (and previously their waffle fried).

I have eaten at Chick-fil-A plenty in my life and always enjoyed their nuggets, waffle fries and wraps. I appreciate their willingness to listen to the allergy community when health concerns were raised over their use of peanut oil, but I also think it was a great opportunity for everyone to learn a bit more about these types of oil.

The fact that refined peanut oil is hypoallergenic is one of my favorite tid bits to share with friends if we’re ever at a restaurant that uses peanut oil for frying. Funny enough, I recently found out that one of my favorite restaurants who have amazing fries uses peanut oil for frying!

What about you and your family? Have you tried this fast-food chain? Leave a comment with your thoughts on Chick-fil-A, or even your go-to order!