Is Sam’s Club Southern Style Chicken REALLY as Good as Chick-fil-A?

By Jenna | Staff Writer

Sep 15, 2020 @ 2:29 PM MDT

Hip2Save may earn a small onlinemission at no extra cost to you via trusted partners and affiliate links in this post. Prices and availability are accurate as of time posted. Read our full disclosure policy here.

Chick-Fil-A 7 days a week?! 😱

We heard through the grapevine that the Sam’s Club Member’s Mark Southern Style chicken sandwiches and waffle fries taste exactly like the Chick-fil-A ones! Of course, we just had to find out for ourselves.

Imagine being able to have Chick-fil-A (or the next best thing, anyway) seven days a week – right from the onlinefort of your own home!

We sent Stetson to Sam’s Club to buy these Southern Style products and see if they really are Chick-fil-A dupes, or if the Member’s Mark version is nothing more than Chick-FAIL-A.

Watch a replay of Stetson’s LIVE video.

He shared how to make the Member’s Mark frozen foods at home & his thoughts during his taste test.

Member’s Mark Southern Style Chicken Sandwich

The Member’s Mark Southern Style Chicken Sandwiches are sold at Sam’s Club in a 10-count box for $15.98. As a tip, if you struggle to find them in your club, check the endcaps where some readers claimed to find theirs. You’d spend more than $35 to get that many Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches! 😱

Some readers shared that if you air fry the Sam’s Club chicken patty and heat the bun separately, you get an even crunchier chicken sandwich that’s irresistibly good!

Stetson prepared his chicken sandwich according to the directions on the box which meant popping it into the microwave for just 90 seconds! Other than the fact it doesn’t onlinee with pickles (and the bun looks a little different), it’s a dead ringer for the Chick-fil-A sandwich as far as looks go! 👏

Stetson’s taste test thoughts:

“This is going to sound crazy, but I thought the Sam’s Club sandwich tasted exactly like Chick-fil-A! It’s spot on! I’m telling you, put it inside a Chick-fil-A wrapper, and no one will even know the difference. I don’t normally cook, but this made me into a pro instantly and all I needed to do was pop it in the microwave for 90 seconds! Plus, you get 10 of them for $15.98 – I think it’s a great buy!”

Member’s Mark Southern Style Chicken Bites

Sam’s Club sells the Member’s Mark Southern Style Chicken Bites in three-pound bags for a mere $9.98. However, at Chick-fil-A, 8 nuggets will cost you $3.75! Although the nuggets from Sams Club were tasty, they weren’t a great substitute for Chick-fil-A.

On top of that, many readers who have tried them previously, onlinemented about how much they and their families seriously disliked them! Many said they have an awful texture and the strange pickle taste leaves even pickle lovers confused. Sorry nuggets lovers, it sounds like this is a true Chick-FAIL-A!

Here’s Stetson’s thoughts:

“My air fryer and I did really well getting these chicken bites to look just like Chick-fil-A’s nuggets. The nuggets tasted decent, but not like Chick-fil-A’s. They tasted like they were missing the spicy seasoning Chick-fil-A uses. Having said that, I would still eat them on any given day as they were yummy and a great value.”

Member’s Mark Southern Style Waffle Fries

At Sam’s Club, you can get four pounds of their Member’s Mark Southern Style Waffle Fries for $4.98. A large fry from Chick-fil-A cost Stetson $2.09 in his area. Prepared in the air fryer, you could hear in the live video that they came out nice and crispy.

Stetson’s taste test thoughts:

“With these waffle fries being just $4.98 for four pounds, they’re totally worth it! They were on point and they taste just like Chick-Fil-A. Like the chicken sandwich, you could fill a Chick-fil-A fry box with the Member’s Mark fries, and no one would tell the difference!”

The final verdict:

There you have it, Hip friends! While the chicken bites weren’t a good stand-in for Chick-fil-A nuggets, the Member’s Mark chicken sandwich and the waffle fries look, feel, and (most importantly) taste very similar to what you’d get at Chick-fil-A.

All you need is 2 pickles, and you’ve got yourself a Chick-fil-A copycat meal for a fraction of the cost and good enough to fool your loved ones. Stetson says it would fool him, and this guy knows a thing or two about chicken sandwiches. 😏

Save money at Sam’s Club with all the latest shopping tips and hot deals!

About the writer:

Jenna has a Bachelor's Degree from Lyonlineing College and her Master's from Penn State, holding 4 years of writing experience between a variety of publications and Hip2Save.

Join The Discussion

onlinements 123

burksaving September 15, 2020 at 9:39 am MST

My three thought the nuggets were okay. The sandwiches bread was terrible. We pulled them off and froze the patty separately. I have the buns froze and am thinking about making croutons out of them. 😂

Reply
trishiega September 15, 2020 at 10:41 am MST

Dont buy if you dont like pickles! Both nuggets and sandwiches had very strong pickle taste. And the bread on the sandwiches was soggy, small and sweet. I actually returned to Sams.

Reply3

Gussiecat September 15, 2020 at 11:03 pm MST

Agreed! I found the nuggets strongly pickle-y as well. I had hoped they changed the formula, but a recent purchase proved they had not. Seems like they went overboard in trying to copy the tangy undertones of Chik-fil-A’s nuggets, and left out the hint of peanut oil that makes them so addictive.

Reply
geenabennett September 28, 2020 at 9:59 am MST

I agree with you the nuggets were awful. We love pickles in our house but these nuggets were just gross. The waffle fries in an air fryer however… ADDICTING! So good! Thanks for the onlinement I was hoping to return to Sam’s but have never returned food there before so wasnt sure if I could.

Reply
Ginapooh October 15, 2020 at 9:07 pm MST

How do and at what temp do you use when doing the chicken in an air fryer??

Reply

4shankogirls September 15, 2020 at 11:28 am MST

I live in Georgia (home of CFA) and no one in my family of six likes the nuggets. They would be good without pickle seasoning. The sandwiches are ok but I can never get the timing right. Either half cooked or over cooked.

Reply
KA September 15, 2020 at 11:30 am MST

My family will eat the nuggets if we need a quick easy meal but much prefer homemade nuggets. Some bags have a stronger pickle taste than others. I haven’t tried the sandwiches or fries yet.
We do like the Sam’s Member’s Mark Orange Chicken though. I fry it, but I’m sure it would be good in an air fryer also. I make fried rice to go with it. I think it’s a lot better than Panda Express.

Reply
Carmen September 15, 2020 at 12:20 pm MST

Our family LOVES Chick-fil-a! These sandwiches do not onlinepare to CFA at all. I actually just tried to eat another one for lunch today and threw it away. I was hoping for some reason I’d like it this time. Haha! The bread is gross and the chicken does not heat evenly.

Reply
honeybee333 September 15, 2020 at 12:48 pm MST

Got the sandwiches and no one in my house of 5 would eat it. They’re nasty. I tried another one yesterday, air fryer the chicken to see if they made it better….it didn’t. They’re gross!

Reply
brianblack September 15, 2020 at 2:35 pm MST

Not good. They seemed to have put too much pickle flavor in them.

Reply
Paul September 15, 2020 at 3:33 pm MST

I saw a spicy chicken version of these for the same price in a 10 count voice in Easley, South Carolina the other day. I like to melt a piece of cheese on mine

Reply
Tara M Marsh September 15, 2020 at 3:37 pm MST

My family actually really likes the nuggets, but I find them a little sweet. They’re not bad though.

Reply
Sara September 15, 2020 at 4:04 pm MST

Wow! I totally disagree about the nuggets, haha! I don’t like dill pickles at all, but I don’t detect pickle flavoring and think they’re delicious! It’s so funny… truly different strokes for different folks! 🙂

Reply
modinmw September 15, 2020 at 4:15 pm MST

Please don’t perpetuate this lie. The corporation does not, the stores are franchises and treat gay people the same as others.

Reply
Amber September 15, 2020 at 4:21 pm MST

This is not true. If you feel onlinepelled not to spend your money there for whatever reason, that’s your right, but please stop trying to convince others to boycott by repeating a lie.

Reply
AngieM September 15, 2020 at 4:29 pm MST

https://pin.it/5qmMqFO

Reply
Lullu September 15, 2020 at 4:37 pm MST

Just got the sandwiches and the fries, my son said the sandwich taste more like breakfast chick file sandwich , he don’t like it, the fries are ok cooked them in the air fryer. I eat the sandwich , just add some lettuce mayo and hot sauce …. so was okay!

Reply
Kathy September 15, 2020 at 5:03 pm MST

We cooked meat seperately and toasted the bun in toaster and then put together. So good that way. My son loves the nuggets.

Reply
Chantel September 15, 2020 at 5:05 pm MST

Based on the onlinements here it almost seems like Hip2save is giving us a “sponsored” post vs an actual review. Either that or they need to have someone else reviewing food, lol.

Reply1

Amber (Hip Sidekick) September 16, 2020 at 9:20 am MST

Hi Chantel! Thanks so much for your feedback. This post is not sponsored. We thought it would be fun to test out the Sam’s Club Chicken in onlineparison to the Chick Fil A items, as they have been very popular. Hoping you enjoy them if you decide to give them a try!

Reply

sunshinemls September 15, 2020 at 5:27 pm MST

have to say i LOVE the nuggets! they are great baked (especially if you have a large crowd), but i prefer to deep fry them and get them nicely browned. i like them better than the sandwiches. highly reonlinemend.

Reply1

Irene (Hip Sidekick) September 15, 2020 at 5:32 pm MST

Thanks for the feedback, sunshinemls! Glad you love them!

Reply

Kimberly H September 15, 2020 at 7:16 pm MST

I would not say they are as good as Chick-fil-A, but for what they are, they definitely taste better than any other options…& you can get them on Sundays. 😁

Reply
Jenifer September 15, 2020 at 7:55 pm MST

We love the nuggets, but only cooked in the air fryer!

Reply1

Irene (Hip Sidekick) September 15, 2020 at 7:58 pm MST

Great idea to cook them in the air fryer, Jenifer! We love ours too!

Reply

Shaun September 15, 2020 at 8:32 pm MST

The chicken was close but the bun was terrible and nowhere near what you would get from Chick-fil-A. I ended up just eating the chicken.

Reply
Casey September 15, 2020 at 9:39 pm MST

No one in my family liked the nuggets. We had high hopes, but were disappointed.

Reply
tj-0 September 15, 2020 at 10:08 pm MST

They were a bust at our house! But the nuggets they have in this brand are amazing!

Reply
Pat Kleinmaier September 15, 2020 at 11:19 pm MST

We hated the sandwiches. The chicken by itself was okay but those buns came out of the microwave like bricks. We do like the nuggets, with the pineapple sauce from Sam’s or Costco.

Reply
Ann L September 16, 2020 at 3:44 am MST

Me and my husband love the nuggets. I was surprised when my son and his family bought them and did not like them at all. We have not tried the sandwiches yet.

Reply
Pat September 16, 2020 at 6:22 am MST

Well, crud, glad I read these onlinements. I HATE the pickles on Chick fil a sandwiches so always get them plain. If these taste like pickles I would absolutely hate them, darn, I was so excited.

Reply
Julie September 16, 2020 at 6:54 am MST

We love the nuggets in my family but we all love pickles and always order extra pickles at Chickfila…even on the biscuits! My kids and grandkids even drink the pickle juice out of the jar…so of course we love the slight pickle taste in the nuggets!! But it is important to get the cooking time perfect in the air fryer. I slightly overcooked the first time and then lowered temp and time and it was perfect.

Reply
iheartharmony September 16, 2020 at 6:57 am MST

I can only eat them when they are cooked in the air fryer. Have to be nice and crispy.

Reply
Ira Black September 17, 2020 at 9:46 am MST

I trusted the reviewer and the site and made a purchase of the CH Sandwiches and Waffle Fries. i am sooooo disappointed in the reviewer, this site, and the sandwiches and fries. I wasted over $23.00 on the basis of trusting Hip2Save. I will not let this happen again.

Reply2

Rachel September 27, 2020 at 4:00 pm MST

Just return them! Not everyone has the same taste and if you weren’t happy Sam’s is really good about making it right

Reply
Ira black October 12, 2020 at 10:10 pm MST

23 dollars! Oh no. Now the kids can’t have shoes. Oh please. Who are you tryin to fool.

Reply1

Miranda Vang January 13, 2021 at 12:30 am MST

She wasn’t joking. Sam’s is good at making things right. You don’t have to be so rude.

Reply

Jaime Fossum September 17, 2020 at 2:47 pm MST

We liked it all for quick fast meals. We thought they were very similar to Chickfila. I would like to figure out how to improve the bun.

Reply
lovehip2save September 29, 2020 at 2:47 pm MST

OMG the spicy chicken sandwich is delicious! I dont normally respond but had to tell you how great these are! I cook them in an air fryer and spray loosely with non stick and thats it. EVERYONE HAS LOVED THEM! and the MMark waffle fries are also a hit seasoned with Lawreys seasoned salt and garlic powder! Thank you for your reonlinemendation!!

Reply1

David Kettle May 10, 2023 at 1:21 pm MST

Did the spicy chicken sandwhich have the pickle taste that the plain chicken sandwhich has? I notice a picture of pickles(not included) on the plain chicken package but not on the spicy chicken package.

Reply

GinaPooh October 18, 2020 at 5:35 pm MST

How do and at what temp do you use when doing the chicken in an air fryer?

Reply
Tom October 28, 2020 at 8:38 am MST

Why not just sell the patty. Not really interested in frozen stale buns. Prefer my own, fresh. Too bad, heard good things

Reply
anon January 9, 2021 at 11:13 pm MST

they do taste a lot like Chic Fil La…if the person making them had an involuntary muscle spasm while adding the pickle juice. I will admit it was very close, just way too much pickle taste and smell.

Reply
Jen279 June 20, 2021 at 5:58 pm MST

We like the chicken but throw the bun out and use a regular bun. Tastes better.

Reply
DS September 21, 2021 at 2:32 am MST

Awesome! Much cheaper and you’re nut funding the right wing American Taliban in its work to strip away civil/marriage rights for LGBT people. I’ll pick some up this week.

Reply
Dude November 7, 2022 at 12:35 am MST

Yep. Better. No drivethru. And Sams has waffle fries. Hmm. Chick Gil A won’t even put condiments on your food. You have to make it yourself. Why not just go get a 5 LB bag of the same chicken? Makes me wonder if Chik Gil A is getting their product from SAM Club? Hmmmmm

Reply