Skip This Buc-Ee's Chicken Salad And Scoop It Up At A Traditional Deli Instead

Buc-ee's is so well-known for its food that some regulars treat it more like a deli or restaurant than a gas station, and from its famed brisket sandwiches to the wide assortment of Buc-ee's beef jerky flavors, meaty offerings are sold in spades. However, the downside of a wide variety is that not every item can be a hit, as proven by our list of foods from Buc-ee's that you should avoid completely. One big flop is the Southern chain's chicken salad, which is so disappointing that almost any deli version will satisfy you more.

A great chicken salad doesn't have to be fancy — just fresh in flavor with a variety of textures to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, our taste tester found the ingredients in Buc-ee's salad to be chopped too finely and drowned in mayonnaise, creating a strangely smooth, uniform consistency that's more like a spread. And while the dish apparently contains celery and onion, there's no crunchiness or vegetable flavor — only the taste of sweet mayo. If your local deli's chicken salad has visible chunks of meat and vegetables, it's already on better footing than Buc-ee's. Other customers agree that this item is quite bland and just okay at best. 

When your nearest Buc-ee's only has its plain chicken salad in stock, make a crisp and creamy chicken salad recipe at home instead, or grab one of the best store-bought chicken salads. But if you spot the cranberry and walnut version of this readymade meal, you shouldn't pass it up.

Based on our taste tests, we would generally say you should avoid salads altogether when stopping at Buc-ee's, but there are a few exceptions. For one, the chain's cranberry pecan chicken salad is leagues better than the plain version — in fact, customers like it so much that you can find positive feedback and copycat recipes across the web.

In our opinion, the crunchy nuts and dried cranberries add some much-needed texture to this superior chicken salad, and the fruity element melds well with Buc-ee's rather sweet-tasting mayo. Other reviewers agree that this dressed-up version of the salad has a chunkier, more satisfying consistency, and the cranberry sweetness is a welcome addition. One Reddit user who worked at Buc-ee's and claims to have "tried everything" recommended the cranberry pecan chicken salad above most other offerings. Plus, a customer on Facebook called the dish "hands down the best [version] I have ever had and I love chicken salad!!!!".

If you're in the mood for chicken, but not in salad form, Buc-ee's sells another poultry item you won't want to miss: the fried chicken sandwich. Believe it or not, Buc-ee's version can contend with the best fast food chicken sandwiches, with its tender and juicy meat, buttery-soft bun, and a tangy aioli-like sauce. Some say it's better than all of the other sandwiches sold at the chain, including that iconic brisket.