7 Chili's Entrees, Ranked Worst To Best

Few chains do classic American comfort food with a kick quite like Chili's. The first Chili's restaurant was born in Texas in 1975, inspired by Southwestern cuisine and a quirky, fun-loving mantra. What was once a local business named for a small town's chili cookoff is now an international sensation, with over 1600 restaurants across 30 countries. It's easy to see why this chain took off over the years; who doesn't love a juicy burger and a sweet, strong margarita at a price fit for a weeknight? From its retro pepper logo to its famously cheeky advertising, Chili's has always leaned into a bold, irreverent personality that never fails to stir up the nostalgia.

The chain may be most famous for its appetizers, like the mouthwatering Triple Dipper Combo, but if you're going to do Chili's right, you have to snag an entrée, too. I visited my closest location — which just so happens to be Chili's Scranton branch, made famous by "The Office" — and tried seven of its most popular entrées to rank them worst to best. I hit every corner of the menu, from burgers to fajitas to the famous Crispy Chicken Dippers, to get as much variety as possible out of this Tex-Mex-ish chain. I judged these meals based on freshness, flavor, and fun-factor to find out which provide the quintessential Chili's experience, and which will have you wishing you filled up on apps before the main course arrived.

I love a good chicken sandwich from a chain restaurant. That's usually my go-to if nothing else on the menu piques my interest, which is why Chili's Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich was a major letdown. I ordered mine with a side of garlic butter mushrooms, which were, admittedly, much better than the sandwich.

Before I get into the chicken, let's talk toppings: The pickles on this sandwich were fresh and crunchy — easily the best part of the meal. The bun was nicely toasted but a little too soft and delicate. There was also a comically small amount of mayo on this sandwich. I understand holding back a bit on the condiments (you can always add more, after all), but it looked like the Chili's cooks smeared the mayo on the bun with a toothpick.

A piece of crispy chicken is only as good as its breading, and the crispy coating on the outside of this chicken completely missed the mark. It was incredibly salty and dry, so much so that a sip of water in between bites was absolutely necessary. It also had a strangely sweet, popcorn-like aftertaste that probably wasn't intentional. Had the chicken been drenched in a flavorful sauce, it likely would have moved up a spot or two in the ranking, but this salt-flavored sandwich was easily the worst thing I ordered at Chili's.

When you think of Chili's, it's nearly impossible not to hear that iconic jingle race through your mind. The one about really wanting your baby back — baby back ribs, that is. But just because baby back ribs are synonymous with all things Chili's, are they actually as tasty as the advertisements make them look? I didn't think so. The only jingle playing in my head after eating these starts with "I want my money back ... "

Now, to the ribs' credit, when the slab hit the table, it looked as enticing as the vintage commercials made it out to be, but alas, this was a hard lesson in "looks can be deceiving." The meat wasn't nearly as fall-off-the-bone as I expected. Overall, the meat's texture was wildly inconsistent, seesawing between melt-in-your-mouth, tender chunks to tough and jerky-like. Some bites felt overly fatty and left my mouth coated in gristle. Heaping globs of smoky and zesty barbecue sauce, albeit a little too sweet, gave the meat most of its flavor. The Texas cheese fries and loaded street corn that I picked to accompany this underwhelming entrée ended up being the best part. The street corn salad, in particular, was easily the most delicious of all the side dishes and went well with the sweet, smoky barbecue sauce and savory meat. The impressive sides and plethora of tangy sauce launched this dish ahead of the Big Crispy Chicken sandwich despite the poor meat texture.

When picking out a burger, I had to go with the Big QP Burger. This is as iconic a burger as you can get, with two slices of American cheese, diced red onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard. After my first bite, I was immediately reminded of a Big Mac; the mixture of ketchup and mustard and the lightly cooked onions created the nostalgic flavor of a quintessential fast-food burger.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a fast food-style burger, but I expected something a little more elevated from a sit-down restaurant. Had I gotten the Big QP Burger for a few dollars from a drive-thru, I would have been pretty happy with it, but it's not too impressive for $13.99.

The nostalgic ketchup-mustard-onion mixture was less of an issue than the patty itself. It seemed cooked to a perfect medium-well at first, but as I got further into the burger, I noticed spots that were pink all the way through and others that were completely brown. The burger was well-seasoned, with a spicy kick, but the cheese was hardly a complement. It wasn't sufficiently melted and was still a bit cold towards the center of the burger. I opted for a side of broccoli since I was trying fries with other entrées, and while it was cooked well, it needed more seasoning. This sandwich still satisfied a burger craving despite its downfalls, which is why it beat out the other two, although it was close to a tie with the ribs.

We don't really hear much from fajitas in this day and age, but Chili's keeps this iconic '90s recipe alive and well in true nostalgia-oriented fashion. You can choose between The Original Trio (steak, chicken, and shrimp), pick just one or two proteins, or share Fajitas for Two, which comes with all three proteins and double the fixings. I opted for the Original Trio to get a well-rounded picture of all Chili's fajita offerings.

Overall, the fajitas were decent, but not without their quirks. Both the steak and chicken had an almost unnaturally tender texture, lacking the bite you'd expect from freshly grilled meat. The shrimp, while well-seasoned, were on the smaller side. As a shrimp superfan, I was hoping for some more substantial shellfish. The grilled peppers and onions underneath the proteins were well-seasoned, albeit sparse and overcooked.

The fixings (rice, beans, sour cream, tortillas, and cheese) were the perfect portion for the amount of protein, peppers, and onions. I was able to construct about five fully stuffed fajita tacos. However, I had to leave the beans alone; they were so salty that they were mostly inedible. It seemed like they were dumped right from the can — juices and all — into the bowl, topped off with heavy-handed salt, and sent out. I wouldn't have been completely disappointed with this entrée (just a little dehydrated from all the salt) had this been my Chili's dinner pick, so it managed to climb past the other three, which all would have left me with the post-dinner blues.

After trying the Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla, I wasn't surprised to learn that Chili's serves one of the best chain restaurant quesadillas. It also offers a brisket quesadilla, but I wanted to give one of the most iconic trios in American food history a try.

As soon as our server dropped this 'dilla off, I could tell it would be impressive. The hardy flour tortilla was grilled completely evenly, with a light golden-brown crisp coating each slice. The center of the plate contained fixings (I would have liked more), including a cup of house-made ranch (there was minimal ranch inside the quesadilla). There was a buttery crunch with each bite of the quesadilla, and no shortage of tender chicken coated in a savory, slightly spicy seasoning. I would have preferred more cheese stretching to the end of each slice, but there was at least enough shredded cheddar to give it a creamy bite.

The bacon supplied a nice crunch among the tender chicken and creamy cheese, although its flavor was a little off. It seemed like it could have been enhanced with some kind of artificial bacon flavor, which definitely knocked this entrée down a few pegs in this ranking. This slightly processed taste lingered, making each bite a bit less satisfying than it initially promised. Still, this was a fully satisfying meal thanks to its impeccable crunch and medley of flavors, so it easily surpassed the dishes that came before it.

Normally, I don't opt for pasta dishes at a chain restaurant like Chili's; I find the fried fare more appealing. But when it comes to the Ultimate Cajun Pasta, I might make an exception. This dish comes with grilled chicken and shrimp seasoned with zesty Cajun seasoning, penne pasta in Alfredo sauce, and a slice of garlic toast.

The Alfredo sauce was really the star of this dish. It was thick, creamy, and had an excellent balance of garlicky, peppery flavor. Buttery Texas toast was the perfect tool to sop up any precious leftover sauce. The Alfredo clung well to the perfectly cooked pasta, which was far from mushy but not too al dente.

The proteins were a bit of a mixed bag. The chicken had that same unnaturally tender texture I noticed in the fajitas, which made it feel less like a piece of freshly grilled meat and more like something overly processed and potentially chemically tenderized. The shrimp were on the smaller side and didn't add as much substance as I would have liked, although Chili's certainly didn't skimp out on them in this dish. But the best part of this meal was easily the seasoning, which paired shockingly well with Alfredo sauce. It was spot-on, with all the classic peppery herbaceousness of a genuine Cajun seasoning. This dish was pretty close in this ranking to the Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla, but I had to give it to the Cajun Pasta for its impressive pile of chicken and shrimp.

Finally, we come to what I deem the best Chili's entrée that I tried: Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers. I consider myself a bit of a hot chicken nerd; I've been working on perfecting the dish for months now, so I was fully prepared to judge Chili's take with harsh, gatekeep-y criticism — but Chili's humbled me.

Nashville hot chicken isn't just fried chicken coated in hot sauce, à la Buffalo chicken, it's drenched in a unique spicy-sweet oil made with cayenne and other hot peppers, brown sugar, and a variety of seasonings. It's tough to get the authentic recipe down pat, but for a chain restaurant that doesn't specialize in this famous recipe, Chili's version is impressive. It's plenty spicy, but not so hot that it would scare most spice novices away. The plentiful brown sugar doesn't overshadow the spicy peppers and oil's herbaceousness. Plus, there was enough oil covering the chicken that I could dip my tenders in the excess that pooled on the bottom of the plate. I would have enjoyed some iconic Mississippi-style comeback sauce instead of ranch, but they didn't need any condiments.

The chicken was tender, with plenty of crispy coating that didn't fall victim to the weird popcorn taste and excessive salt that the coating on the Big Chicken Crisper did. Or, at least, it wasn't notable thanks to the flavorful oil. The fries were slightly mushy, and the mac and cheese was bland and watery, but I decided to focus this ranking on each entrée's main attraction, so the Nashville Hot Chicken Crispers still earned the top spot. These Crispers were easily the most satisfying, fun, and flavorful dish, and perfectly encapsulated the iconic vibe of Chili's.

To rank these Chili's entrées, I selected popular items from across the menu, including staples like burgers, fajitas, and quesadillas, to ensure a well-rounded lineup. I also mixed and matched a variety of side dishes to factor them into the overall experience, though the focus remained on the main component of each meal. This approach allowed me to compare not just flavors, but how cohesive and satisfying each entrée felt as a complete plate.

I set aside personal flavor preferences to evaluate each dish as objectively as possible. I considered factors like perceived freshness, ingredient quality, and execution, while also looking for the signature spicy kick Chili's is known for. Texture played a key role as well, especially with proteins, where inconsistencies could make or break a dish. I paid attention to portion sizes and overall value, noting whether each entrée felt worth its price point; however, price was a minor factor in this ranking. Nutrition didn't factor into the ranking whatsoever.

Bland or underwhelming entrées landed near the bottom of the ranking, while bold, well-balanced dishes with standout flavor ranked high as the best of the bunch. Ultimately, the highest-ranking meals delivered the signature Chili's experience: comfort food with a zesty punch.