The Sam's Club Frozen Fries That Are Practically A Chick-Fil-A Dupe

It happens all the time: you get a hankering for Chick-Fil-A, make plans to stop by the drive-thru, only to look at the calendar and realize, it's Sunday. The fast food chain is closed, and you are out of options. Or are you? When it comes to chicken nugget dupes, the Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Bites from Costco make an outstanding stand-in for the fast food chain's chicken nuggets and contain no MSG, though it's a very misunderstood seasoning. But what are nugs without fries? For a better-than-reasonable dupe for Chick-Fil-A's fries, you'll need to make a stop at Sam's Club. The Member's Mark branded Southern Style Waffle Fries come in a four pound bag for just below $7, although exact price may vary by location. 

It's not just how the fries look that make it comparable to Chick-Fil-A, though both options share the same waffle-y texture with ridges and holes; they share many of the same contents, with ingredient lists that are not terribly long to begin with (though Chick-Fil-A's recipe has changed). For example, the first listed ingredient is potatoes (obviously), and both the Member's Mark brand and the Chick-Fil-A option contain some variation of vegetable oil and canola oil. 

Where the two differ is the price, but this contrast will be most welcome to customers seeking to get their Chick-Fil-A fix at home (and save a few bucks). A small, medium, and large fry at the fast food chain costs 61, 53, and 44 cents per ounce, respectively, whereas the bagged Member's Mark waffle fries come out to 10 cents per ounce — just a fraction of Chick-Fil-A's cost. 

When it comes to preparing the Sam's Club Southern Style Waffle Fries, there are a few cooking methods listed on the back of its packaging, including baking in a regular oven, a convection oven, and air frying. Of the three, air frying likely gets the closest to replicating Chick-Fil-A, but you will want to be careful with your timing. Keep a close eye on your fries and pay attention to the package instructions for best results. You don't want them to come out soggy, but they can get really crunchy, really fast if you leave them in too long. 

One way of cooking them that is not listed on the bag is deep frying in canola oil, which is exactly how Chick-Fil-A cooks its fries in-store. If you have access to a countertop deep fryer, we recommend busting that out to make your fries for the closest approximation to restaurant-quality. Once you've pulled them out and they're still super hot, sprinkle them with a kiss of sea salt.

Of course, no fries are complete without ketchup for dipping, but if you want a truly authentic we-have-Chick-Fil-A-at-home experience, you can pick up a two-pack of Chick-Fil-A bottled sauce when you grab the bagged fries. You can also try to make your own version of the famous dip at home, once you know what the Chick-Fil-A sauce is made out of. With all these at-home hacks, who even needs to wait in line at the drive-thru?