Every Chili's Appetizer, Ranked
With locations in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, there's no denying Chili's has become a well-known American restaurant. Heck, all you have to do is mention the iconic Baby Back Ribs jingle, and people start singing it in their heads — sorry if it gets stuck on a loop. Regardless of whether you like going to Chili's for American classics or Tex-Mex-inspired eats, the appetizers deserve some of your attention. Not only are they a great way to start a meal, but some of them are quite tasty. Of course, you probably don't plan on ordering them all, so which ones are worth your time and money?
I recently went to my local neighborhood Chili's with a friend and ordered all 11 appetizers on the menu. After tasting them each, I ranked them from worst to best, and I'll be the first to admit that the results surprised me a bit. A closer look at my methodology and ranking criteria can be found at the end, but for now, suffice it to say that the dishes with the best flavor and texture lead the pack. Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, let's see how each of Chili's appetizers measured up so the next time you stop in, you can stick to the good stuff.
11. Chips & Salsa
One of Chili's appetizers had to come in dead last, and for me, it could only be the Chips & Salsa. At just $6.59, it may be the cheapest offering of the bunch, but it's just okay at best. For starters, the chips that come with it aren't well-equipped for the job. Are they crunchy and salty? Yes, and those are two admirable tortilla chip traits. However, they are incredibly thin and fragile, so they break under the slightest pressure. I was able to scoop some salsa with them, but a few broken chips were left behind in the process.
Moving on to the salsa itself, sadly, it doesn't do anything well. It lacks the chunkiness of a more traditional salsa you'd get from a Mexican restaurant, and the spice level is extremely mild. The flavor is there, but it won't wow anyone because it lacks complexity. Honestly, I feel like Chili's played it safe with the recipe, probably to increase mass appeal, but if you're after a classic, authentic salsa, it doesn't fit the bill. All in all, I think most of us could make a more restaurant-worthy salsa at home. Sorry, not sorry, Chili's. Moving on.
10. Skillet Beef Queso
I love a good, gooey queso as much as the next person, maybe more. Still, Chili's Skillet Beef Queso isn't something to write home about. Sure, it's cheesy, and the texture is as it should be, but it's more like a blend of queso and Texas red chili than a well-executed queso. If you're craving some real Tex-Mex flavor, it makes a much better selection than Chili's Chips & Salsa, but that's not really much of an endorsement since both dishes grace the very bottom of this list.
At just $10.49 per order, the Skillet Beef Queso is on the cheaper end of Chili's appetizer price spectrum, so that's one mark in its favor. The taste isn't bad either. It has a mild spice level, and the flavors are pretty potent, all things considered. I also detected a good amount of small beef crumbles. My taste-testing friend would have appreciated way more heat, though. Unfortunately, the chips didn't really stand a chance in the thick dip, either. Even after doubling them up, they easily broke while trying to scoop the queso — just like with the salsa, but as I'm sure you can imagine, worse. It doesn't necessarily make a horrible choice, but you can do a whole lot better.
9. Bone-In Wings
Chili's Bone-In Wings come in orders of eight, 12, or 16, and you can request two different sauces, so they offer diners a lot of room for customization. Even so, they didn't have what it takes to earn more than a ninth-place ranking. My first issue with this appetizer is the price. An order of 12 costs $16.99, making it the most expensive appetizer of the bunch. This would be bearable if the wings were phenomenal, but they aren't. They got the job done, but my taste-testing friend and I found that the sauces were the best part.
The Bone-In Wings were cooked nicely, and the skins were very crispy, so no complaints there. However, the meat itself seemed to be fairly average. I wouldn't say they were exactly juicy, either. Oh well. As for the sauces, Chili's offers Nashville Hot, Honey-Chipotle, Buffalo, BBQ, and Sweet Chili Zing options. We ordered our wings naked, with Buffalo, BBQ, and Sweet Chili Zing on the side (we got a taste of the remaining sauces on other appetizers). Of the three, the Sweet Chili Zing was by far our favorite. It had lots of complex flavors and a hint of soy on the back end, making it different in a good way. The BBQ and Buffalo were pretty standard. In fact, the Buffalo closely resembles Frank's Red Hot, so if you prefer a classic buffalo wing recipe with a mild to medium heat level, it'll serve you well.
8. Southwestern Eggrolls
Some people say the Southwestern Eggroll appetizer is one of the menu items you should avoid ordering at Chili's, but my taste-testing friend and I didn't think it was all that bad. You get a lot of food, although at $13.99 per order, it is one of the pricier options, but it is a far cry from boring. Plus, we obviously thought it was better than the three lower-ranking picks.
Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls feature chicken, black beans, corn, jalapeño jack cheese, red peppers, and spinach, all wrapped up in a crispy, fried flour tortilla. This sounds great at face value, and once my friend had a taste, he said the flavors were definitely there. Even so, they would have liked more seasoning. They even asked out loud, "What does Chili's have against cilantro?" FYI: cilantro was noticeably absent in the salsa as well. In addition, the tortilla wrappers could have been much crispier. Instead, they were lightly fried and somewhat flaky.
The Southwestern Eggrolls are served with a side of avocado ranch for dipping, and it certainly lends a helping hand in the flavor department. Still, it wasn't very different from Chili's regular ranch, which, I should tell you, wasn't my favorite either. I can see how it would have mass appeal, but there was too much dill in it for my liking. Regardless, I'd still recommend choosing one of the upcoming appetizers over the Southwestern Eggrolls.
7. Nashville Hot Mozzarella
Coming in seventh place is Chili's Nashville Hot Mozzarella appetizer. It just barely missed the top half of the list, but that's okay. It's only one of three different variations of fried mozzarella on the menu, and the other two ranked much higher. The reason this rendition of the recipe fell behind is that the sauce wasn't nearly as good as I had hoped. It has some of the signature Nashville Hot flavor, but it wasn't anywhere near as spicy as you'd expect from this style of sauce. Unfortunately, the main flavor I detected was oil, so for a Nashville-style sauce, it was surprisingly bland. There wasn't a hint of pickle to be found either. I mean, is it even fair to call it a Nashville Hot sauce if the heat is dialed down and there isn't any pickle? I'm not convinced.
That may seem like a lot of cons for an appetizer that ranked seventh place, but its saving grace is the actual fried mozzarella. As opposed to being thin mozzarella sticks, they are plump, wide pillows, so there's no shortage of melty cheese within. They are actually quite fantastic. Smothered in Nashville Hot sauce, though, they become too oily for me. My taste-testing friend liked them more than I did, but again, I think you can do better.
6. White Skillet Queso
Chili's White Skillet Queso earned a spot firmly in the middle of my ranking. It won't bowl you over with flavor, but it's got mass appeal for days. It isn't overly spicy either, so it's likely plenty of kids wouldn't mind diviing right in without complaining.
The White Skillet Queso may not look like much (it's a plain white color), but it has a rich, classic cheese taste and lots of creamy texture. For queso, it's ultra-smooth — I didn't detect any chunks of onion or anything else — and its texture was quite creamy and nice. It was also thick, which is perfect for when you want it to cling to chips. However, as you'll remember from my last place pick (Chips & Salsa), Chili's chips are super thin, and they don't hold up well in dips. Seriously, you should have seen how many times I broke a chip in this queso. I was not to be deterred, though.
Aside from swapping out the chips for ones that are more robust, there isn't much to dislike about this appetizer. I would have preferred some more heat, but I know spicy foods aren't for everyone, so no one would blame you if you disagreed.
5. Fresh Guacamole
For me, this is where the ranking takes a serious turn for the better, so I hope you're ready for the good stuff. So, what is the first appetizer to breach the top half of my ranking? It may sound simple, but it's none other than Chili's Fresh Guacamole.
I know it says "Fresh" right in the name, but I was still surprised at how accurate the descriptor really was. Sure, I detected a couple of slightly brown spots throughout, and the avocado probably wasn't perfectly ripe, but it wasn't a pre-made or bagged product by any means. It was, in fact, fresh, and the flavor and texture reflected that. Nicely done, Chili's.
I like chunky guacamole, and Chili's makes exactly that. In addition to the fresh avocado, I also detected lots of tomato and citrus, two things guacamole craves. There was a subtle hint of salt, too, but I would have preferred more. Paired with the salty chips, though, it was super yummy. Still, the main drawback to this appetizer is the chips. You probably already know what I'm going to say (as long as you didn't skip ahead), but they were way too thin to scoop up the chunky, thick guacamole. Chip after chip crumbled in my hands. I made it work in the end, though. Chips aside, the Fresh Guacamole appetizer is the best we've discussed so far, and I would definitely order it again.
4. Texas Cheese Fries
Next up is Chili's Texas Cheese Fries appetizer. I know it's pretty hard to mess up cheese fries, but Chili's is tasty by any standards. They aren't made with fresh-cut fries, but they are loaded up with plenty of cheese and yummy toppings, bacon, jalapeños, and green onions, to be exact. What more could you want?
The best part about this appetizer is that Chili's doesn't skimp on the cheese. There wasn't a dry fry in sight on my platter. The abundance of melted cheese gives the dish a nice salty flavor, too, which is further accentuated by the crispy fries. Speaking of the fries, they aren't overly thick or thin. They boast lots of crunch to hold up to the weight of the toppings but still manage to stay soft on the inside — so they are just right. All combined, the ingredients come together perfectly. To top it all off, the Texas Cheese Fries only cost $11.59, and our server said it comes in a half order, too, so it is far from the most expensive appetizer on the menu. If it hadn't been made with what I could only guess are frozen fries, it easily could have earned a number one or two spot in my ranking.
3. Honey-Chipotle Mozzarella
Coming in strong, Chili's Honey-Chipotle Mozzarella was a shoo-in for my third-place pick. I know the Nashville Hot Mozzarella only earned seventh place, but the sauce on this rendition of the recipe is nothing short of drool-worthy. Thus, it is well-deserving of a top three spot on my list. So much so, that I'm willing to overlook the fact that, at $14.79 per order, it's one of the more expensive appetizers on the menu.
If you didn't skip ahead, you already know how much I love the fried mozzarella Chili's makes. It comes in large pillowy rectangles, which gives them plenty of space to hold tons of melty cheese — and boy, do they. While the fried mozzarella alone is tasty, for this appetizer, Chili's smothers the pieces in a Honey-Chipotle sauce that's overflowing with flavor. The chipotle flavor stands out the most, but there's a good amount of heat, too, and together, they complement the sweet honey in expert fashion. I'll admit, the Honey-Chipotle Mozzarella is a bit sticky and messy, so you probably don't want to eat it with your hands, but don't let that discourage you. This appetizer is undoubtedly one of the best Chili's has to offer.
2. Boneless Wings
Whether you're typically a fan of bone-in or boneless wings, at Chili's, the Boneless Wings are where it's at. Just $13.99 an order, they are less expensive than their Bone-In counterparts, and they have better texture, too. Actually, compared to the Bone-In, the Boneless Wings are miles ahead, as is evident by their lowly 10th-place ranking.
The crispy, crunchy breading is what makes Chili's Boneless Wings so special. It's thick, has lots of bite, and it's cooked just right. The flavor is exactly what you'd expect, too. Of course, the selection of tasty sauces only turns up the flavor even more. We ordered our Boneless Wings plain, with the sauce on the side. Really, all of the sauces were tasty. Still, our favorites were the Sweet Chili Zing, for its uniqueness, and the Buffalo because it provided all the classic flavor you could want.
Overall, Chili's Boneless Wings make a fantastic choice. If you aren't into vegetarian appetizers (spoiler alert: my top pick is), it could easily be your number one. My taste-testing accomplice, for example, said it was their favorite appetizer. Even so, I think my number one pick had it beat, maybe not by much, though.
1. Fried Mozzarella
There's no doubt in my mind that the only appetizer worthy of the coveted number one spot in my ranking was the Fried Mozzarella. It's full of classic flavor, has texture for days, and puts most chain restaurant mozzarella sticks to shame. For starters, they aren't sticks. Instead, they are wide, long rectangles of crispy goodness. They are chock-full of melty mozzarella, too. Seriously, you should see the cheese pull these babies achieve. It was impressive, to say the least.
The breading on this appetizer was on point, too. It was super crispy and had lots of savory flavor packed in. This version of the Fried Mozzarella may seem a bit plain, considering Chili's offers the same dish smothered in various sauces, but its simplicity is what makes it so perfect. You get a real taste for the breading and the cheese. Plus, it comes with marinara for dipping. Yum!
There are plenty of reasons why you should avoid ordering mozzarella sticks at a restaurant, but when it comes to Chili's, I beg to differ. If awarding the classic Fried Mozzarella first place doesn't say it all, you'll remember another version of the dish also made it to number three. So yeah, it's flippin' delicious. I don't even care that it's on the pricier end of the appetizer price range — it'll run you $14.79, just like the other mozzarella appetizers. Opt for an order the next time you visit Chili's, and you'll be glad you did.
Methodology
Instead of relying on customer reviews, I compiled my ranking of every Chili's appetizer based on personal experience. That's right, I went to one of the restaurant's many locations and ordered them all. I also brought a friend along because not only was sharing a must with such a massive amount of food, but I practice a plant-based diet, so I needed help tasting all the meaty appetizers.
When it came time to rank Chili's collection of appetizers, I focused on flavor and texture because, let's face it, that's what really matters. After that, I also considered price and mass appeal. A nice presentation didn't hurt either. However, I should note that I didn't order full-size portions of every dish. Chili's allows you to select any three appetizers and order them together as a combo plate. I took advantage of that a couple of times, and I also ordered a Dip Trio platter with a side of salsa. As a result, I didn't see all of the dishes in their full glory. Still, when everything was said and done, I truly think the top five stole the show regarding the main criteria: taste and texture. Stick to them, and maybe my sixth-place pick (the White Skillet Queso), and you can rest assured you'll get a crowd-pleasing appetizer.