The Best Chili's Menu Item Deserves Every Ounce Of Popularity

For comforting Tex-Mex cuisine, Chili's always seems like a good idea. With a noteworthy abundance of locations dotting the U.S., along with multiple stores across the globe, it's a chain giant that lives up to its magnitude. However, like any other restaurant, you can expect a balance of hits and misses. When we ranked Chili's menu items from worst to best, a couple of dishes fell short (it's best to skip these Chili's dishes, honestly), while some definitely stood out. The one that made the ultimate breakthrough is the Big Mouth burger bites because of their classic taste, flavor consistency, and the idea that they started out as an unlikely winner. Everyone loves an underdog. Whether you're an occasional diner or a true-blue Chili's aficionado with a specific menu item stamped with a gold star, it wouldn't be out of the question if they surprised you, too. These no-fuss bites comes with four mini burgers, each served with a savory slice of bacon.

Calling them mini might be a misnomer, though, because they're not the usual size you'd find in a typical hors d'oeuvre at a party with butler service, as a piece can get quite loaded, thanks to the juicy patty. Plus, with a generous serving of fries they come with, you're pretty much all set — especially once ranch, American cheese, and sauteed onions join the party. What makes them so good might be their simple allure, but is there more to this heavy hitter?

The Big Mouth burger bites taste like a plain ol' burger — and that's not a bad thing. With basic ingredients found in a typical burger, you'd find the same combination in a lot of restaurants. Again, it's not a bad thing. You know how people say don't fix what isn't broken? This satisfying mouthful doesn't need to hide behind complex touches to be deemed worthy of the top spot. What makes them so special, though, is the house-made ranch, making the mini burgers one of the best dishes to smother with it.

While it seems to be a secret what exactly is in Chili's ranch, some recipes that try to recreate it include buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, parsley, garlic and onion powder, and dill pickle juice (or dried dill weed). Meanwhile, some guess it contains buttermilk, mayo, and Chili's own seasoning blend, which is also elusive on its own. Because of Chili's ranch's interesting texture, which is more watery as opposed to thick and creamy, we can assume there's more buttermilk than in the typical ranch. Whatever it is, we're just pleased that it makes the Big Mouth burger bites even better, and with that, we can't complain.