San Francisco Woman Gets Chicken Crisper From Chili’s—And She Makes An Entire Meal Out Of It

A San Francisco woman’s hack for maximizing the value of her Chili’s Chicken Crispers order has folks clamoring for it to be added to the official menu. But could it also be a clever way to beat rising food costs as a result of inflation in the U.S.?

Emma (@emmaisdoinggreatforrealz) posted a TikTok showing off her culinary assembling prowess, which had one Chili’s employee write, “I literally do the same thing. They should put something like this on the secret menu.”

Emma’s video begins with her sitting down in front of the camera as she demonstrates her impromptu wrap. “Watch me DIY the best Chilis hack ever,” she promises in a text overlay of a video.

The onset of the clip shows her unwrapping a tortilla before she sets the fried chicken finger on top of it. Following this, she pulls out a plastic bag filled with “pocket lettuce,” which she begins to sprinkle on top of her makeshift wrap. Next, she takes a container of what looks like ranch sauce and begins to drizzle it on the single chicken crisper.

After taking a bit, Emma nods approvingly of the food before her clip comes to a close.

Is The Chicken Crisper Wrap A Good Meal Prep Hack?

Emma’s video is a good demonstration of a quick and easy repurposing of leftovers after a dining-out experience. But if you’re thinking of incorporating this concoction as part of your meal prep rotation, you may want to consider the economics of it first.

According to the Chili’s menu, a three-piece chicken crisper combo starts for $10.99, so you’re spending around $3.66 per breaded chicken tender. It would be a good way of getting Chili’s for less if the chain sold single tenders.

Conversely, for the same amount of money, you could purchase a 22-ounce bag of Nature Raised Farms breaded chicken tenders from Target. And if you have an air fryer at home, you could emulate the same crunchy satisfaction as you’d get at a restaurant, with fewer calories.

Not to mention, you’d get to sauce it with your preferred condiment since you’re making it by yourself. Furthermore, since you’re going through the effort of carrying around pocket lettuce in your bag and a clandestine tortilla wrap, these added steps could help you save money in the long run while still enjoying the food that you love.

What’s more is that you can be picky with the type of chicken tenders you get, as well. Bulk supply stores like Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, and Restaurant Depot all serve up offerings similar to the ones served up at chain restaurants like Chili’s. And you’ll probably be able to secure even better cost-per-tender rates when compared to the beloved dine-in franchise.

Food Costs Keep Going Up

U.S. consumers were staggered by inflation hikes that began in 2021 and soared even higher in 2022. All aspects of the economy saw upward-trending expenditures across a litany of different industries and sectors, food included. Unfortunately, this trend has continued throughout 2026, as per the USDA’s Food Price Outlook report. The agency writes that the CPI for all increased by 0.2% between the months of April and May 2026. And when this same figure was stacked against the previous year, the average cost of food jumped up by 3.1%.

This goes for grub purchased at both supermarkets and dining establishments, but inflation rose slightly lower for groceries. May 2026 compared to May 2025 saw a 2.7% increase for food at home. For food-away-from-home purchases, buyers were slapped with a 3.5% average hike.

As a result, more and more Americans are looking for economical ways to save on sustenance. Including creative ways to turn leftovers into full-on meals, as evinced by Emma in her TikTok. Table Magazine published a slew of recipes—that call for ingredients like beans, canned fish, pasta, and chicken—folks can try out at home as a means of combating 2026 inflation spikes. Moreover, the magazine also included methods for preparing leftover brisket and chili to make entirely new platters of food for yourself and your loved ones.

How To Spend Less When Dining Out

If going out to eat is more your thing, then you may want to look at the Penny Hoarder’s recommendations for enjoying food away from home without breaking the bank. First, the website suggests finding out if your favorite local establishments have happy hours and trying the bites offered at these times. You can also hunt down discounted restaurant gift cards for new places you want to try. And if you’ve got children, find places that offer free kids’ meals; this way the whole family can dine for less.

There’s also take-out kids’ meal options people can try and take advantage of. For example, this woman swore by the tactic as an affordable eating-out option.

BroBible reached out to Emma via TikTok direct message and to Chili’s via email for further comment.