Chefs share 7 ways to hack fast-food orders to make them even better

Chef and cookbook author Suzi Gerber of Plant-Based Gourmet said she likes to add a pleasant hit of flavor and appealing textural contrast to Dunkin's Beyond Sausage sandwich by adding hash browns and a few condiments to it.

"I ditch the cheese [and egg] to make it 100% plant-based and I add mustard, hot sauce, and hash browns, and it is delicious — a little crunchy and salty, and super-filling," she told Insider, adding that this breakfast order is a great on-the-go option.

If you want to jazz up a breakfast tortilla wrap from fast-food chains like Taco Bell, McDonald's, or Chick-fil-A, try this tip from Brooke Brantley, a chef and a culinary director at McCain Foods.

He suggests picking up sliced brisket from a local BBQ joint and adding a few slices of it to a standard fast-food breakfast wrap, which usually consists of things like eggs, salsa, and cheese.

Chef Cassi Faust said she makes a great sweet-and-savory sandwich with the help of glazed doughnuts from popular chains. In particular, Faust suggests using the cult-classic glazed doughnuts from Krispy Kreme.

"For the best grilled cheese sandwich of your life, slice a doughnut in half and fill it with deli ham or bacon and cheese with the sliced sides [of the doughnut halves] facing down. Butter a skillet, grill your sandwich on both sides, and enjoy!" Faust told Insider.

Lewis Donald, chef and pitmaster at Sweet Lew's Barbecue and Dish in Charlotte, North Carolina, said one of his favorite fast-food dishes to work with is Wendy's chili.

He said he'll usually mix Wendy's chili with some of his own, homemade macaroni and cheese for a "yummy chili-mac dish."

For those who'd prefer to buy macaroni and cheese instead of making it, fast-food chains (like Chick-fil-A and Kentucky Fried Chicken) sell it, too.

Home chef Jason Goldstein, who is a recipe developer and food blogger for Chop Happy, said he likes to craft his own loaded fries by using fast-food fries like "nachos" and "smothering them in burger-style toppings like pickles, onion, and ketchup."

For a total revamp of Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich, try changing up the dish's form altogether, as personal chef Jerzy Gonzalez-Arroyo does.

"Get a side of Polynesian sauce, then cut the chicken into strips and mix with sauce ... make some white rice and sautéed vegetables, [and you'll have] a sweet and sour chicken bowl," he told Insider.

A beloved regional specialty of the American South, chicken and waffles combines crispy, salty fried poultry with sweet waffles.

And, when he brings home some Popeyes fried chicken, chef Andrew Gonzalez, owner of Night Owl Cookies in Miami, Florida, said he doesn't hesitate to break out the waffle iron.

Gonzalez said he uses cookie batter in his waffle iron to whip up some sweet, crispy waffles, and then he tops them off with the chicken from a Popeyes chicken sandwich.

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