Chick-Fil-A is proud to be founded on family values – one of which is sharing. Now – and not for the first time – the chain is sharing a beloved recipe with its fans. This time, it’s Chick-Fil-A’s legendary ‘legacy’ Chicken Salad, which left the menu 9 years ago…
Gone but not forgotten…
CFA’s chicken salad was a fan fave for decades. But back in 2017, the chain dropped the menu item, saying it was too time-consuming to prepare, and wasn’t selling as well as it once had.
It’s interesting to note that, even in 2017, CFA was looking at ‘streamlining’ its menu and operating procedures. I suspect that the excess prep time needed to make the stuff was largely a matter of dealing with boiling the eggs – which weren’t used in any other dishes.
But… Unlike some other chains that bring back legacy menu items in answer to fan demand, CFA has adopted a more family-style approach: It publishes the recipes so fans can make their dear, departed faves at home!
The official recipe
It might be the simplest Chicken Salad recipe I’ve ever come across. But there’s a ‘secret’ ingredient that makes it so special…
Ingredients
4 CFA Chicken Filets, diced large
1 1/2 stalks celery, diced large
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
That’s it. Really!
Instructions
C’mon! You know how to make chicken salad! Get it in gear!
But if you honestly don’t…
In a food processor, add chicken, celery, mayonnaise and relish, and pulse 6-7 times.
With the food processor on, add eggs one at a time and process up to 10 seconds or until desired consistency is reached.
And… You’re done!
My tips and hacks…
You can use any cubed, precooked chicken you want. Leftover Rotisserie Chicken would be great, Be sure to include the dark meat for added flavour!
DO NOT use battered or breaded chicken! The coating will turn your lovely chicken salad into gummy sludge!
CFA calls for Sweet Pickle Relish in its official recipe. A couple of commentors to copycat versions have noted that you can use other pickles and/or pickle juice to customize the flavour – if you really want to risk tinkering with a classic!
The bread can be any type you prefer for Chicken Salad. Whole Wheat is my go-to for a nuttiness that adds a nice sweetness that complements the tangy salad.
Lay the filling mixture on the bread thickly so it squeezes ot the sides when you bite into it. That’s also part of the charm of the classic CFA sandwich!
Of course… You can add anything you like, to enhance, elevate or totally newstalgize this classic re-cipe. But then, it won’t be authentic CFA Chicken Salad anymore…
And… Go ahead and leave the chicken out, and add two more boiled eggs if you want to make plain Egg Salad. Pulse 2 of them in the with the other ingredients as instructed. But leave the other two cubed (medium works best) to fold into the mixture after processing. This produces the closest tex-ture to my Mom’s Egg Salad, outside of her own sublime recipe, that I’ve ever experienced!
My take
Bless CFA for making its legendary Chicken (Egg) Salad recipe available to the fans!
If you’re worried about that longish-seeming 45 minutes pep time – remember, much of that is tied up in boiling the eggs I regularly boil a dozen at a time in a big Dutch oven and put them right back into the fridge in the carton they came in. Then, I can reach in and take out a few whenever I need them. That cuts down the prep time for CFA Chicken Salad to 10 minutes or less!
Just remember to mark the carton appropriately so you don’t get them mixed up with the fresh eggs…
~ Maggie J.