Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken salad is one of those ubiquitous things that, while everyone loves it, each person has an opinion on what makes the best version. In this household, there are some STRONG opinions. Shredded versus chopped? Pickle relish or celery? Fruit? Nuts? And, of course, which mayonnaise? Okay, that really isn’t up for discussion in this family—we’re Duke’s all the way!

For those that can’t agree, there’s a new referee in town. And the ref’s name is Chicken Salad Chick. Founded in 2008 by Stacy and Kevin Brown in Auburn, Alabama, the national chain features over a dozen different house-made-from-scratch chicken salads on their menu, in traditional, savory, sweet, and spicy options, which will please all the chicken salad naysayers in your life. Plus, for those that don’t like chicken salad (blasphemy!), never fear. Chicken Salad Chick has your back.

With a quest to find the perfect chicken salad, Stacy Brown decided to take matters into her own hands. She started with her own original recipe and tweaked it, and taste tested the results on her neighbors. After many adjustments, refinements, and modifications, she settled on a version that was the clear winner, and started selling pounds of it to her neighbors and fellow elementary school teachers. She had more business than she knew what to do with and started discussing the idea of a restaurant with her computer software husband-to-be, Kevin.

After receiving a call from the Lee County Health Department and learning that cooking food at home and

selling it was illegal, the conversation accelerated, and Chicken Salad Chick was born. Today, there are more than 270 locations in 19 states, with both company-owned and franchise locations.

Beaufort welcomed the state’s 14^th Chicken Salad Chick location last October when multi-unit franchise owners Julie Belville of Greenville, South Carolina and Michelle Singleton of Auburn, Alabama opened for business at the new Beaufort Station shopping center at the corner of Robert Smalls Parkway and Parris Island Gateway. “Our families love Beaufort and have visited many, many times over the years,” said Julie. “We’ve been looking for the right spot to open a location and being part of the new Beaufort Station shopping center is exciting!”

They aren’t the only ones that are excited. Within weeks, Chicken Salad Chick and their tasty offerings were the talk of the town. Well, we finally got in to experience it for ourselves, and these “my chicken salad is the best” diehards have seen the light.

With a bright and light space and charming artwork on the walls, overhead menu, and tablecloths, we were drawn into the restaurant as we headed to the fast-casual style counter. With a dozen chicken salad options available as either a scoop, sandwich, or on a salad, it took a few minutes to take it all in.

Traditional options include Classic Carol, with celery, mayo and a secret seasoning, and Olivia’s Old South with sweet pickles and egg. Savory options feature Lauryn’s Lemon Basil, Dixie Chick (the only option with onions), Sassy Scotty, with ranch, bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese, and Barbie-Q, with a hickory smoked BBQ flavor. Then, there are fruity options including: Fancy Nancy, with apples, grapes, and pecans; Fruity Fran, featuring apples, grapes, and pineapple; and Cranberry Kelli, with dried cranberries and almonds. Last, but not least, spicy options include Buffalo Barclay (think wing sauce), Jalapeño Holly, and Kickin’ Kay Lynne, with all the stuff from buffalo sauce and ranch to jalapeños and Sriracha.

For you eagle eye readers, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. All the flavors are named for real-life “chicks” in Stacy and Kevin’s families, including mothers, daughters, aunts, and friends.

Scoops are served on a lush lettuce leaf, while sandwiches come on grilled traditional white or wheatberry bread or a flaky croissant. All are served with a choice of any side, soup, or an extra scoop of any flavor of chicken salad, a pickle slice, and a tasty buttercream-frosted flower cookie. There is also a nice selection of signature sandwiches, including chicken salad BLT, chicken salad melt, and turkey club, which also come with all the extras. Scoops of chicken salad can also be served on one of two green salads: classic and seasonal.

Freshly made sides include: broccoli salad (florets tossed in a sweet vinegar-based dressing with shredded

mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and bacon); grape salad (red and white grapes mixed in a sweet cream cheese sauce, topped with brown sugar and pecans); pasta salad (tri-color rotini in an Italian dressing, with feta and parmesan cheeses, black olives, and artichoke hearts); fresh fruit salad; or mac ‘n cheese.

Soup of the day options are plentiful, with two or three choices being offered daily, like loaded potato, broccoli cheese, chicken tortilla, tomato bisque, chicken poblano, and more. Soups are available in a cup, bowl, and by the quart (an offering we love).

For our first visit, Lynn opted to play it safe with a Classic Carol on toasted white (the Chicken Salad Chick

corporate folks tell us that Classic Carol is the most popular flavor company-wide), with a cup of chicken poblano soup. The sandwich was perfectly toasted, the chicken salad had a luscious texture, and the soup was hot and very flavorful, with just the right amount of heat. The dill pickle slice and crackers were a nice touch.

Cele was a bit out of her box, with a scoop of Fancy Nancy and a side of broccoli salad. Although not typically a fruit and nuts in her chicken salad kind of gal, she found the chicken salad delicious, with the texture of the shredded chicken and the ideal amount of mayo mixed with finely chopped apples, grapes, and pecans to blend wonderfully. The broccoli salad was the perfect combination of tart and sweet and was a nice accompaniment to the sandwich.

What if chicken salad is not your thing? No problem. They also offer pimento cheese scoops—regular or spicy—and an egg salad option. There is even a Quick Chick kiosk at the entrance that offers take-away containers of the varied chicken salad and pimento cheese flavors in small (feeds 2-3) and large servings (feeds 4-5) to create your own feasts at home, as well as a Little Chicks kids’ menu.

Whether you are a chicken salad newbie, a diehard aficionado, or just looking for a quick lunch during the workday or running errands, Chicken Salad Chick has you covered.

 

Chicken Salad Chick

331A Robert Smalls Parkway

Beaufort, SC 29906

854-240-5272

www.chickensaladchick.com

Open Monday-Saturday 10:30am-8:00pm

 

Beaufort-based travel journalists Lynn and Cele Seldon (www.seldonink.com) often cover culinary travel around the world and Lowcountry Weekly lured them to write a monthly feature covering the local food scene. This includes articles about restaurants, chefs, food-focused stores, farms, farmers, farmers markets, and more. They welcome suggestions for topics, as well as recommendations for their upcoming book, 100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die.