Try this Chick Fil A Superfood Salad copycat recipe when you want a healthy lunch meal prep! The Chick Fil A superfood side is no longer on their menu; luckily, we can still enjoy it at home. With kale, broccolini, toasted nuts, dried cherries, grilled chicken, and a tangy maple vinaigrette, this salad ticks all the boxes. We've found that sweet spot where healthy meets delicious, and it's a wonderful place to be!
Yup, I have a salad recipe for you today. I love meal prepping salads for my lunches. Believe it or not, the salad recipes are some of my favorites on the site!
When we go on long trips, I try to eat in a fairly similar way to how I eat at home. (Admittedly, it's not always possible, and I usually try the local specialties when I visit a new place.) That means I tend to go for a salad when we end up at a fast food place for lunch.
Chick-fil-a is one of my top picks for healthier and low calorie fast food options. They offer several tasty entrée salads, as well as a side salad or two.
My Chick fil a super food side salad recipe is a copycat of one of my favorite Chick fil a salads. Now I don't have to get takeout to enjoy this tasty salad at home. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!
If you associate salads more with deprivation than deliciousness, maybe I can change this for you. A nice bed of fresh leafy greens is pretty much the perfect canvas for an assortment of tasty whole foods. (And if green leafies aren't your thing, don't forget that some salads involve no green leafy vegetables at all!)
Jump to:
- What are the benefits of making Chick Fil A Superfood Salad?
- What is in the Chick fil A Superfood salad?
- Chick Fil A Superfood Salad Dressing Ingredients
- How to Make a Chick Fil A Superfood Side Salad
- Expert Tips from a Dietitian
- What are some other salads with grilled chicken?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Other Recipes Using Superfoods That You May Enjoy
- And now for the disclaimer…
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
What are the benefits of making Chick Fil A Superfood Salad?
Why should you make this copycat recipe? Let me count the ways…
- DIY is the only way to get your superfood salad fix. As I'll talk about in the FAQs, this salad is no longer available at Chick-Fil-A restaurants. If you want a superfood side, you have to make it at home.
- This copycat has less added sugar than the original. You can cut way back on added sugar with my superfood salad copycat recipe. I'm even going to show you how you can make this one free of added sugar!
- It's easy to customize this salad to fit a variety of special diets. Do you need a salad that is gluten free, keto, vegan, vegetarian, or low carb? Don't miss the FAQ section to learn how to make it happen.
- It's a super simple meal prep recipe. I don't know about you, but I don't have time to prepare lunch most weekdays. Meal prepping healthy recipes like this one helps me get a nutrient dense meal in when I am busiest. It does not take much time to throw this together!
- You're getting lean protein, phytonutrients, fiber, essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fats… Dietitians love to throw these words around because they are important! Good nutrition helps to support a strong and healthy body. This salad has lots of the good stuff that can help you to get there.
What is in the Chick fil A Superfood salad?
According to their website, here are the ingredients in the Chick-Fil-A superfood side salad:
- Broccolini and kale blend
- Dried Sour Cherries (cherries, sugar, oil)
- Roasted Nut Blend (consists of glazed walnuts, roasted almonds, and glazed pecans)
- Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
I wanted to simplify my lunch meal prep, so I also added grilled chicken breast to my salads. Adding some lean protein to your superfood side will transform this side dish into a full meal. It's a little easier than preparing this side along with a separate entrée.
Something you may notice about the Chick Fil A superfood salad ingredients list is that there is a lot of added sugar! Refined sugar has been added to the dried cherries and nuts. On top of that, the maple vinaigrette dressing contains maple syrup (an added sugar) plus brown sugar. That's a lot of added sugar!
Lucky for us, it's really easy to cut back on the added sugar in this copycat Chick Fil A salad recipe. Walnuts, almonds, and pecans are all delicious toasted; no sugary glaze is needed. Additionally, you can use (no sugar added) dried sweet cherries or dried cranberries instead of sweetened dried sour cherries.
Even the maple vinaigrette dressing can be made sugar-free if you choose. Just substitute a sugar-free maple syrup substitute for the real maple syrup. You can use a store-bought sugar free syrup or try Wholesome Yum's low carb sugar free maple syrup recipe. It uses maple extract with erythritol for sweetness.
Chick Fil A Superfood Salad Dressing Ingredients
Many premade salad dressings, including chick fil a's superfood salad dressing, count as ultra-processed foods. A huge benefit of making your own salad dressing is that you can skip the additives/preservatives.
This maple vinaigrette is not an exact copy of the Chick Fil A salad dressing. However, I think it tastes just as great and is a bit healthier to boot! Here's what you need to make the maple vinaigrette salad dressing:
- Olive oil
- Maple syrup (or use a sugar free maple syrup substitute if you want to completely avoid added sugar)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic clove
- Salt and pepper
It takes less than five minutes to throw this dressing together. I promise that it is worth the effort!
How to Make a Chick Fil A Superfood Side Salad
Heat a stovetop grill pan and mist it with cooking oil spray. Put your chicken breasts on the pan and grill them for approximately 10 minutes per side. They should have nice grill lines when they are done cooking and have reached the minimum safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the chicken cooks, heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Put the walnuts, pecans, and almonds in the pan and dry toast them for approximately five minutes, stirring frequently. They should become fragrant as they get nice and toasty.
Remove the tough stems from a bunch of curly kale. Chop it up, place it in a large bowl, then massage the kale for a few minutes with clean hands. This step is important to soften the raw kale up, making it a tender addition to your salads.
Rinse your broccolini and chop it up fairly small. You will be including the stems of the broccolini in your salads. Mix the kale and broccolini together, then divide it between four salad bowls or meal prep containers.
Make the salad dressing by putting olive oil, maple syrup, cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper in a jar. Put the lid on the jar and give it a good shake. Your maple vinaigrette is ready!
When your chicken has finished grilling, slice it into chunks or bite size pieces. Now you can finish assembling your salads.
Top each bowl of greens with ¼ of the grilled chicken breast. Divide the toasted nuts and dried cherries evenly amongst the bowls.
Dress the salad right before serving. My meal prep salad bowls have separate dressing containers with lids. This helps to keep the salads from getting soggy before I'm ready to eat.
Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). This is a low calorie salad (under 500 calories), rich in veggies and lean protein. However, I am giving it the bump to level 3 because it contains several energy-dense ingredients (dried fruit, maple syrup, nuts). I'd make a few changes to this salad if you want an even higher volume, lower calorie meal.
For one, I would swap the dried cherries for fresh, pitted cherries. Water has been removed from dried fruits, concentrating their calories into a smaller volume. If you are looking to lose weight, I recommend choosing fresh fruit over dried fruit when possible.
Second, I'd consider skipping the nuts in the salad and adding more non-starchy veggies instead. You're still getting plenty of healthy fat in this salad from the olive oil in the dressing. Nuts are typically 150-200 calories per (measly) ¼ cup. They are very high calorie (yet healthy!) foods.
Finally, I'd also consider swapping out the maple syrup in the dressing for a sugar free maple syrup substitute. There are a variety of options available, depending on what your needs are.
Walden Farms has a (nearly) calorie free maple walnut syrup. ChocZero's popular low calorie and low carb maple syrup is made with natural monk fruit extract.
If you do choose real maple syrup, the amount used here per salad will keep you well within the recommended limits for added sugar intake. For example, the American Heart Association recommends that women limit added sugar to 2 tablespoons (25 grams) per day. Each superfood salad contains ¾ tablespoon of maple syrup (in the dressing), less than half of this limit.
What are some other salads with grilled chicken?
Throw some grilled chicken on salads for an easy way to incorporate high-quality lean protein! Here are some other salad recipes with grilled chicken (or you can use leftover rotisserie chicken):
- Spinach Caprese Salad with Peaches
- Strawberry Rhubarb Salad with Orange Chicken
- Rainbow Veggies Salad with Georgia Peanut Sauce
- Chicken Salad with Lemon Ginger Dressing
- Best Cobb Salad – Meal Prep Recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Chick Fil A superfood salad good for you?
Considering that McDonald's recently dropped all the salads from their menu, I think it's awesome Chick-Fil-A is offering salads! At the very least, we can say that Chick-Fil-A has offerings that are healthier than McDonald's and some other fastfood chains. Not so many fast food restaurants have a kale salad on the menu.
As discussed above, the Chik Fil A superfood side had a lot of added sugar. That said, it can be tough to access veggies (particularly fresh vegetables) when traveling. This side salad can help you increase your vegetable intake while you are on the road.
In short, I wouldn't say the superfood side is the healthiest item out there, but it is better than many fast food options. It provides phytonutrients, fiber, and an assortment of essential vitamins and minerals that tend to be lacking in fast food.
Does Chick Fil A still have superfood salad?
Unfortunately, the Chick Fil A superfood side salad was discontinued in 2020. They've replaced this healthy side dish with a new "Kale Crunch Side." (You can bet I'll be creating a copycat recipe for the kale crunch side salad soon!)
How many calories are in a Chick fil A superfood salad?
The small Chick-Fil-A superfood salad was a side salad offering that was 140 calories. My copycat recipe is actually higher in calories because I have morphed it into an entrée salad. (Friendly reminder here that lower calorie does not necessarily mean the food is "healthier.")
Is Chick Fil A superfood salad keto? Is it vegan?
The Chick-Fil-A superfood salad is not keto because it contains dried fruit and lots of added sugar between the fruit, glazed nuts, and dressing. You can easily make my copycat version low carb friendly by skipping the dried fruit and using a sugar-free maple syrup substitute in the dressing.
Chick-Fil-A's superfood side contains sugar (which may have been processed through a bone char filter) and natural flavors. Thus, it is difficult to determine whether it is truly free of animal products.
My copycat superfood salad can easily be made vegan by swapping out the grilled chicken with your favorite plant-based protein. I think a flavored tofu, such as my Air Fryer Tofu, would work really well here. My Smoked Tofu would also be awesome, but smoked tofu is good with pretty much everything. lol
Is Chick Fil A superfood side gluten free?
One thing to know is that Chick-Fil-A does not prepare food in a gluten-free environment. However, they provide information on their website on menu items that do not contain gluten, which you can find here. (P.S. My version of the Chick Fil A superfood salad is naturally gluten free!)
Other Recipes Using Superfoods That You May Enjoy
Are you looking for other superfood recipes? What even is a superfood? Is kale a superfood?
"Superfood" is really more of a marketing term versus a term used amongst nutrition professionals. That said, I do consider nutrient-dense foods like fatty fish, berries, dark leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, and fermented foods to be pretty super! Here are some recipes that incorporate these super foods:
- How to Eat Canned Sardines (Sardine Cakes Recipe!)
- Kimchi Pork Stir Fry (Easy Recipe!)
- Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp and Peanut Sauce
- Keto Trail Mix Recipe (Contains delicious berries, chocolate, and healthy fats from nuts!)
- Gluten Free Toast made with Sweet Potatoes (Pile them high with your favorite super foods!)
Don't forget to subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter to be kept up-to-date on all of the latest and greatest recipes! You can follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram!
And now for the disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats with yogurt post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Chick Fil A Superfood Salad Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breast (454 grams)
- cooking oil spray of choice
- ¼ cup raw walnuts halves
- ¼ cup raw almonds
- ¼ cup raw pecans
- 10 ounces raw curly kale (284 grams)
- 8 ounces broccolini (227 grams; about one small bunch)
- ½ cup dried sweet cherries (without added sugar, if possible)
For the maple vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or sugar-free maple syrup substitute)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mist a stovetop grill pan with cooking oil spray. Put the pan over medium heat. Grill the chicken breasts until they have nice grill lines and have reached the minimum safe internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). (This took approximately 10 minutes per side.)
- While the chicken grills, heat a cast iron pan over medium-low heat. Put the nuts in the pan and toast them for approximately five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Rinse the kale under cool running water. Remove the tough stems and chop the kale into bite sized pieces. Place the kale in a large bowl and massage it for several minutes with clean hands. This step is important to get the raw kale more tender.
- Rinse the broccolini under cool running water. Chop it into small pieces (do include the stems). Divide the kale and broccolini between 4 meal prep containers or salad bowls.
- When the chicken has finished grilling, cut it into bite size chunks. Top each bowl of greens with ¼ of the chicken.
- Divide the dried cherries and toasted nuts evenly between the bowls.
To make the maple vinaigrette:
- Make the maple vinaigrette salad dressing by putting olive oil, maple syrup, cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper in a jar. Put the lid on the jar and give it a shake to combine the ingredients.
- To keep your salad from getting soggy, add the dressing right before you are ready to eat. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). This is a low calorie salad (under 500 calories), rich in veggies and lean protein. However, I am giving it the bump to level 3 because it contains several energy-dense ingredients (dried fruit, maple syrup, nuts). I'd make a few changes to this salad if you want an even higher volume, lower calorie meal. For one, I would swap the dried cherries for fresh, pitted cherries. Water has been removed from dried fruits, concentrating their calories into a smaller volume. If you are looking to lose weight, I recommend choosing fresh fruit over dried fruit when possible. Second, I'd consider skipping the nuts in the salad and adding more non-starchy veggies instead. You're still getting plenty of healthy fat in this salad from the olive oil in the dressing. Nuts are typically 150-200 calories per (measly) ¼ cup. They are very high calorie (yet healthy!) foods. Finally, I'd also consider swapping out the maple syrup in the dressing for a sugar free maple syrup substitute. There are a variety of options available, depending on what your needs are. Walden Farms has a (nearly) calorie free maple walnut syrup. ChocZero's popular low calorie and low carb maple syrup is made with natural monk fruit extract. If you do choose real maple syrup, the amount used here per salad will keep you well within the recommended limits for added sugar intake. For example, the American Heart Association recommends that women limit added sugar to 2 tablespoons (25 grams) per day. Each superfood salad contains ¾ tablespoon of maple syrup (in the dressing), less than half of this limit. Nutrition information is for one serving of the recipe and includes the dressing made with real maple syrup. (Using a sugar-free maple syrup substitute will lower both the calories and carbs in the salads.)
Terrified Amateur says
In an amazing coincidence, Summer, if you switch out dried cranberries for the cherries, that almost is exactly the same salad I bring in for lunch every day. I had no notion Chick-Fil-A helped itself to my ideas!
Of course, my version is without the roasted nuts too, and that's a deficiency I'll have to rectify.
Thanks so much for providing valuable details. You've drawn up a great roadmap for achieving the perfect salad, Summer.
Summer Yule says
Thank you so much, but the credit really needs to go to Chick-Fil-A! I'd love to see other fast food restaurants serving up similar options. Your version of the salad sounds great. The cranberries are a nice seasonal touch!