In a world where celebrities often share their unconventional food combinations—like Beyoncé’s bananas and ketchup or Channing Tatum’s PB&J with Cheetos—it’s becoming increasingly hard to shock anyone. And yet, one best-selling author just managed to raise eyebrows with a particularly unsettling recipe.
A recent profile of Nicholas Sparks in the New York Times has left many readers both bewildered and disgusted by the author’s bizarre chicken salad recipe.
During the interview, Sparks whipped up a rather unconventional chicken salad at his North Carolina home. Picture this: he began by chopping skinless, boneless rotisserie chickens, celery, and a Vidalia onion. That’s all fine. But it’s the dressing that truly caught everyone off guard. His concoction consisted of mayonnaise, dill pickle relish, jalapeño relish, apple cider vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper, cayenne pepper—and a staggering 16 packets of Splenda.
“You can use real sugar, but why throw sugar in if you can use Splenda?” Sparks said to the interviewer.
Social media users have been quick to react, with many expressing shock at the sheer amount of sweetener being used.
“This is the second most cursed thing I’ve read this morning,” one Twitter/X user exclaimed.
Another simply stated, “I’m so upset.”
However, not everyone is horrified; one person jumped to Sparks’ defense, noting, “Ok I did the math and it’s approximately a tablespoon which doesn’t sound as outrageous.”
Would you try Nicholas Sparks’ Splenda Chicken Salad? Let us know in the comments.
Expertise: Writing & Pop Culture
Education: B.A. in Journalism & B.S. in Media Studies from New York University
About Me: As an Editorial Assistant at Delish, Dianna supports the staff in any and every capacity, whether it’s managing the editorial inbox, assisting with expenses, or writing news stories for the site. She previously wrote for entertainment publications like Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Consequence, and more. When she’s not at work, Dianna is either practicing her latte art, going to the movie theater, or spending an egregious amount of time on Google Maps deciding what trendy restaurant to hit next.