17 hours Ago
Author Nicholas Sparks has sold millions of books and seen his work turned into tearjerker blockbusters, but if you’re seeing him crop up in your social media feed this week, it’s probably for a different reason. The ’ stunning riverside home in New Bern, North Carolina (in an area largely unscathed by , unlike much of the western part of the state — find out how you can help ). As the reporter and photographer arrived, he was making his signature chicken salad, consisting of two rotisserie chickens, celery, onion, mayo, dill relish, jalapeños, cider vinegar, spices and a rather alarming secret ingredient: 16 packets of Splenda.
That’s one packet for every time he’s been at the top of the Times’ bestseller list, plus one to grow on, and it’s caused a little bit of hubbub online. “You can use real sugar, but why throw sugar in if you can use Splenda?” Sparks asked the Times when queried about his recipe reasoning. Taking note of the kerfuffle, Sparks : “This sounds amazing! I’m making it,” one person commented, but others aren’t quite sold, listing concerns about health effects — and flavor — effects.
“No man. Just no,” someone else posted . In the caption, he lists the ingredients for the recipe he was making when the Times visited: I’m from the South and quite accustomed to sweetness in side dishes; one could argue it’s more often found in salad recipes than lettuce is around these parts.
, , – they all have a tablespoon or two. But, unlike a lot of other zero-calorie sweeteners, is 1:1 in measure compared to sugar, so each packet is equivalent to 2 teaspoons of cane sugar. Add up those 16 packets and you get 2/3 cup for Sparks’ two-chicken recipe — outrageous even by Southern standards.
Sparks claims in his Instagram that his take needs sweetness because he uses Southern condiment paragon Duke’s, which doesn’t contain added sugar, but y’all, that is still of sugar. Even sweet-leaning Hellmann’s would never, and I’m worried this is going to taste like the unholy offspring of Chicken of the Sea and Sprite Zero. I can’t help being curious, though.
Let’s try it! Here it is, all ready for mixing: I’ve decided to make a scaled-down version, with about half of a rotisserie chicken and the corresponding amounts of the other ingredients, lest I be left crying my eyes out over a huge pile of cursed chicken candy. If you’re keeping score, that’ll be an alarming four packets of Splenda for this allegedly savory entrée. It’s not exactly eye-catching with nothing but beige and pale green, but it looks innocent enough.
I’ve chosen to have it with a favorite cracker and some extra celery, but if you’re looking for low-carb like Sparks, it scoops up nicely with sliced cucumber as well. I love the spiciness, and it’s about the right amount of mayo, but I found myself wishing for just a hint of the bittersweet in Sparks’ novels. The sweetness is so far over the top that as I eat lunch, it’s already watching the sun set spectacularly, on the horizon of common sense.
It’s not , exactly, but it is discordant, and disturbingly reminiscent of the time . You could get a similar Southern-style effect with a quarter of the sweetening power, or better yet, just a sprinkle. I often feel that artificial sweeteners dull other flavors so that they sort of fall off a cliff rather than develop on the palate, and this recipe suffers that malady even more than most.
As for the health effects some commenters are concerned about, there is some evidence that they’re a problem for and . As a dietitian, I often encourage people to cut back on both sugar no- or low-calorie sweeteners to limit risks either way, and to support themselves in reducing cravings for sweet taste. Still, I have to admit that the base flavors and textures in Sparks’ recipe are impressive, and I probably will make his 16-Splenda chicken salad again .
.. .
.. hold the Splenda.
Heather Martin is a registered dietitian, and writer who contributes to ’s Food and Health sections. She encourages you to try all kinds of food in moderation, even the weird ones..
