Prolific author Nicholas Sparks has made a fruitful career out of penning romance novels that have been made into big screen adaptations. He’s just churned out a new tale, Counting Miracles, that Amazon is already making into a movie. To promote his 22nd book, Sparks had a little piece in The New York Times, which ended up breaking news over his chicken salad recipe. What, pray tell, could be controversial about chicken salad, arguably the blandest of all deli salads? Adding 8 packets of Splenda to it, that’s what! I guess we really shouldn’t be surprised: the man writes overly saccharine stories, why should his salads be any different? Still, people are startled by this sacrilege to the salad arts:
The bestselling author behind The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Last Song and Dear John — all of which were later adapted into feature films — shared his personal spin on the culinary classic, which typically includes a combination of chicken, mayonnaise and various fruits and vegetables.
While Sparks’ variation included notable customizations like jalapenos and cayenne pepper, he also revealed that his recipe called for one particularly eye-catching ingredient: 16 packets of Splenda sweetener, equivalent to ⅔ cup of sugar.
“You can use real sugar,” the romance novelist — whose new book Counting Miracles is available now — told the New York Times in a profile published Sept. 24, “but why throw sugar in if you can use Splenda?”
The low-carb modification quickly sparked a wave of strong reactions on social media, ranging from intrigued to bewildered. One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “Some recipes really leave you questioning everything about a person.”
“As a true chicken salad connoisseur,” another wrote, “this is sociopathy.”
While another user called the amount of Splenda in the recipe “wild,” they were more concerned with the logistics of using individual packets to prepare the dish.
“At that point why are you still using individual packets of Splenda?” the user wondered. “Invest in a full box! Nicholas Sparks is wasting so much time fiddling around ripping each packet open!”
Sparks, 58, eventually caught wind of the social media reaction to his recipe and posted a video response to the “hubbub” on Instagram Sept. 27. In the video, the author stood by his controversial recipe, pointing out that the sweetener makes up for his use of a sugar-free mayonnaise.
“Why put sugar in stuff if you don’t need it?” he wondered. “The depth of flavor in this chicken salad is truly out of this world.”
He added, “All those who are picking on my Splenda-sweetened chicken salad, you’re missing out.”
Reading his clapback is one thing, but when I actually watched Sparks’ response on Instagram he came off more like Nicholas Snarks. [Pause for laughter] And it’s not just the tone of his voice — he spends the video eating his chicken salad out of a wine glass!! With packets of Splenda artfully placed in the foreground, likely by a food stylist who worked diligently to make it look casual. My personal favorite comment on his post was someone who said, “this is why other nations hate us!” And though I’m loath to throw him a (wish)bone, I do feel compelled to note that Sparks includes the full recipe in the same Insta post, and he claims to use only 8 packets of Splenda, as opposed to the 16 the NY Times printed. I think the logical assumption is that he must have been whipping up a double batch when the NY Times was there? Still, I have to agree with those in an uproar about him using packets instead of a larger container. So unless and until he offers an explanation to the contrary, I choose to believe (and loudly spread the rumor) that Sparks is stealing his entire supply of the sugar substitute from diners and coffee shops. Prove me wrong, Nick!