The Chicken Salad Chick Flavor We Ranked The Best Was A Spicy Twist On A Classic

How do you prefer your chicken salad? With a crunch of celery, the squish of juicy grapes, or the spice of curry ... or maybe even some sweet canned fruit cocktail? If you've stuck to just a few variations on chicken salad, it may be time to broaden your horizons, as Chicken Salad Chick offers a whopping 15 varieties, all of which we ranked to separate the must-tries from the skip-its.

Thankfully, there were no truly bad options on the list — those clustered toward the bottom were faulted for being one-dimensional rather than off-putting. As you climb the ranks, however, the salads become more flavorful and creative, with options like the Fruity Fran (with grapes, apples, and pineapple), Buffalo Barclay (with buffalo sauce), and our winner, the Kickin' Kay Lynne.

Kickin' Kay Lynne was a 10 out of 10 from the very first bite, and it didn't disappoint upon further consumption. It's reportedly a mix of three different salads — the Buffalo Barclay, Sassy Scotty, and Jalapeño Holly — and therefore features a multitude of flavors including buffalo sauce, ranch, sriracha, bacon, cheese, and jalapeños. In fact, there are so many different things going on that it almost sounds like too much — but somehow Chicken Salad Chick has achieved the perfect balance of flavor.

To order the Kickin' Kay Lynne (or any other of Chicken Salad Chick's tasty options), you can decide whether you'd like it as a scoop or a sandwich. From there, further customization options abound in terms of sides, sandwich toppings, etc.

For a restaurant that specializes in chicken salad, it should be no surprise that Chicken Salad Chick has all but perfected the texture of its options. Even the lowest-ranking salad (the Classic Carol) was praised for using finely shredded chicken, giving it a smooth and almost spreadable consistency. And the add-ins are generally chopped finely, maintaining that ideal texture.

What may be more surprising is that Chicken Salad Chick hasn't been around all that long — at least, not compared to the oldest chain restaurants in the United States. It was founded in 2008 — however, founder Stacy Brown had been selling chicken salad door-to-door prior to the official grand opening. A popular fun fact about the chain is that all of the signature chicken salads are named after women who had an impact on Brown's life.

Kickin' Kay Lynne's namesake is Kay Lynne Mitchell, a close relative of Susan Brown. Mitchell is a Chicken Salad Chick franchise owner herself, along with Brown's parents, Tom and Cheryl Melton, and Don and Carol Schrader, also relatives. Carol and Cheryl also have the honor of having chicken salad flavors named after them — the Classic Carol (15th in our ranking) and "Nutty Nana," although the latter no longer seems to be on the menu.