I am a huge fan of a tasty salad. If it were up to me, we’d have a different kind of salad every night for dinner, especially during the summer. And since we have five months of summer in Richmond, that’s a lot of lettuce!
Mom It Forward asked me to team with one of my local Chick-Fil-A restaurants to host an event when some of my local mom-influences could sample the new Chick-Fil-A chicken salads. I wasn’t compensated, unless you count good times with friends over a lovely meal (which is worth a million dollars to me). 
First, I have to say the Chick-Fil-A in Mechanicsville, Virginia, is a wonderful restaurant. We were met by the amazing Becki Baldwin, who handles marketing and events for the location. I can’t even adequately describe how marvelously she treated us. We were escorted to reserved tables that were decorated with tablecloths and fresh flowers. We feasted on a full-sized version of EACH of the new chicken salads. 
Becki was the consummate hostess, answer our questions about ingredients, and really making us feel special. I know this good customer service wasn’t only for us. I saw employees visiting other guests’ tables offering refreshed drinks and checking if anything was needed. For a counter-service restaurant, they really give it table-service feel.
I’d already had the new Asian chicken salad when we were in Florida this month, so I knew I’d like that one. It has lots of fresh, crisp Romaine lettuce and baby greens, red cabbage, shredded carrots, and amazingly juicy mandarin orange slices. The best parts for me were the optional toppings of honey-Thai almond slivers and Chinese garlic-and-ginger wontons, and the amazing Honey Sesame dressing. The dressing is lick-off-your-fingers good.
The Grilled Market Salad is my husband’s favorite. Instead of the crispy breaded chicken, it comes with slices of grilled chicken as the standard. The base of Romaine, baby greens, red cabbage, and carrots are tossed with blue cheese, fresh apples, blueberries, and strawberries. It is the ultimate summer salad, especially when you add on the options of roasted nuts, granola, and the apple cider vinaigrette—a deliciously balanced dressing with just the right tanginess.
If you avoid gluten, the Grilled Market Salad is gluten-free if you leave off the nut and granola options.
The last salad was brand new to me—the Chick-Fil-A Cobb salad. It’s the base vegetables mentioned previously plus roasted corn, bacon, egg, two kinds of shredded cheese. The suggested dressing for the Cobb is the new avocado Ranch. My friends and I talked about how avocado can be tricky to do in a dressing, but we thought Chick-Fil-A really nailed it with this one.
The optional topping for the Cobb is called “charred tomato & crispy red bell peppers” but I call it crack. I could snack on a big bag of that! The Cobb is my new go-to, just for the avocado Ranch dressing and the crispy bell pepper flakes. Delicious!
I had such a great time with friends at Chick-Fil-A. It had been a place we’ve picked up a quick dinner or taken the kids there for lunch and a turn around the play area, but I’ve never thought of it as a place for a Girlfriend Lunch before. I hope you’ll give your local store a visit and try one of the fresh and tasty salads.
I don’t know how you are going to pick your favorite new salad from Chick-Fil-A, but I’m going to help you try. I have a special gift card for one of my salads that will let you try one of each!
Just leave me a comment below telling me which salad sounds the best to you. One entry per person and you must live in the U.S. I’ll use random.org to draw a winner on Tuesday, June 4. Good luck!
Oh my goodness. I am a fan of Cobb salads, so I would have to try that one! But they all sound good….
Omgeee I love love the market salad-and since I’m on weight watchers it’s guilt free in my book. I’m thinking I need to try that Cobb salad next!
I’d love to try the Asian salad! I <3 Chick-Fil-A!
The Cobb sounds like a winner to me!
Hey, I know those ladies! I think I’d like to try the Cobb salad. I love that the ball peppers are completely separate because I’m allergic.
Ooh that Asian salad sounds awesome!!
They all sound yummy! I need to try the Grilled Market Salad first.
As one of the ladies photoed above, I have to say………………if you have not tried one of the salads yet, go do it. Super yummy.
I had an awesome Asian salad in another country… I must try this one!
But, yes, they all sound pretty special. 🙂
They do sound good. I am not a big salad girl but as long as it has some meat in it so I feel like I actually ate something I am happy. It sounds like the Grilled Market Salad would be my choice.
The Cobb!!! Yummy!
The Grilled Market salad sounds great to me (minus the blue cheese)!
I’ve had both the Cobb and the Asian salads, and they were very good, so I guess I need to have the Market salad on my next visit. [I wish they had kept the Southwest salad on the menu.:(]
That Cobb salad sounds really good. I’ll have to try that one next time I’m in Chick-Fil-A. 🙂
Yum!!! I love salads and I would love to try the Cobb salad!!!
Asian salad for me.
I would love to try the Asian salad but those red peppers sound delicious
I have tried the Cobb already and it is delicious! I’d love to win one. And the red pepper “thingies” were such a hit with my 9yo son that we have started buying them by the bagful at the grocery store (near the croutons).
That sounds wonderful, I’m jealous of you VA girls and all the time you spend together. Maybe I need to head up a central FL meetup more often. Does the Cobb salad have chicken on it?
Always love a good Asian salad! Their add-ons sound yum!
Never been a fan of Cobb salad but you’ve almost convinced me to give this one a try.
Asian Chicken, but I’d like it served with all those lovely ladies too! 🙂
waaah, I was a week early visiting up there! The market salad sounds best to me, but all of them look great.
They all sound fabulous to me! It’s hard to choose between the Asian salad and Cobb Salad, but I guess I’d choose Asian.
The cobb salad sounds good.
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I think I would love to try the Asian salad. I honestly would love the market salad too. I don’t like egg on my salad, or I’d want the Cobb salad too. Haha
Yum!!!!!! I want to try every one of them!! Especially if I can have the girlfriend company! So fun.
And this is where I admit to never even have been to this restaurant. For shame….
I’d like to try the Asian Salad. I was sad when McDs stopped selling their old Asian salad.
They all sound yummy, but I think i need to try the one with the avocado dressing! Love avocado!
Yummy salads, I think I would like to try the Cobb.
Grilled Market for me, please!
Oh my goodness, I am hungry now, just from reading this! The Asian Chicken Salad sounds incredible!
Now I’m totally craving an Asian Chicken salad!
The Cobb sounds FAB!!!
I would love to try the Cobb if its good for sevierville too….sounds awesome.
The aisian chicken salad sounds great to me.
Im in love with the cobb salad and i order two side salads everytime so when i ask for extra crispy bell pepper toppings they give you double, that way i can take them home and eat them separately. I crave crave crave the bell pepper toppings, im totally ADDICTED!